Compact, yet offering the highest energy output in its class, a small wind turbine created by a University of Newcastle based start-up is attracting large commercial investment in a bid to improve remote and emergency telecommunication access.
Diffuse Energy, has secured $400,000 in seed funding from Australian venture capital fund, Shearwater Growth Equity, to scale production of its promising renewable energy option.
An idea born from PhD research, engineers Dr Joss Kesby, Dr Sam Evans and James Bradley, now co-founders of Diffuse Energy, are reimagining wind energy.
Unlike a traditional open-blade wind turbine which may be as large 160 metres in diameter, their invention spans less than a metre.
This is achieved by enclosing the blades within a diffuser, which draws more air through the turbine to boost power while taking up less space.
CEO of Diffuse Energy, Dr Joss Kesby said they were changing the way telecommunications companies buy renewable energy infrastructure.
“Our commercial model removes upfront hardware costs in favour of a monthly subscription, eliminating major barriers associated with technology uptake and deployment,” said Dr Kesby.
Suitable for the toughest off-grid environments in Australia, the scaled-down, lightweight turbines plug into existing telecommunications infrastructure, enabling rapid setup of turbines onto towers in hard-to-service locations, and converting them from diesel power generation to cheaper, more environmentally friendly wind-power.
“We know small wind can solve the unique challenges of powering telecommunications infrastructure in remote locations and under critical emergency scenarios. The challenge has been how to deploy at scale in remote and off-grid locations in the most cost-effective manner possible,” said Dr Kesby.
Diffuse Energy, has secured $400,000 in seed funding from Australian venture capital fund, Shearwater Growth Equity, to scale production of its promising renewable energy option.
An idea born from PhD research, engineers Dr Joss Kesby, Dr Sam Evans and James Bradley, now co-founders of Diffuse Energy, are reimagining wind energy.
Unlike a traditional open-blade wind turbine which may be as large 160 metres in diameter, their invention spans less than a metre.
This is achieved by enclosing the blades within a diffuser, which draws more air through the turbine to boost power while taking up less space.
CEO of Diffuse Energy, Dr Joss Kesby said they were changing the way telecommunications companies buy renewable energy infrastructure.
“Our commercial model removes upfront hardware costs in favour of a monthly subscription, eliminating major barriers associated with technology uptake and deployment,” said Dr Kesby.
Suitable for the toughest off-grid environments in Australia, the scaled-down, lightweight turbines plug into existing telecommunications infrastructure, enabling rapid setup of turbines onto towers in hard-to-service locations, and converting them from diesel power generation to cheaper, more environmentally friendly wind-power.
“We know small wind can solve the unique challenges of powering telecommunications infrastructure in remote locations and under critical emergency scenarios. The challenge has been how to deploy at scale in remote and off-grid locations in the most cost-effective manner possible,” said Dr Kesby.
 |
| L-R: James Bradley, Joss Kesby, Sam Evans |
