Bergey OptiCharge charge controller [RE-wrenches]

[Matt Tritt]

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Well spoken!

This is a thorny issue among us wind bozos, and has been for quite some 
time. The big problems with getting UL for a small turbine have much to 
do with UL itself: how do you treat a device that is clearly dangerous 
under certain conditions simply because of the issue of rotating 
machinery? Under normal conditions, people won't be able to put their 
bodies in harms way, other than in relation to the turbine's output wires.

Getting UL is extremely expensive for a smallish company; especially one 
that is attempting to provide equipment at a reasonable price to their 
customer base. Large companies generally shy away from getting involved 
with anything like a small turbine, since there is ample evidence that 
the profits from doing so might not be exactly earth shattering, but 
large companies are the ones who could most easily afford the outlay 
required. A bit of a problem.

My feeling is that what is most likely the best approach is to have the 
bits that are accessible to people and the grid approved by the 
appropriate body, but to leave the poor turbine in peace at the top of 
it's tower.

Matt T

Ray Walters wrote:

> Hi Randy;
>
> I always wondered about Bergey and wind gennys in general: they're not 
> UL listed, they're not NEC compliant, and they're not covered at all 
> in the code.  I thought that if UL listed equipment wasn't available, 
> they couldn't require it ( ie flooded batteries, DC to DC converters, 
> lightning arrestors).
> Wrenches, how does that work when a device is not only not UL listed, 
> but not even covered in the code? I originally thought wind was exempt 
> from the inspectors jurisdiction, but then something like a Windyboy 
> grid tieing in has to be inspected to a point. Its truely an amazingly 
> large grey area. How come the NEC never dealt with wind systems?
> It doesn't seem fair to require UL listing, when (I  believe) there 
> aren't any small wind turbines that are UL listed.
> Good luck up there with Washington state Randy. My favorite quote for 
> times like these: "To the pioneers go the arrows, to the settlers go 
> the spoils". Wrenches on the front lines are still taking arrows 
> unfortunately, but if it wasn't for the struggles of the many pioneers 
> represented on this list, RE in this country would be no where today.
>
> Hang in there Randy, its really for a good cause.
>
> Ray Walters
>
>

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