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The Giraffe 2.0 wind-solar power station is ready to charge anything from your e-vehicle to your home with wind and solar energy. It is comprised of a wooden structure supporting 24 solar modules as well as a wind turbine mounted at a 12 metre height. The design of the solution was released in 2014 at the largest design exhibition in Asia - Business of Design Week in Hong Kong.
The Giraffe 2.0 wind-solar power station is suitable for a variety of applications. It can charge a summer cottage, a house, provide hot water, light, power electronic equipment - either connected to the grid or in remote locations, e.g., replacing diesel generator (with a suitable battery backup). In urban environment Giraffe 2.0 can function as a charging spot for electric vehicles, as a bus station (self-contained or utility-connected) or as an educational renewable energy installation.
Made up your mind already?
Awards
Award by the Wind Energy Association of Sweden in July 2016
The Giraffe 2.0 has obtained an International Consumer Label based on the Certification by SP Technical Institute of Sweden
European Commission has awarded the "Seal of Excellence" to the Giraffe 2.0 as an EV charger project
Product of the Show Award at the Energy Show 2016 in Ireland
Grant by the Energy Agency of Sweden for the development of the Giraffe 2.0
Notable Installations
Installation at the global climate conference COP 22 in Marrakesh
Installation at the world-class research facilities ESS & Max IV Lab near Lund, at the Science Village Visitor Centre
Installation Process
The first installation of the Giraffe 2.0 wind-solar power station took place at the end of 2014 in Västra Hamnen (Malmö) at the InnoVentum Demonstration and Testing Site for Renewable Energy Technologies. The installation process is relatively quick and easy once all parts of the construction are assembled (i.e., the wooden "skeleton" mounted on the foundation and the arches complete with solar panels). You can see the installation videos below.
Performance
The Giraffe 2.0 wind-solar power station is able to produce 10 000 - 20 000 kWh per year (depending on the wind speed and insolation level) providing power 24 hours a day, all year round. Special positioning of PV panels allows for stable energy production and gives solar energy during at least four (!) additional hours compared to a classic PV mounting.
Wind Turbine Certification
The wind turbine is certified according to all leading international certification systems
(which makes it eligible for all existing subsidies):
Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) in the UK
AWEA certification in the USA
Class NK Certification in Japan
Technical Specifications
Parking space | Two cars/EVs |
Annual production* | 20 000 kWh |
EV mileage per year | 45 000 km x 2 cars |
Footprint | 24.6 m2 |
Structure dimensions (W x L x H) | 4.1 m x 6.0 m x 11.9 m |
Energy density | 813 kWh/m2 |
* - at an average wind speed of 6 m/s with the 5.5 kWp turbine and 8.0 kWp Solar
The Advantages of Hybrid Wind and Solar Installations
Wind and solar energy are highly complementary: wind energy is generated mostly during nights and cooler months of the year, whereas solar energy is only generated during daytime, especially in summer months. There are more factors than simple availability of solar insolation that contribute to this complementarity: the air has higher density during winter months and at night, increasing the amount of wind energy generated. Plus, based on climate studies, stable strong winds that make wind energy generation possible, are prevalent during nights and cold months of the year.
In this way, energy produced by a hybrid wind-solar power station has much more even flow compared to pure wind or pure solar installations, thus solving the inevitable sinusoidal curve problem that is regarded as the drawback of renewable energy. Such complementarity is the main principle utilised in a hybrid construction like the Giraffe 2.0.
Financial Incentives
Apart from providing energy around the year, the Giraffe 2.0 gives you the opportunity to benefit from subsidies for both solar and wind installations. Please check your local legislation on this account. For example, in Sweden it allows you to qualify for the PV installation support by the Swedish Energy Agency – where up to 30% of total PV system cost can be reclaimed. You can read more here.
Installation Case
Photos and Articles
Photo gallery on Flickr (full size downloadable images): Giraffe 2.0 at Malmö Test & Demo Site
Photo gallery on Flickr (full size downloadable images): Green Cities of Tomorrow, May 5, 2015
Articles:
The Weird, the Wonderful and the Giraffe
‘Co-Creation’ – DETOUR 2014 @ PMQ, HK | Nov 28 – Dec 7
“SOUTHERN SWEDEN – DESIGNING LIFE” AT THE SWEDISH LIVING DESIGN EXHIBITION
”Southern Sweden – Designing Life” at Business of Design Week 2014
Giraffe-deTour 2014 (in Chinese)
DETOUR 2014 月底PMQ啟動 (in Chinese)