Assessing wind in really remote locations

Version 2 of the heliPod and trailerPod come with a full set of signals and power output and input options. They are also daisy-chainable.

A small-wind turbine and power system manufacturer Ampair announced the launch of the V2 of its heliPod and trailerPod hybrid renewable energy generators and announces a further two models to the range. Developer Ampair has been manufacturing ‘off the shelf’ hybrid renewable power systems for wind measurement met masts and Lidar for nearly four years and exporting systems worldwide. The systems consist of a blend of micro turbine, PV, and fuel cell or propane generator with an appropriate balance determined by modeling power consumption scenarios with Ampair’s in-house developed simulation software ‘proAmpair’.

The company’s sales and marketing manager Jeremy Davies says “We have had positive feedback from clients, with many systems now into their second and third years of providing 100% power availability to the measurement equipment. We have had a few tricky sites where the local weather conditions have produced prolonged periods of still wind and fog which is a renewables based power supply’s worst nightmare. If these weather events are recurring, our customers are offered our plug and play fuel cell or propane generator ‘supplements’ which protect the system from these unusual weather events and ensure that they continue to deliver power.’

“The Version 2 models of the heliPod and trailerPod come with a full set of signals and power output and input options. They are also daisy-chainable making them versatile. For example two heliPods can be combined to power an older Lidar with higher power consumption but can be divided into two separate systems to power two modern Lidars. We think this flexibility is key to customers to let them see company solutions as a cost-reducing multi-campaign power solution.”

To augment the existing range, Ampair has produced two further systems the miniPod and the heliPod Hybrid. The miniPod is a low temperature capable range extender for the EFOY Pro range of fuel cells manufactured by SFC. “The miniPod is designed to augment a fuel cell system with additional PV and a micro turbine to extend the stack life of the fuel cell. While the fuel cells provide reliable power for lower loads, the on-going cost of replacing the fuel cell unit can put a dent in a campaign operational budget. The miniPod minimises stack burn and the site access costs associated with frequently replacing the fuel cartridges but retains the portability associated with a fuel cell system” says Davies

The heliPod Hybrid is a low temperature capable propane generator, battery, and PV hybrid with ac output for high loads (up to 4 kVA peak) with deep snow and poor weather. “The intention with the heliPod Hybrid is to be a low-cost ‘fuel cell beater’ in that it can power the more power hungry Lidars and met masts with heated instruments in very poor weather conditions. The model includes technology which keeps the batteries and generator at an optimum temperature with electric heaters and by recycling waste heat from the generator. This feature gives the benefit of further extending the batteries charge carrying capability which ultimately means less generator runs and less need to visit site for maintenance.”

“As with all of our systems, we have endeavoured to make site deployments as easy as possible for our clients. We are confident that we now have an easy to deploy, reliable power supply option for every type of site and every type of power requirement for wind measurement equipment.” says Davies

Ampair
www.ampair.com