Webinar presented by Derek Grassman (USA)
Kohilo Cyclone wind turbines

Energy transition to a completely new concept Wind Turbine

Belgian company Wingardium Energy generates green power locally with American wind turbines that have less impact on the landscape and are more registerable for birds. The wind turbines can store (buffer) power themselves or deliver it to car charging points.

One of the challenges around wind energy is energy storage. Wind cannot be planned and neither can the need for power. Wind energy therefore needs to be stored in a smart way, and US-based Kohilo's Cyclone Turbines do just that with a unique hydraulic storage system. Belgian company Wingardium Energy links these US turbines to electric vehicle filling stations.

Ludo Loyens, business manager of Wingardium Energy and originally an electro-mechanic, became interested in the possibilities of renewable energy after his retirement. "I saw that besides advantages, there were also quite a few disadvantages to wind turbines, such as cast shadow, which is why there is a lot of opposition to expanding wind farms. Also, rotating wind turbines are life-threatening for birds and bats. Thus, through a personal search, I ended up with the Cyclone wind turbines of the US company Kohilo."

Read also: In the Netherlands, a project to make hydrogen from wind energy will start at the end of this year

These turbines have no blades but work with a vertical wind axis that rotates more easily, even at low wind speeds. Loyens: "The turbines already start rotating from winds of 1 metre per second and can also remain operational for longer at higher wind speeds, up to 56 metres per second. Normal turbines switch off at a wind force of 38 metres per second (>12 Beaufort)."

Proprietary hydraulic storage and electrolysis

The Cyclone turbines have versions starting at 100 Kilowatts and up to 10 Megawatts of green power output and deliver green power annually depending on the local wind regime. The output is higher than current HAT wind turbines as they are independent of wind direction.Furthermore, the turbines start up faster at low wind speeds and continue to operate at higher wind speeds without any problems. They are wider and lower than traditional wind turbines, and designed so that the space under the turbine can be used for a variety of purposes, e.g. refuelling stations for electric vehicles.
To avoid overloading the electricity grid, the turbines store the green power themselves. Loyens: "The hydraulic storage system can store up to a maximum of 6 MWh of wind energy. And when the power from the storage is consumed, it automatically switches to the electricity grid."
Besides direct wind electricity, Wingardium's filling stations also supply hydrogen. Loyens,: "The hydraulic storage is immediately also the energy source for the hydrogen electrolysis system linked to Wingardium's turbines. So in addition to charging stations for electric cars and bikes, our turbines are also locally producing green hydrogen filling stations. The water we use in electrolysis is rainwater that we collect."

Charging bicycles

US parent company Kohilo has already been operating wind turbine projects in the US, Canada, Israel, Brazil and the Philippines since 2009. In Europe, Wingardium-Energy is the sole distributor of the Cyclone wind turbine.

Two new projects Loyens expects a lot from are the Icon-Box and the Vortex Station, two off-grid charging stations for electric bicycles. These are fully developed and can be placed at a commission. "We have been active in Europe since 2017 and are now in talks with a number of Dutch municipalities and energy cooperatives about installing turbines and charging stations. People are curious."

Also read: How a man from Brabant totally changed his opinion about wind turbines


Cyclone Hybrid Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

Sustainable Business

Energy transition to a full new design Cyclone Wind Turbine

The Belgian Wingardium Energy generates green electricity locally with American wind turbines that have less impact on the landscape and are easier to register for birds. The wind turbines can store (buffer) electricity themselves or deliver it to car charging stations.

One of the challenges surrounding wind energy is the storage of energy. Wind cannot be planned and neither can the need for power. So wind energy must be stored in a smart way and the Cyclone Turbines of the American company Kohilo do so with a unique hydraulic storage system. The Belgian Wingardium Energy links these American turbines to filling stations for electric vehicles.

Ludo Loyens, manager of Wingardium Energy and originally an electromechanic, became interested in the possibilities of sustainable energy after his retirement. "I saw that, in addition to the advantages, there were also quite a few drawbacks to wind turbines, such as cast shadow, which caused a lot of resistance to the expansion of wind farms. Turning windmills are also very dangerous for birds and bats. Through a personal search I ended up at the Cyclone wind turbines of the American company Kohilo".

Read also, in Dutch: a project to produce hydrogen from wind energy will start at the end of this year

These turbines do not have blades but work with a vertical wind axis that rotates more easily, even at low wind speeds. Loyens: "The turbines rotate at wind speeds of up to 1 metre per second and can also remain operational for longer at higher wind speeds of up to 56 metres per second. Normal mills switch off at a wind force of 38 metres per second".

Own hydraulic storage and electrolysis

The Cyclone turbines have versions that start at 100 Kilowatts and can produce up to 10 Megawatts of green power per year. They are wider and lower than traditional windmills, and designed so that the space under the turbine can be used for all kinds of purposes, such as filling stations for electric vehicles.

In order not to overload the electricity grid, the turbines store the green power themselves. Loyens: "The hydraulic storage system can store up to a maximum of 6 Megawatts hours of wind energy. And when the electricity from the storage is consumed, it automatically switches to the electricity grid."

In addition to direct wind electricity, Wingardium's filling stations also supply hydrogen. Loyens: "The hydraulic storage is also the energy source for the hydrogen electrolysis system linked to the Wingardium turbines. In addition to charging stations for electric cars and bicycles, our turbines are also locally producing green hydrogen filling stations. The water we use for electrolysis is rainwater that we collect".

Charging bicycles

The American parent company Kohilo has been active with wind turbine projects in the United States, Canada, Israel, Brazil and the Philippines since 2009. In Europe, Wingardium-Energy is the sole distributor of the Cyclone wind turbine.

Two new projects from which Loyens expects a lot are the Icon-Box and the Vortex Station, two off-grid charging stations for electric bikes. These have been fully elaborated and can be placed with an assignment: "We have been active in Europe since 2017 and are now in talks with a number of Dutch municipalities and energy cooperatives about the placement of turbines and charging stations. People are curious".

Read also, in Dutch: How a man from Brabant completely changed his opinion about windmills

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