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First Sanya Skypump EV Charging Station Sees Active Duty in Spain

The Sanya Skypump is a joint-project between Urban Green Energy (UGE) and General Electric. It is basically a wind turbine, albeit one with a special design, which is used to charge up EVs via an integrated charging station. It is also very compact for a wind turbine and it can easily be positioned in any city with ease.
Skypump 1 photo
Photo: UGE
Now, the first of these Skypumps has been installed and is now working, in Barcelona, Spain. Aside from looking rather artistic, the shape of the blades and their curvature is designed to make the most of low winds, requiring only a 11 km/h (7 mph) wind speed to be operational. The juice is then sent to a Level 2 charger at the base, where EVs will come to get a refill.

However, it does not have any means to store energy when not in use (a big downside, in our opinion), limiting its use dramatically, to the point where we only found it useful for home or work use. We will probably see more of these UGE and GE Skypumps, as plans are to start installing them in the US and Australia, starting later this year.

"Since launching the Sanya Skypump, we have received inquiries from companies around the world that are looking to embrace sustainability," said Nick Blitterswyk, CEO of UGE. "The Sanya Skypump is one of those rare products that enable institutions to demonstrate their commitment to the environment while providing a really useful service as well."
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