A wind turbine battery charger for Africa

The principal objective of the project was to examine the proposition that a wind turbine rated at about 500 watts could be manufactured in Zimbabwe and that it could operate cost-effectively in the low-windspeed conditions characteristic of that country.The results from the test programme between 12 July and 1 November 1996 show that the turbine produced 392 kWh at an average of 106 kWh per month, 134W mean. This output is the equivalent of nineteen 50-watt PV panels at that site. The equivalent cost was 20% of the PV alternative, with a Foreign currency requirement of less than 5%.The project has been a practical demonstration of the potential for linking specialist external design expertise with indigenous industrial capacity. The outcome is a locally-manufactured product for both the domestic and export markets, capable of competing in one of the fastest growing sectors of the renewable energy industry.