Renewable-energy solutions provider Eveready Diversified Products, trading as Kestrel Renewable Energy, says that the use of its wind turbines has increased in recent years, owing to the increased focus on renewable and environmentally safe energy.

Kestrel Renewable Energy wind turbines are a popular choice among small businesses and homeowners, as well as telecommunication and signal repeater stations. However, the biggest increase in sales has come from farmers, which is the company’s largest market segment in South Africa.

“The company’s wind turbines are also popular in the US and in a large number of Western European countries, particularly among individuals looking to take advantage of their respective countries’ incentive programmes for generating power and feeding it back into the national grid,” says Kestrel Renewable Energy director Leon Gouws.

The company provides a full turnkey solution, which includes design, manufacturing, installation, servicing and financing for its wind turbines. The 600 W, 800 W, 1 kW and 3.5 kW wind turbines can be used in combination with other devices, such as solar panels and generator sets. Depending on the size of the wind turbine, a unit will cost from R40 000 to R140 000, including installation.

“The 3.5 kW wind turbine is capable of producing 4.5 MWh a year under wind conditions commonly found in Port Elizabeth. Kestrel Renewable Energy has installed a 3.5 kW wind turbine in Barbados, which produces 30 kWh a day, which equates to 10.95 MWh a year,” says Gouws.

The electricity generated by the wind turbines can be stored in battery banks, which are proportionally sized to the requirements of the client. There is constant flow of energy into the battery from the wind turbine, resulting in the battery being constantly charged.

Further, Kestrel Renewable Energy wind turbines have limited maintenance requirements. “Damage to the blades of the wind turbines is the only aspect that needs to be checked during the first six to eight years after installation, as wind turbines can lose balance if the blades have been damaged. After eight years, the bearings in the turbine should be replaced as a preventive maintenance measure,” explains Gouws.

Kestrel Renewable Energy launched the 600 W wind turbines in 2006, the 800 W and 1 kW units in 2009 and the 3.5 kW units in 2010.

Gouws notes that the company has been expanding exponentially since 2010, highlighting the increased interest from the glo-bal market for renewable-energy products as a driving factor.

The company was formed in 1999 and was bought by South Africa-based battery manufacturer Eveready in 2006. The acquisition meant that Kestrel had to make design changes to improve the quality and performance of the products and solutions offerings, which delayed the launch of its products onto the commercial market to 2009.