A trio of Dunedin engineers are looking to harness Otago's strong winds to test their unique wind turbine.
It is an innovative windmill design that is already turning heads in the south.
The brainchild of two former Fisher & Paykel engineers, the single blade windmill can adjust itself to protect against damage in strong winds - a feature believed to be unique in the world.
"We think this gives an advantage for surviving high wind speeds," Powerhouse Wind's Wayne O'Hara explained. "A lot of small windmills at the moment don't cope with high wind speeds all that well."
Power companies are investing heavily in wind generation, and living in the middle of the "roaring forties" means New Zealand has a large wind resource.
The variable speed turbine is designed to power a single house, which is a market that could have big worldwide potential.
"Small wind turbines have a place to play in the world of energy," Bill Currie from Powerhouse Wind told 3 News. "It's an obvious form of energy. It blows over all our houses. The thought that with just 10 square metres of swept area that you can power your house and your lifestyle, iit seems like an idea worth pursuing."
The average New Zealand house uses around 21 kilowatt hours a day. And while that is slightly more than the Powerhouse turbine is likely to produce, designers say when combined with an energy efficient lifestyle, it could actually provide a surplus of electricity.
Dunedin man Hagen Bruggemann has already slashed his power bill by using solar panels to heat his hot water.
He will be testing the new windmall prototype and believes adding wind power will put him into bonus territory.
"If you can put it back into the grid it's going to help other people as well," Hagen Burggemann said. "And with a bit of luck, the government is going to change the law so you get dollar for dollar back like in lot of places in Europe. Therefore electricity prices hopefully stay lower."
"It is an idea these designers believe the country is ready for. They have still got time to persuade the government about the net metering concept, with the Powerhouse Wind Turbine still about a year away from market.
3 News