Power Predictor promises accurate microgen data

UK start-up Better Generation has launched a new device designed to help businesses and households measure the amount of wind and solar power they could generate using microgeneration technologies.

The Power Predictor device collects data from a small-scale weather station that can be fixed at sites where solar panels or micro-turbines could be installed.

The data can then be loaded on to a computer and used to automatically calculate the most effective microgeneration technology for the site, how much energy it would generate, and how long it would take to recoup the initial installation cost.

Toby Hammond, inventor of the Power Predictor and managing director of Better Generation, said the aim of the new device was to "take the guesswork out of microgeneration".

"For most people, micro power generation is a step into the unknown," he said. "No one should spend thousands of pounds on renewable energy equipment without knowing the payback time based on the amount of energy they could generate at their premises."

The device costs £99.95 and appears to be aimed at undercutting the energy audit and site assessment services offered by some green consultancy firms.

Hammond added that the device would also allow customers to invest in microgneration technologies with a greater degree of confidence that real returns on investment will be realised.

"[The device] is not based on modelled data, which is often inaccurate, but on site-specific data that shows anyone at home or at work how much they could save by generating solar or wind energy," he said.