battery-less VAWT [RE-wrenches]

[Kelly Keilwitz]

Dan & Matt,
Thanks for the feedback and "recommendations" - it pretty much confirms what
I thought. Didn't know about the Ropatec turbines, though. The nominal
voltage of the Ropatec 1KW model (@ > 28 mph!) is rated at "~150 VAC".
PacWind hasn't responded to my inquiry for specs. I guess if Ed Begley Jr.
and Jay Leno use them it should be proof enough :)

Matt, you are spot on - there are a gaggle of architects involved. Sigh....I
probably should save myself a lot of trouble - and my reputation - and just
opt out...

-Kelly

Kelly Keilwitz, P.E.
Whidbey Sun & Wind, LLC
Renewable Energy Systems
NABCEP Certified PV Installer
987 Wanamaker Rd, 
Coupeville, WA 98239
PH & FAX 360-678-7131
sunwind at whidbeysunwind.com


On 1/8/08 3:09 PM, "Dan Fink" <danbob at otherpower.com> wrote:

> Hi Kelly -- I don't know of very many commercial small VAWT products in
> the US that have enough tested installations over the years to be
> confident in, much less on a rooftop where the wind speeds are slow and
> turbulent. Your best bet most likely is to talk with PacWind or Ropatec
> about their VAWTs. Both of these companies do at least have actual
> installations you could visit, and they don't violate the majority of
> the rules in Paul Gipe's famous "How to detect a wind turbine scam"
> article.
> 
> The SMA WindyBoy direct grid tie inverter won't even work until you hit
> 150v, and the Power-One Aurora that can deal with lower voltages is not
> yet available (it's what we are looking into for our turbine designs
> here--it might be out this summer). Not sure if either of those above
> VAWT machines can do direct grid tie with either of those inverters, but
> it's worth asking them.
> 
> The difficult part of treading in the VAWT world is differentiating
> between companies that actually make actual wind turbine products,
> companies that might be able to make their first actual product ever
> (after you pay them in advance), and those that just want you to invest
> in developing a product that has never been built in larger than HO
> scale and probably will never make a single watt-hour.
> 
> If you DO finally install some VAWTs for these customers......meter the
> heck out of them, individually. kwh per day, month and year, in a
> spreadsheet. That will be a breath of fresh air (pun intended) for us
> renewable energy journalists who labor under the weight of VAWT scam
> after scam. I imagine the serious VAWT manufacturers feel the same way,
> some good kwh numbers at a variety of sites would lend their business
> some much-needed credibility.
> 
> DAN FINK
> Technical Director
> http://www.otherpower.com/
> 
Matt T wrote:
Unfortunately, I get this kind of request all the time. The usual common
component in all these requests /seems /to be that there is an architect
involved in the project and, even though they know less than zip about
VAWT versus HAWT technologies, surface turbulence and induced noise and
bad vibes, they know what they like. ;-)

I might possibly know about this project as well, since I was asked to
provide the exact same recommendation to an outfit in Portland a few
months ago. At the time I told them that I knew of NO VAWTs that I could
stand behind, except for the hideously expensive Ropatec from Italy,
which I still stand behind. The thing about Ropatecs though, is that the
well tested 3000 Watt version has some nasty vibration problems that
would indicate (to me) that they should stay off of buildings.

The PacWind, and to the best of my knowledge all small VAWTS) are cute,
but I sure wouldn't want to be left holding the bag when something goes
wrong.

 


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