Contribution by Green Denmark in Southeast Asia community member, Viking Wind
We recently had a chance to learn how Viking Wind, a leading Danish producer of household and off-grid wind turbines, sees the market potential for renewable energy solutions in Southeast Asia.
Q: What are the advantages of a household / off-grid windmill in comparison to other renewables?
A household/off-grid wind turbine has multiple advantages: first, its renewable, second, it’s a sound investment with an expected design lifetime of at least 20 years. It has a high- and steady performance rate (in countries with good wind conditions) which gives an excellent ROI-return of investment, easily accessible service with multiple partners worldwide.
It flexible and adaptable and can work with other types of energy solutions at the same time – for example, solar energy and has the benefits of storage of energy for periods with a lower production rate
It can also be a stand-alone energy solution which means that the wind turbines can be placed in areas, where there is no access to an established electrical grid or at places, where the coupling to an electricity supply meter and any added subscription is economically unsustainable – making it an excellent solution for rural areas.
Q: Where has the solution been adopted in Southeast Asia and what were the tangible outcomes?
Currently, we are not represented in Southeast Asia, but we are working on it and have been for some time already. Bangladesh has already shown great interest but the Covid-19 pandemic makes things difficult on the foreign markets right now. Not being able to visit the countries that have shown interest in person due to travel restrictions has unfortunately currently set insurmountable barriers in penetrating Southeast Asia as a new market, that has nothing to do with cultural differences, long-distance or logistics.
A Viking wind turbine is compatible with stand-alone systems/off-grid systems which makes it independent of already established electrical grids and therefore highly suitable for rural areas with sparse to no electricity. This could e.g. be isolated settlements or refugees’ camps as this solution permits lighting, heating, cooling and communication with the outside world and a lot of other necessities, which are essential to a community’s survival and welfare in the 21st century.
Furthermore, its compatible with already existing energy solutions such as solar energy, diesel generators and offers the opportunity to store extra electricity, saving it for a rainy day with less electricity production.
Q: What is the current & future potential for household / off-grind wind energy in Southeast Asia?
There seems to be a huge, latent, and yet unexplored potential for household/off-grid wind turbines in Southeast Asia. Many countries in this area have excellent wind conditions for the establishment of wind energy solutions, which is a reliable and relatively cheap source of obtaining a steady energy supply to areas with none or sparse energy supply such as remote islands with difficult logistic access.
Furthermore, many of these countries are often poor and today dependable on energy sources that are both polluting and very expensive in the long run, such as the use of fossil energy. That makes electricity both sparse and expensive resource that is not affordable for everyone, especially not people in recluse and rural areas. The possibilities seem endless and the demand for reliable and renewable energy sources is urgent and necessary.
Q: Which of the Southeast Asian countries has the most interesting prospects in the current market? And why?
As already said, there is a huge and latent market in Southeast Asia for renewable, greener energy solutions since it currently is a very unexploited area. Countries as Bangladesh has exceedingly high potential since the wind conditions are good and the infrastructure underdeveloped, but probably many other countries have a large potential.
This area of the world has a rising and steady demand for more sustainable energy solutions. Right now, these countries are relying on expensive and contaminating energy solutions that are not beneficial for either the economy or the environment. If the world is to exist for future generations, there is an urgent need to get this area of the world on the bandwagon for renewable and greener energy solutions. A product as ours could do a great deal of good in getting there.
Contact Viking Wind for more information:
pia@viking-wind.energy