French startup Unéole has developed a wind-PV hybrid system that can be applied on rooftops. The team pointed out that the new wind-PV equipment is not only capable of modular expansion, but is also relatively quiet, as well as generates 40% extra power compared to traditional solar panels.
Louis Dubar, engineer of Unéole, commented that wind-PV solutions are applicable on flat-rooftop buildings more than 10m in height, and the taller the building the lower the wind disturbance.
The wind-PV system is primarily constituted with a galvanized steel structure, with a 2,000W wind turbine equipped with solar panels installed at the top. The quantity of wind turbines and solar panels is fixed for each system, though the set up allows modularization, and that solar panels on top of the wind turbines can also be replaced with general modules available on the market.
The wind turbine looks slightly different from the conventional “fan-type”, and resembles the rotating billboard seen from traditional salons, with advantages being quieter in sound and higher in power generation. Dubar commented that the system scale is dependent on the building, and that both the dimension of the rooftop and the desired form would impact final power generation since the system is installed on the rooftop, where the solution that came up by the team is to install the steel structure at a solid point of the building that would provide a support for both the wind turbine and solar panels.
Despite cost increment due to the new hybrid energy design, the company believes that the 40% extra power generation compared to traditional solar energy is enough in offsetting the higher CapEx. Dubar pointed out that this wind-PV solution allows 2-4 times more modules to be installed than standard rooftop solar, and that solar panels are able to cover each corner of the rooftop as the system is installed 4m above the rooftop.
The startup estimates the total cost to fall on EU€300,000-500,000 if the wind-PV system is installed on a rooftop of 1,000m2. A solution comprises of solar panels, a wind turbine, a steel structure, wires, as well as evaluation and study of cost.
The startup is also currently developing a set of fixed algorithms to ensure the quantity of wind turbines and solar panels for each scale. The team had also begun testing the system at Loos-en-Gohelle back in 2021, and is expected to commercialize and install the first hybrid solution at the end of 2023, before expanding to neighboring countries during 2024.
(Cover photo source: Unéole )