University researchers working on wind energy have installed the first wind turbine in Malta that is connected to the electricity grid.

The project, undertaken by the department of electrical power and control, is sponsored by the university research fund and is being carried out in collaboration with the department of mechanical engineering.

The wind turbine is three metres in diameter and is coupled to a permanent magnet three-phase generator, rated to yield a maximum power of 2kW. The turbine is expected to generate about 4,000kW per annum.

The turbine-generator set-up would also be used for designing a novel type of grid-connected inverter for varying wind conditions, applied mainly in domestic and industrial applications, the department said.

The research in wind energy should complement the research the department of electrical power and control has been carrying out on photo-voltaic (PV) grid-connected systems. The work has been going on for the past 10 years and the department now has a number of grid-connected systems that together are capable of producing 2.5kW power.

Future work would be aimed towards combining PV and wind power to ensure continuous, year-round power generation, the department said.

It has invited interested companies to sponsor and join in the ongoing research, which should contribute towards improving the environment.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.