CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

23 February 2009

Implementation Investments

Homeowners Go Green with Wind Turbines Designed in SolidWorks 3D CAD and Simulation Software

Homeowners and small businesses throughout the U.K. are using micro wind turbines designed in SolidWorks ® 3D CAD software by Windsave, Ltd. to cut their energy costs while reducing their carbon footprint. The Scottish company is also using SolidWorks Simulation Professional to improve overall performance and efficiency. Windsave standardized on SolidWorks to refine the technology and accelerate development of its wall-mounted micro-wind turbine system to reduce the amount of power a home or business draws from the national electricity grid.

Key facts

Founded in 2002 in Glasgow, Windsave is the largest micro wind turbine installer in the U.K. and at the forefront of a movement to bring green energy choices to consumers.

The micro wind turbine stands just over three meters (nearly 10 feet) tall with a bladespan of 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) and is attached to a building.

As wind spins the blades, the turbine generates electricity that supplements the incoming electricity from the grid, reducing the amount the customer has to pay for, and decreasing overall carbon emissions.

Windsave has reduced the number of prototypes to test new products or features from four to one, saving up to £3,000 ($4,400), using SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation.

The company has also reduced the prototype production and testing process from eight weeks to two.

As the company expands sales internationally in 2009, Mike Lumsdaine and his team will explore the possibility of mounting smaller versions of the micro turbines on street lights so municipalities can cut energy costs.

The Global Wind Energy Council predicts that the global wind market will grow by over 155 percent to reach 240 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity by 2012.

The amount of wind energy produced globally will represent nearly three percent of global electricity consumption by 2012, according to a Global Wind Energy Council report.

More than one third of European Union electricity must come from renewable resources by 2020, according to the recently signed Renewable Energy Directive. Wind power will account for most of that renewable energy.

Visit the SolidWorks micro-site for more information on sustainable design.

Quotables

From Mike Lumsdaine, mechanical engineer at Windsave

“With SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation, we’ve been able to refine the action of the tailfin so that it is more efficient and aerodynamic. Additionally, prototyping costs and time kept adding up with Pro/ENGINEER. SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation allow us to produce and test a sample on screen to see if we’ve over- or under-engineered it. That’s a huge benefit when optimizing a design.”

Windsave relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller Thom Microsystems for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

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