Lir Energy are currently working in conjunction with a German design engineering firm to develop a small commercial vertical-axis wind-turbine, capable of generating between 10-20kw with a reasonable payback time.

Our turbine specification is driven by customer needs:

1. High energy supply at average wind speeds.
2. Reasonable purchase cost with a seven year maximum payback time.
3. Rugged design and low maintenance.
4. Able to deal with turbulence and crosswinds.
5. The turbine will not require planning permission because it is compliant with Irish Government guidelines for micro generation.

Lir has set up a stand alone company Leading Edge Renewables with the purpose of developing a VAWT to a commercial stage. See the website at www.leadingedgerenewables.ie.

Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) have the main rotor shaft arranged vertically. A key advantage of this arrangement is that the turbine does not need to be pointed into the wind to be effective. This is an advantage on sites where the wind direction is highly variable. VAWTs can utilize winds from varying directions.

Traditional Horizontal Axis turbines (HAWTs) are propeller based wind turbines and have several inherent disadvantages, such as noise, susceptibility to cross-winds and the need to control blade speed for self-preservation. Also the gearbox and complicated drive shafts add to cost and complexity. The VAWT solves these issues.

VAWTs are more efficient in urban areas as they are less affected by turbulent air than HAWTs, which make VAWTs more suited for residential or commercial areas where obstacles such as other houses and trees may disturb the airflow. Mounting the VAWT on a roof or a pole or tower makes the unit more useable and accessible for easy routine maintenance. VAWTs rotate at a much lower speed than the very high speeds of existing HAWTs (190 rpm versus 900 rpm), resulting in much lower noise levels and vibration. They are also more visible to birds.