battery-less VAWT [RE-wrenches]

[Matt Tritt]

Wilco,

I'm trying to make sense of your statement "the price per kilowatt is reduced because there is no tower cost".

This is a basically untrue statement/assumption. You still need a mounting structure, whether or not it's a tower-  or something "else". Roof mounting will require, in most cases the reinforcement of the roof itself to prevent structural damage to the building in high winds. Roofs are not designed to carry large external loads in the form of a turbine (or anything else), just snow and ice. Snow and ice are evenly distributed over a large area, not located in one big blob. :-)

The absence of a viable windstream on a roof top means that your turbine will not produce commercially useable amounts of energy, period. No matter that you are higher than the surropunding land, there is virtual ground tubulence on every roof, unless you know something that no one else does. Please elaborate.

Matt
---- Wilco Vercoelen <w.vercoelen at dommelvalley.ca> wrote: 
> 
> Dear Kelly,
> 
> You are absolutely right. Rooftops in general are not recommended, because
> of turbulence, vibration etc, etc. and there isn't a lot of wind at these
> heights anyway, however the price per kwh produced is lower because no tower
> is required reducing the overal installation costs. Producing about 55% of a
> Skystream, installed at 10m, but half the price installed could still be an
> interesting option for some applications. Like I said, we think it has its
> own little place in the market. It will be limited and more actual field
> data must be provided.
> The single most important issue is the SWCC certification in place for the
> small wind turbine market and get rid off all the phoney stuff.
> 
> Wilco Vercoelen
> Dommelvalley Green Power
> Utopia, Ontario
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kelly Keilwitz [mailto:kelly at whidbeysunwind.com] 
> Sent: February 4, 2008 1:21 AM
> To: RE-wrenches at topica.com
> Subject: Re: battery-less VAWT [RE-wrenches]
> 
> 
> Wilco,
> I wasn't aware of this outfit, thanks. Their "testing" facility in Kelowna,
> BC is ~ 5 hours from us - in fact I was through there last week.
> 
> However, the first availability was stated as August, 2007 and they're
> marketing it as roof-top mounted. I'd like to know that one of those 300-lb,
> 64 s.f. spinning objects has stayed up and operational on someone's roof (in
> a windy spot) for a few years before I recommend it to a customer.
> 
> Rooftop mounting, even if the turbine stays up, and doesn't vibrate, still
> is missing the main point: there just isn't much fuel there. The cost of a
> tower can be justified simply by Energy ~= velocity cubed.
> 
> -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 2/1/08 8:51 PM, "Wilco Vercoelen" <w.vercoelen at dommelvalley.ca> wrote:
> 
> > 
> > 
> > Have you guys looked at Windterra http://www.windterra.com/
> > It is a fairly new Canadian 1.2kW direct grid-tie VAWT, but based on the
> > specs and pricing we think it has its own place in the market. We do not
> see
> > it as an alternative to a horizontal wind turbine but rather as a type
> that
> > can be used under certain circumstances, e.g. higher rise buildings.
> > We know that for example the Dutch Grid-Tie Turby (European market) is
> > pretty effective and well developed, but again in its own little place in
> > the market. We believe that the majority of turbines will be horizontal,
> now
> > and in the future, but that doesn't mean that a well-tested vertical
> turbine
> > with actual good field test results and certifications can be a solution
> > under certain conditions. Unfortunately there aren't many out there,
> yet....
> > 
> > Wilco Vercoelen
> > Dommelvalley Green Power
> > Utopia, Ontario
> > 
> 
> 
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