Inauguration ceremony for the LS Double Helix small wind turbines at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa – [May 23, 2024] – With the inauguration of four LS Double Helix small wind turbines, the renowned V&A Waterfront, together with LuvSide GmbH, a German manufacturer of small wind turbines, is setting an example for a sustainable and reliable energy alternative. The installation of the turbines in the V&A Waterfront shows how aesthetically pleasing wind power can be, including in urban areas. The use of wind power can help to support the local power supply, especially in the windy coastal regions of South Africa.
If you think back to the time when solar energy was slowly becoming known, nobody would have thought that it would one day become affordable and so important. The same thing is currently happening with small wind power. As always, it’s a question of timing and location. Cape Town, known as the “windy city”, is predestined for such a solution and is an example for other cities to follow in making small wind turbines acceptable in urban areas. After all, in the field of renewable energies, small wind turbines also generate reliable electricity at ground level – in addition to solar systems.
The small wind turbines installed in the V&A Waterfront were erected as part of a pilot project and are pioneers in establishing the German company’s technically mature wind power solutions on the South African continent. They were installed as part of a pilot project of the Renewable Energy Solutions Programme (RES Programme) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action’s German Energy Solutions Initiative. For successful marketing and production, LuvSide GmbH, together with Energy South Africa, founded LuvSide South Africa ltd. The innovative company promises to redefine the South African business world in the field of small wind turbines, bring new perspectives to the Cape and create qualified jobs.
Focus on South Africa
With the implementation of the first reference plant at the V&A Waterfront, LuvSide GmbH has ambitious plans for the expansion of its activities in South Africa. A key element of these plans is the local production of some system components in South Africa. Reducing transportation routes will not only increase efficiency, but also the competitiveness of the product in the windy South African market.
« We are convinced that South Africa is ready for growth in the alternative energy sector in the form of small wind turbines. »
Rodney Love,
CEO Energy South Africa
Turn every kilowatt into green energy
If solar and energy storage systems are supplemented with small wind turbines, they also produce electricity at night or on days with weak sunlight in windy areas. In this way, wind turbines help to ensure that batteries can be charged around the clock – given the right wind conditions.
Sustainable small wind turbines from LuvSide
The small wind turbines “Made in Germany” offer an environmentally friendly and low-noise way of compensating for power outages. The innovative technology is not only extremely quiet, but also very aesthetically pleasing. The four installed LS Double Helix 1.0 turbines of LuvSide offer an energy yield of several thousand kWh per year, depending on the wind power. As the location in the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town shows, the vertical wind turbines fit perfectly into an urban environment.
« The turbines look like a piece of art or sculpture and therefore it fits very, very well into the waterfront. »
Tanja Werheit,
German Consul General of Cape Town
Festive plant inauguration on May 23, 2024
Guests from politics, business and the media were present at the official inauguration of LuvSide GmbH’s small wind turbine on May 23, 2024. In addition to a warm welcome from representatives of the V&A Waterfront and LuvSide GmbH, inspiring speeches were given by high-ranking personalities such as the German Consul General of Cape Town, Tanja Werheit.
The German Energy Agency, which is supporting LuvSide GmbH’s market entry in South Africa as part of the Renewable Energy Solutions Programme (RES Programme), also warmly welcomed the guests.
Promoting renewable energies through policy
South Africa’s political landscape has recently developed very progressively in terms of renewable energies. New regulations for businesses and households allow surplus electricity to be fed into the grid or sold to neighbors. This development opens an extremely advantageous framework for the installation of wind turbines such as the LS Double Helix turbines.
« In the past few months our operational team oversaw the installation of 4 x 1kW wind turbines in the Silo District, and a 3kW unit’s installation near the Breakwater Parking is nearing completion. These small-scale vertical wind turbines are not only aesthetically pleasing, but its ability to capture wind from any direction and compact size offer the opportunity to string multiple units, like streetlights, making it ideal for the urban environment. The units will run for a year, during which time we will test feasibility to ascertain if there is potential to scale up this technology, and possibly incorporate it into our larger sustainability strategy. »
Petro Myburg,
Head of Sustainability, V&A Waterfront
« Small wind power is 'the missing link' for an independent power supply. Solar and batteries form the basis and wind power supplements the supply. »
Rolf Hoffmann,
CEO LuvSide GmbH
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