a smorgasbord of wind gennys [RE-wrenches]

Wed Jul 10 02:13:35 PDT 2002

This goes back to the 1st or 2nd thing I learned years ago, NEVER put a wind
mill on a building! Put them WAY up in the air for best performance and
longest life.

Why does everyone keep putting them on buildings? Or better yet why do some
manufacturers keep saying this is OK?
I am tired of customers looking at me like I am nuts when I tell them not to
put them on a roof.

I know of one Whisper 3000 that is "down" frequently because it is barely
above the tree tops!
(Not my install).

Later,
Bob

RE. Ellison
Supplier of;
Alternative Energy Systems & Supplies
34642 Countryman Road
Theresa, NY. USA
                               13691-2076

-----Original Message-----
From: Mangelsdorf, Marco [mailto:mmangelsdorf at hei.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 09, 2002 5:48 PM
To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
Subject: a smorgasbord of wind gennys [RE-wrenches]

I found the info below, provided by our friends at Ocean Solar in Oregon,
very interesting as a comparison between mainstream  ~400-watt wind
generators.  Any other comments out there on favorite/preferred wind gennys?

We investigated numerous turbines, and decided to run some tests. We liked
the AIR-403 from Southwest Windpower (SWWP)
<http://www.windenergy.com/PRODUCTS/air403.html>, because of the high power
output for its size (rated at 400 watts), and the ability to throw a "stop"
switch and greatly slow the unit. Unfortunately we found the machine to be
unacceptably noisy, and there were stirrings of a neighborhood rebellion.

As well, we placed a couple AIR-403's several feet back on some south-facing
roof dormers for architectural reasons-only to see the dramatic results of
turbulent air. The turbines swung wildly around in the "dirty" air. It was
obvious that because of its loud sound the AIR-403 would not work in a
residential neighborhood. It was also obvious that regardless of the turbine
we used we needed to make sure it was located in a zone of smooth airflow.

A much better location was identified on the west main roof of the house,
which placed our prospective turbines in smooth air. With this place in mind
we next tested the Ampair Pacific 100 generator <http://www.ampair.com>,
considered to be exceptionally quiet and ruggedly built. This turbine proved
to be much more quiet than the AIR-403, though not very powerful at a rated
100 watts, and without the ability to significantly slow the turbine in high
winds if we wished.

After some weeks of testing it was felt that the Ampair was still not quite
quiet enough for this neighborhood. We also found that the vibration from
the turbine into the structure was unacceptable, and sought to rework the
mounting system.

After hearing about the new AIR-X from SouthWest Wind Power
<http://www.windenergy.com/PRODUCTS/airxmar.html>, we decided to try this
unit. We were encouraged by the SWWP web site, and the suggestion of a SWWP
technician. At low to moderate wind speeds the unit seemed as noisy as the
AIR-403. We had heard that the noisy high-speed "flutter" had been
eliminated from this unit, but we ruled this machine out immediately because
of a loud "swishing-whooshing" sound heard throughout the neighborhood. In a
residential setting this unit was unacceptably loud, even before we reached
higher-winds. It is far from the "neighbor friendly" that SWWP advertises.

Finally we tried a couple Rutland 503 generators
<http://www.marlec.co.uk/products/prods/rut503.htm>, small marine turbines
that produce very little power (maximum of 50-60 watts in high winds). These
units are exceptionally quiet, though they still reminded us of the
vibration issue. For now we are reworking parts of the mounting system, and
plan to use the Rutland units as "placeholders" until we have access to a
quiet, low-vibration, more powerful turbine.

Note that all wind turbines were tested under load (connected to a battery),
and in a range of wind conditions. While we found some of the units,
especially the AIR-403 and AIR-X, to be unacceptable in this location we
feel that they have their place-but not in residential neighborhoods!

We hope that Southwest Windpower, and other wind turbine manufacturers, put
some of their resources into evolving generators that are truly "neighbor
friendly." We believe that such a machine will be much in demand, and could
allow more wind turbines to sprout in residential neighborhoods.

Marco Mangelsdorf, Ph.D.
Marketing and Sales
ProVision Technologies, Inc.
69 Railroad Avenue, Suite A-7
Hilo, Hawaii 96720 USA
(808) 969-3281, fax 934-7462
www.provisiontechnologies.com

- - - -
To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com

Archive of previous messages: http://www.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/

List rules & etiquette: http://www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquete.htm

Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/index.html

Hosted by Home Power magazine

Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com

- - - -
To send a message: RE-wrenches at topica.com

Archive of previous messages: http://www.topica.com/lists/RE-wrenches/

List rules & etiquette: http://www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/etiquete.htm

Check out participant bios: www.mrsharkey.com/wrenches/index.html

Hosted by Home Power magazine

Moderator: michael.welch at homepower.com

==^================================================================
This email was sent to: michael.welch at homepower.com

EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?bz8Qcs.bz9JC9
Or send an email to: RE-wrenches-unsubscribe at topica.com

T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail!
http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register
==^================================================================