Windflow Technology Ltd
Windflow Technology is a company based in Christchurch, New Zealand known for its unique wind turbine gearbox design. The Windflow 500 is available to manufacture under licence in certain markets. Windflow UK is the UK distributor of Windflow turbines. Windflow is committed exclusively to the medium wind market and to bringing this world-leading technology to your project. Whether you are an experienced Developer, or a Landowner interested in medium wind technology, we have the products and supporting services for your project: A commercially proven, certified turbine ideally suited to Feed-in-Tariff projects with our 500 kW, 330 kW and 250 kW turbines, A network of leading turbine Dealers able to provide turn-key or bespoke Services throughout the entire process, Finance options to get the project built, and O&M, warranty and insurance options to ensure the turbine keeps operating for its full 20 year+ lifespan.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Manufacturer
- Industry Type:
- Wind Energy
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
- Year Founded:
- 2011
- Employees:
- 1-10
About Us
Windflow is a wind turbine design and manufacturing company with expertise in:
- wind turbine design engineering and component testing,
- wind turbine manufacturing,
- research and development,
- production engineering,
- wind farm development, operations & maintenance.
Windflow is based in Christchurch, New Zealand. Windflow was incorporated in 2000 and has served the global wind energy market since that time with our proven, differentiated wind turbines. Click to learn more about the History of Windflow, and Our Vision for the future.
Windflow is a publicly-held company and its shares can be traded on the Unlisted platform, (https://www.usx.co.nz/symbol/wtl). For more information on investing in Windflow, please see our Investor Relations section.
Nacelle assembly, which is the heart of the wind turbine manufacturing process, can readily be established in simple factory premises using our turbine design. The photo below shows Windflow’s factory in Christchurch (2008-2017) which had a production capacity of 60 turbines a year, with room to expand to 200 turbines a year.
Our Vision
The global wind industry is large and growing. The bulk of today’s market is served by very large machines: 2.5+ MW rated capacity, 100+ tonnes machine head mass, 50+ m blades, 100+ m towers, etc. However, there are many markets where these turbines are simply too large, either in relation to the size of the grid or due to logistics and installation limitations (e.g. lack of infrastructure or crane availability).
These markets include islands and weak grids, behind-the-meter applications, off-grid and hybrid, sensitive landscapes, midsized windfarms, and others. In these cases, a mid-size 500 kW wind turbine that is simple to ship and assemble has a significant commercial advantage.
Our vision is the serve these markets. That's why Windflow Technology Ltd has positioned itself as the Partner of Choice in Mid-Size Wind, offering two differentiated wind turbines at the 500 kW size.
Licensing Opportunities:
In addition, Windflow is actively seeking partnerships with wind turbine manufacturers who are at the forefront of wind energy and interested to license Windflow’s proven power-train technology (multi-megawatt or mid-size wind turbines, 3-bladed turbines or 2-bladers). Windflow's synchronous generation power-train system improves system stability in voltage faults and provides inertia, essential in frequency faults.
For more information please see our Licensing Opportunities webpage, as well as our Windflow Synchronous Power-Train Licensing Brochure and read the paper Field Experience with Synchronous Wind Turbines in New Zealand and Scotland by Geoff Henderson, presented at the “16th International Workshop on Large-Scale Integration of Wind Power” 25. - 27. October 2017 in Berlin (http://windintegrationworkshop.org).
Partner with Windflow Technology:
- Windflow's synchronous wind turbines are trusted and understood by electricity system operators, because of the physical inertia and system strength (high currents) that they provide.
- Avoid the prospect of future constraints by electricity system operators resulting in additional costs for power electronic converters (PEC).
So if you are a landowner or business owner, consultant or project developer, or agent or dealer you can learn more about how Windflow's turbines can make your wind project a success.
History
Founder Geoff Henderson had returned to New Zealand in the 1990s equipped with extensive international wind energy experience including site work at the early Californian wind farms. He also worked for a leading wind power organization, the Wind Energy Group, in the United Kingdom where he was part of a team designing wind turbines.
Having decided to bring an innovative wind turbine design (including his own invention the TLG) to New Zealand, he found that he was a little 'ahead of his time'. It was this reality that led to the decision for Windflow Technology to raise funds from the investing public for the prototype Windflow 500.
Although trained as a professional engineer with no formal business qualifications, Geoff undertook the challenge of preparing the highly detailed engineering focused business plan and prospectus.
A loyal and confident investor base has since contributed to several share market capital raisings over the years which has enabled the company to achieve its growth plans.
In 2001, Windflow Technology raised $2,6 million to build the prototype. The company first had to complete aspects of the engineering design and identify the partners that would be capable of eventually manufacturing the component parts.
The manufacture of the first Windflow 500 prototype with its revolutionary torque-limiting gearbox was an engineering feat that secured enormous interest from investors and engineers both locally and globally.
Windflow's success and innovation has also been recently recognised within the energy and sustainability industry in New Zealand through several notable awards. Some of the largest wind farm developer companies in the world are recognizing the Windflow advantage as the company's track record opens up more commercial opportunities.