Sky's the limit: turbines could offer mine energy solution.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay

Anew client setting up shop at the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) could offer a solution to energy conundrums at mines across Northern Ontario.

Sky Vertical, which moved into the Sudbury-based incubator in January, is developing a vertical-axis wind turbine for use in remote areas that have limited access to other energy-generating applications.

Currently in the prototyping and development phase, Sky Vertical is working to make the design as efficient as possible before releasing it to market, said Kyle Loney, Sky Vertical's president and CEO.

"There are about 10 years of research and development into this already to get to this point and what we're doing is we're bringing in experts ... to maximize the. design and work out some of the issues with vertical axis wind turbines that other companies have faced," Loney said. "We want to hit the market with a very efficient model, so that our clients aren't having to worry about what their wind profile looks like."

With vertical-axis wind turbines, blades spin vertically around a horizontal mast. They are preferred for their low noise levels, minimal vibrations due to their low RPM, the ability to use wind from any direction, the ease of installation and maintenance, their durability and the very low impact to wildlife.

Sky Vertical's turbine is self-starting and begins to move at wind speeds as low as two metres per second; they start generating power at wind speeds of three metres per second.

They can also withstand temperatures well below freezing and operate without a driveshaft or gearbox.

"It is quite different," Loney said. "The concept behind it is that it would pick up wind from every direction, not need a rotating base, be very light, and simple. There aren't a lot of moving parts: it's very robust for extreme conditions, whether hot or cold."

To date, the company has received expressions of interest for the purchase of 13,000 turbines from clients in four countries, an estimated worth of about $250 million. Sky Vertical has also entered into discussions with other parties with compatible technology on the potential joint-venture development of additional turbine products. Loney estimates prototyping will be complete by the end of 2014, at which point the company will start turning those expressions of interest into actual orders.

When that happens, the company will be looking to hire between 10 and 25 staff members by the end of this year.

Vertical-access turbines are...