A South African entrepreneur has pioneered a wind-powered generator that operates as an independent mini power station for households and small businesses.

The Psiclone wind generator, which had been rigorously tested in partnership with the University of Fort Hare’s physics department, was launched at Kirstenbosch, in Cape Town, this month.

Psiclone MD Samir Buffkins says the 500 W, 1 000 W and 3 000 W generators are unique in that they are designed to generate power from the very first movement, while excess electricity can be stored in a battery pack for later use.

The result is a small, domestic or commercial wind farm that can be installed on site at homes or businesses.

“Its efficiency is unsurpassed, requiring a wind speed of only 1 m a second to generate energy that can be converted into electricity,” says Buffkins, who was an Eskom senior adviser on nuclear energy until 2008 and spent seven years designing and prototyping the technology.

The company has been developing hardware for the past three years from its manufacturing and test laboratory in Cape Town. The generators have been tested in partnership with the University of Fort Hare. Physics professor Golden Makaka says 20 Fort Hare students have been working on renewable energy, several of them on the Psiclone generators.

Psiclone’s Power Tree turns vertically and horizontally, from a small generator attached to a turban-shaped roof and a vertical cylinder that houses laser-precision blades.

The company, which received industrial financing from the Industrial Development Corporation, says the generators are now ready for large-scale commercial manufacture, supply and installation.

The company sees much potential for the generator in African countries. Psiclone executives have engaged the government of Ethiopia as a possible supplier to its sustainable energy infrastructure programme, while Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo have also shown an interest in the technology.

Psiclone has also designed smaller-scale models that can be rolled out in remote rural areas or in low-cost housing applications. These will have enough power to provide electricity for a range of basic household appliances, such as a fridge, a cooking stove, a television and lighting.

“Small-scale generation is taking hold in South Africa. It fits in nicely in a time when we expect the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to conclude the regulations for small-scale generation.

“Psiclone is emerging in a market that is growing in leaps and bounds. It’s produced something accessible for households,” South African Independent Power Producers Association chairperson Sisa Njikelana said at the launch.

City of Cape Town head of trade and investment Lance Greyling says the market could be receptive to affordable technologies such as this.

“We want Cape Town to become the hotbed of renewable-energy technologies, but also to export these technologies into Africa. Cape Town sees embedded generation as one of the solutions.”