Lucien Gambarota,
president of renewable energy firm Motorwave,
demonstrates the eco-friendly micro-wind turbines
developed in conjunction with Dennis Leung and Michael
Leung from the University of Hong Kong.
The turbines can generate
electricity at wind speeds as low as 2 metres per second
and can be easily installed on rooftops. "A typical
house with three floors and 700 sq ft will only need to
install 60 to 100 turbines, covering about 3 square
metres, to generate renewable energy for the household,"
inventor Mr Gambarota said.
Dr Dennis Y.C. Leung said: "About 1 square metre
[with turbines] with wind speed at 10 metres per second
can generate up to 40 per cent of an average household's
daily electricity needs, including lights, LCD monitors
and TV sets." Dr Michael K.H. Leung said the energy
could also be stored in a rechargeable battery for later
use.
"To set up a system with 40 turbines, about 2 square
metres of surface area, costs HK$3,000 to HK$3,500. This
is certainly affordable to many individual consumers,"
Dr Dennis Leung said.
