Preparing the Zimbabwe turbine
Wind energy guru, Hugh Piggott of Scotland, designed one of the world most rugged and useful wind generators as a project for Zimbabwe.
Piggot, one of the most active wind energy advocates on the Internet, went to Temaruru, a site in the eastern highlands where Powertronics of Harare has installed a stand alone community wind power station.
The goal of the project was to design a simple yet powerful method for small communities well off the grid to be self sufficient and have reliable power. The result? What is now known commercially as the African Wind Power 3.6, a 3.6m powerhouse of rock solid reliability.
The wind turbine is available in battery charging format for 12, 24, 48 or other voltages as required. A high voltage version with transformers is being tested. Pumping versions are planned.
Other wind experts, like Mick Sagrillo, agree that this project was successful. Mick says: “his is a very simple machine that does what it is supposed to do. It is quite heavy duty and build to last a long time. The turbine is easy to install, with simple tools. I am most impressed with the turbine’s slow speed and quiet operation. It is refreshing to see that a modern wind generator can be manufactured that is absolutely quiet in its operation.”
