Wind energy

Wind is one of the greatest potential resources of Patagonia in the energy field.  INVAP has developed IVS turbines strong enough to bear the harsh winds prevailing in the area, which windmills designed in other areas usually cannot stand.  Besides, their cost is lower than similar windmills and spare parts and technical service is guaranteed.

INVAP has started work in this field in 1981, when robotized measurement stations where designed and installed for the Argentine Atomic Energy Authority (CNEA).  Sites for future wind farms were evaluated, such as Pampa del Castillo in the Province of Chubut or Pilcaniyeu, in the Province of Rio Negro.  INVAP also developed and adjusted wind behavior calculation and numerical simulation tools to assess the resource in different locations of the country.
At present, besides having a design such as the IVS-4500 with its 4.5 kW of power,, particularly suited  to supply electricity to remote settlements, the company is developing a medium-power air generator of 30 kW and a Class I 1,5 MW generator to be manufactured in Argentina and installed in Patagonian wind farms.

IVS-4500 Turbines 

Two features may be highlighted:
• Its strong reliable construction, which requires only a yearly maintenance service.
• The only equipment that may be compared to the IVS-4500, is imported and doubles the IVS in price and weight.
The IVS 4500 are built for severe weather conditions, ice, snow and a road network that makes maintenance difficult.  They serve multiple purposes: they provide cathodic protection to prevent corrosion in isolated oil extraction equipment, and they are a source of energy and water for schools, small farms and remote settlements in the middle of the steppe and the Cordillera.

INVAP manufactures customized IVS with all the applications and peripheral devices adapted to local winds and to the client’s power requirements.  They are technically evolved, since their design includes decades of experience in the wind resource.a.

IVS-4500 Features

IVS 4500 turbines are suited to resist long periods of severe weather, with average winds of 150 km/hour. INVAP makes a preliminary evaluation of the best location for each IVS 4500 and offers after-sales service.

Each equipment is customized to a large extent, since the design depends on batteries, converters and other items that are especially combined to suit the client’s needs.

IVS-4500 Installation in Base Esperanza (Argentine base in Antarctica)

Excerpt from Daniel Bazan’s Film "Hielos míticos" (Mythical Ice) (2008). Mounting of an IVS-4500 windmill designed by INVAP