Eon has established a partnership with Bventus, a company behind a wind turbine designed for energy-intensive commercial and industrial premises.
The companies have set a joint goal of installing at least 49 small wind turbines by 2020, working with interested companies and municipalities in Germany.
The model, which stands at 49 metres, has been engineered to perform in regions with wind speeds as low as 2.5 metres per second – equivalent to a light breeze – making it suitable for sites across Germany, even the south, the companies said.
Bventus claims a payback period of six to 10 years for companies installing the hardware.
In March 2019, the inauguration of the first Bventus wind turbine is planned, which will be installed on the site of a biogas plant in Schleswig-Holstein Steinfeld.
Eon managing director Otmar Zisler said: “We see wind energy as an essential factor for climate-neutral and sustainable energy generation, and we want to help our customers benefit from this technology in-house or in the community.”
In the partnership Eon is responsible for distribution, while Bventus offers a full service, from wind monitoring to obtaining building permits and mains connection, to plant installation, as well as maintenance and repairs.
BVentus managing director Julia Grafin Arco-Valley said: “Whether a location is suitable is determined in the context of a six-month wind measurement, on the basis of which an economic feasibility analysis is carried out.”
Due to its height the machine is exempt from the Federal Emission Law, cutting project approval time, the partners said.
BVentus said it takes about six to 12 months from preliminary contract signing to commissioning of the wind turbine.