Innovations

Sustainable Energy - Ideas and Trends

windwise - Current Projects

Self-sufficient Energy Supply, Hydrogen Production, Drinking Water Treatment, Isolated Network Solution

windwise offers its customers comprehensive support in project planning for the realisation of a wind turbine or even the planning of a wind farm project.

windwise - these are engineers with a distinctly longstanding expertise in the wind industry.

windwise - that is a competent team of electrical and mechanical engineers, supported by CAD designers, software developers, load calculators and complemented by project planners (m/f/d).

"Even though we are not a manufacturer, we have manufacturer DNA in us," Benno Sandmann, Managing Director of windwise, likes to say to his customers. "We know the problems of operators, we know where the shoe pinches and we have the competence for solutions."

With the most diverse experience as a constructor, manufacturer and operator of projects in the wind industry, our engineers offer high quality and specific advice and support in all wind energy matters.

From the Planning Application to the Commissioning of the Wind Turbine Generator(s) 

- we support you in the realisation of your project idea.

Self-supply - "Behind the Meter"

Behind the Counter - the Way to the Future


What does "Behind the Meter" mean?

Every electricity consumer has meters in their premises that calculate how much energy in kWh was taken from the grid. 

In simple terms, everything that happens on site, on the energy consumer's side, is "behind the meter" and, in turn, everything that happens on the grid side is then considered to be in front of the meter.

Why "Behind the Meter" should be on the Agenda...

Why "Behind the Meter" should be on the agenda:

Behind-the-meter measures can offer many benefits. 

In view of rising energy prices and growing demands on companies to become "greener", 

it makes sense to have as much control over energy costs as possible.

maxcap - Opportunity for a profitable Investment

 

Investments in renewable energy generation are becoming increasingly popular.

The return on investment when purchasing a maxcap wind turbine generator can be substantial.

As an entrepreneur, you can reduce your electricity purchases from the grid and significantly improve your carbon footprint.

maxcap - combined with Battery Storage Units

A recent survey found that almost two-thirds of companies with high energy bills plan to invest in battery storage technology. This news is another example of how companies are increasingly taking steps "behind the meter" to control their energy costs and improve their carbon footprint.

Thanks to major technological advances, especially in lithium-ion systems, battery storage has become increasingly popular for those who want to benefit from behind-the-meter activities. With battery prices at an all-time low, it makes economic sense to install this type of technology, either to store excess energy generated by a renewable source, such as an on-site solar system, or simply to use the battery to store electricity from the grid when prices are low and discharge it when prices are high.

Energy Prices - Different Scenarios

Standard

PPA with turbine operator + Front of the Meter

  • Improved electricity costs without upfront investment
  • The turbine operator (IPP) bears the responsibility for availability and security of supply
  • Long-term stability of electricity costs
  • Green energy supply avoids costs for CO2 certificates

Optimised

PPA with turbine operator + Behind the Meter

  • Lower electricity costs without upfront investment - taxes and transmission fees are market-dependent
  • The turbine operator (IPP) bears the responsibility for availability and security of supply
  • Long-term stability of electricity costs
  • Green energy supply avoids costs for CO2 certificates

Minimised

Companies as WTG operators - IPP + Behind the Meter

  • Lowest electricity costs
  • Long-term stability of electricity costs
  • Green energy supply avoids costs for CO2 certificates
  • Turbine operator and supplier are the same business entity and bear the operational risk

windwise - Feasibility Study

A windwise feasibility study checks whether there is a way for your company to generate its own electricity with wind energy.

The study covers the following main topics:

Assessment of on-site wind conditions compared to local energy demand

Provision of maps of the ground surface

Survey of property owners

Analysis of the regional development plan

Inspection of the location

Mapping the wind farm layout

Meeting with mayors and authorities

Obtaining a legal opinion

maxcap & Elektrolyse - eine perfekte Symbiose

Green hydrogen is also seen as a beacon of hope for the energy transition. On the one hand, it serves as a CO2free energy carrier for industry and is an important raw material for the chemical industry. On the other hand, hydrogen can replace fossil fuels in the refuelling of aggregates, as well as cars and trucks.

They are electrolysers that separate water into oxygen and hydrogen by means of a redox reaction. In the process, electrical energy is converted into chemical energy.

These electrolysers require a steady power supply in order to achieve the highest possible efficiency in the process of electrolysis.

Conclusion: Uniform power feed guarantees the highest possible efficiency of an electrolyser!

A particular advantage of maxcap technology is base load optimisation.

Base load optimised means more even power generation. The maxcap WTG produces more frequently at nominal power than comparable conventional WTGs. This has the effect of significantly smoothing out the volatility of power generation.

This more even power generation makes the maxcap WTG an optimal energy supplier for an electrolyser.

In the exchange with the developer of electrolysers based in Saerbeck (North Rhine-Westphalia), the company Enapter, precisely this advantage of the maxcap technology is seen as the cornerstone for future cooperation.

windwise has recognised the advantages of AEM electrolysers and is convinced that the maxcap & Enapter electrolysers will grow together into a very successful symbiosis.

AEM Electrolyzers from Enapter

AEM electrolysers from Enapter enable decentralised hydrogen production in any quantity. With the stacking of the electrolysis modules, especially in the AEM Multicore, even scaling to megawatt level can be realised. 

Each AEM core has internal sensors and is software-based, which facilitates the management of electrolyser stacks. 

The Enapter company relies on its patented anion exchange membranes (AEM), which are cheaper and easier to handle than the alkaline or polymer electrolyte membranes traditionally used to produce green hydrogen.

Electrolyser - AEM Multicore

low-cost hydrogen, 

very flexible, 

high efficiency, 

low maintenance

AEM electrolyser - Hydrogen Production is scalable at any Point

Drinking Water Treatment

Seawater Desalination - a Promising Option!

A significant part of the world's population lives in coastal regions where, on the one hand, the rivers are already "old", the groundwater is gradually becoming more saline and, on the other hand, water consumption continues to rise.

The resulting scarcity of the important resource Drinking water is a growing challenge for these coastal regions - a challenge that can often only be met with seawater desalination.

maxcap - as the optimal Supplier for the Process Stream

windwise cooperates with SYNLIFT Industrial Products (SIP) in the field of seawater desalination (MWE).

SIP bietet unter dem Branding SYNWATERÒ flexible MWE-Systeme auf Basis der Umkehrosmose (UO), die einen preis- und / oder leistungsgeführten Betrieb ermöglichen und eine Schnittstelle zur Nutzung von Wind- und / oder Solarenergie aufweisen.

High-quality pre-treatment by means of site-dependent fine filtration stages is also designed for flexible operation and enables continuous load adjustment of the entire MWE system to an external, fluctuating power or price signal.

Due to the sea / land wind circulation, coastal regions worldwide have good to excellent wind conditions, so that wind-powered seawater desalination (WINDdesal) is the most favourable option for drinking water production in many places. 

SYNLIFT offers the entire range of services from project development, technical planning and - in cooperation with partners - turnkey implementation and technical management for an entire WINDdesal project - consisting of MWE and wind farm.

The maxcap technology with a high number of full load hours can also score at moderate wind sites and offers ideal conditions for SYNLIFT's WINDdesal projects with a comparatively balanced power output.

WINDdesal project with maxcap turbine
for 10,000/15,000 m3/d

Isolated Network Solution

maxcap - Black Start Capability

Black start capability is the ability of a wind turbine generator to start up from a switched-off state independently of the power grid.

In practice, the grid sets the frequency. Conventional WTGs usually do not have black start capability. With conventional WTGs, a restart is not possible without the frequency being specified from the grid.

The maxcap WTG, on the other hand, has the ability to synchronise itself autarkically.

This capability is becoming an issue in Central Europe, for example in Sweden. In some regions, grid stability is limited. Often, however, it is precisely in these regions that the wind conditions are exceptionally good, which would promise an above-average profitable operation of a wind turbine generator.

If, in addition to electricity generation, an electrolyser is also to be operated to produce hydrogen, the steady supply of electricity becomes one of the most important production factors.

The maxcap WTG is able to compensate for grid interruptions or to synchronise itself autarkically. 

The windwise engineers actually see a comparatively similar situation of windy sites and unstable grids in all sparsely populated regions of the world. 

In the coastal regions of Africa, great efforts are already being made to develop wind energy combined with hydrogen technology. Here, too, there will have to be solutions for the still unstable grids.

windwise has already received an invitation from the Namibian government to present the maxcap technology.

The political interest for maxcap technology is also given by German politicians. In March 2022, Svenja Schulze, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, visited windwise to discuss funding opportunities and to support networking with the African government.

maxcap - supports the Development of Microgrids

The maxcap technology also creates the possibility to realise island solutions as a combination of energy generation turbines, so-called microgrids (mini power grids). 

Microgrids are usually used to supply power in sparsely populated places where there is no connection to a supra-regional power supply, e.g. in large parts of Africa and some regions of Asia. This type of mini-grid works by supplying the connected consumers with electricity from their own generation plants, such as the maxcap wind turbine generator. Through the support and use of batteries, the microgrid stabilises itself independently.

Last but not least, emergency power supplies for schools, hospitals or military bases can be secured in this way.

Currently, windwise is in close contact with Namibian government officials on the topic of "Rural Electrification". In addition to the main goal of electricity supply, topics such as "value creation in the country" and "employment and training" are being considered.