In general, wind and solar complement each other. Solar produces energy during the day, while wind is more likely to yield it at night.
“This is the best efficiency mix for microgrids,” Kuester said.
To meet the goals of its “Net Zero 2035” strategy, the Munich airport was looking for ways to provide clean, resilient power for electric vehicle (EV) charging. The airport’s challenge was meeting high electricity consumption for EV charging, lighting and ground operations with a low-footprint option. It sought a system that could generate renewable energy on site, store enough energy to ensure continuous operations and support EV charging infrastructure.
FlowGen provided a containerized microgrid that integrated wind, solar and energy storage. It includes three 15-kW FlowGen small-scale wind turbines mounted on a mobile container, 10 kW of solar PV panels installed on the roof of the container, energy storage and the infrastructure needed to charge four to six EVs a day. The system generates up to 200 kWh daily on sunny and windy days, powering EV charging stations in the car rental parking area, Kuester said.
When the EVs aren’t being driven, it’s possible to use their batteries to add storage capacity to the microgrid, he said.
Wind-based microgrids to cut diesel use for the U.K. Ministry of Defense
FlowGen is also working on a trial project with the U.K. Ministry of Defense aimed at replacing diesel generators with mobile microgrids to charge drones, Kuester said. Avoiding diesel use is important because the diesel transportation vehicles could potentially be bombed, he said.
“You can use the microgrids to charge drones anywhere, and you don’t see them or hear them,” he said.
For the military, the microgrids can also charge cybersecurity systems so they don’t experience outages.
Focusing on telecom, cell towers and large-scale energy users
In June 2021, FlowGen announced a deal granting microgrid company CleanSpark exclusive distribution rights to FlowGen’s wind turbine products in North and South America. At the time, the companies were focusing on telecom operations, cell towers and data centers. CleanSpark said that it expected about 70% of wind-powered microgrids to include solar.
FlowGen is targeting high-cost energy markets, low-cost energy markets where remote off-grid power is needed and large-scale users, according to a recent company press release. Its projects include a Norwegian test center for powering offshore oil platforms and Niedersachsen Ports, the operator of state-owned ports in Germany.
FlowGen is not alone in the wind, solar and storage microgrid space
FlowGen isn’t the only company offering microgrids that include wind power. IBIS Power, based in the Netherlands, offers a system called PowerNest — a modular unit that combines solar, wind and energy management in an architecture that can be used on building rooftops, where turbulence around the rooftop makes energy production inefficient.
The IBIS system overcomes the turbulence challenge and maximizes renewable energy production, the company said. The unit, which is placed on a building’s roof, has internal wind turbines and solar panels on the top. PowerNest works to remove the turbulence around a building by capturing the wind, then bending it inward, accelerating it and guiding it through the wind turbine.
Bergey Windpower focuses on off-grid hybrid microgrids as a way to reduce the use of diesel, increase renewable energy deployment and cut wear and tear on batteries.
California-based Air Voltaics offers small to midsize wind turbines for microgrids and says that wind turbines require less space than solar panels. Together with solar panels, they create a more reliable energy supply, according to the company.
FlowGen has its eye on the U.S. market, Kuester said.
“We see the U.S. market as the biggest market as energy demand reaches its targets,” he said.
