AMADI WIND TURBINE A FIRST IN AFRICA

NGWENYA – His Majesty the King’s vision of attaining first world status is on track as Swaziland is home to the first vertical wind turbine which produces and supplies electricity to Amadi University College.
The installation of the windmill at the mountains of Ngwenya is the first in Africa.

As a result, the entire administration block at the newly-constructed university is powered by the electricity that is generated by both the windmill and solar power. SADC ministers of energy are expected to tour the first of its kind installation tomorrow.
According to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Amadi University John Bukutu, the system is hybrid and uses both wind and solar. 

He said the wind turbine produces 3.5 kilowatts while the solar panels produce 6.5 kilowatts and in total they produced about 10 killowatts, which was able to keep their administration block electrified. “This is a pilot project which we are doing in collaboration with an Italian company called Ecolibri,” said Bukutu during a site visit of the project by this publication.  He said the windmill had been installed about four months ago. “Our aim is to produce 200 kilowatts and this would be able to supply the entire campus,” he said.

Bukutu said the idea was to build and develop one of the greenest campuses and to be as energy self sufficient as possible by creating a micro grid which was a hybrid of wind and solar energy.  He said the project was only at its pilot stage, but hopped it would be more impressive once at its full capacity.

In explaining how the windmill worked, Bukutu said the wind was able to generate the 3.5 kilowatts using a generator that was installed inside it.  He said the power was then transferred to batteries which were in the control room and they were able to store the energy.
He said the windmill had a control which could stop the axis from moving, should there be too much wind. “The advantage with this is that it does not have to be installed at an angle where wind normally flows from, but operates from all 360 degree angles,” said Bukutu.

He was not forthcoming with how much the pilot project cost, stating that it was in the thousands of Euros which when converted to local currency, could be in the millions of Emalangeni.  “We are still working with our partners, but we hope to have completed the whole project within a year to two,” he said.     

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