Homeowners Go Green with Wind Turbines Designed in SolidWorks 3D CAD and Simulation Software

CONCORD, Mass., Feb. 23, 2009 – Homeowners and small businesses throughout the U.K. are using micro wind turbines designed in SolidWorks ® 3D CAD software by Windsave, Ltd. to cut their energy costs while reducing their carbon footprint. The Scottish company is also using SolidWorks Simulation Professional to improve overall performance and efficiency. Windsave standardized on SolidWorks to refine the technology and accelerate development of its wall-mounted micro-wind turbine system to reduce the amount of power a home or business draws from the national electricity grid.

Key facts

• Founded in 2002 in Glasgow, Windsave is the largest micro wind turbine installer in the U.K and at the forefront of a movement to bring green energy choices to consumers.
• The micro wind turbine stands just over three meters (nearly 10 feet) tall with a bladespan of 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) and is attached to a building.
• As wind spins the blades, the turbine generates electricity that supplements the incoming electricity from the grid, reducing the amount the customer has to pay for, and decreasing overall carbon emissions.
• Windsave has reduced the number of prototypes to test new products or features from four to one, saving up to £3,000 ($4,400), using SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation.
• The company has also reduced the prototype production and testing process from eight weeks to two.
• As the company expands sales internationally in 2009, Lumsdaine and his team will explore the possibility of mounting smaller versions of the micro turbines on street lights so municipalities can cut energy costs.
• The Global Wind Energy Council predicts that the global wind market will grow by over 155 percent to reach 240 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity by 2012.
• The amount of wind energy produced globally will represent nearly three percent of global electricity consumption by 2012, according to a Global Wind Energy Council report.  
• More than one third of European Union electricity must come from renewable resources by 2020, according to the recently signed Renewable Energy Directive. Wind power will account for most of that renewable energy.

Additional Resources

Visit the SolidWorks micro-site for more information on sustainable design.

Quotables

From Mike Lumsdaine, mechanical engineer at Windsave

“With SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation, we’ve been able to refine the action of the tailfin so that it is more efficient and aerodynamic. Additionally, prototyping costs and time kept adding up with Pro/ENGINEER. SolidWorks and SolidWorks Simulation allow us to produce and test a sample on screen to see if we’ve over- or under-engineered it. That’s a huge benefit when optimizing a design.”

Windsave relies on authorized SolidWorks reseller TMS CADCentre for ongoing software training, implementation, and support.

About Windsave

Windsave Ltd., established in 2002, is a dynamic Scottish company within the Renewable Energy sector. We are focused on developing micro generation solutions for domestic and commercial properties. The Windsave System is a small wind turbine generator system, which uses low wind speeds to create electricity. The Windsave System uses our unique technology, which generates electricity supplementary to the national grid supply, reducing reliance on traditional energy sources; benefiting the environment, and helping to lower domestic electricity bills and CO2 emissions. For more information, visit the Web site (http://www.windsave.com/).

About TMS CADCentre

TMS CADCentre provides CAD, FEA & PDM Solutions to businesses operating in Scotland using the power of SolidWorks software. As the only UK SolidWorks Reseller based in Scotland and with over 28 years experience in the CAD industry, TMS CADCentre are able to offer a wide range of services including supply of SolidWorks Software, SolidWorks software support, implementation and local training throughout Scotland. The combination of TMS CADCentre expertise, in partnership with SolidWorks and related software solutions such as the SolidWorks Simulation & SolidWorks Data Management products, provides engineers and designers with all of the tools necessary to design better products. For more information, visit the Web site (http://www.tmscadcentre.co.uk/).