[RE-wrenches] Skystream 3.7 experiences?

[ASAP POWER! 2]

Louis,
Remember when you, me, Hugh P, and Michael W. went a few rounds regarding my
earliest foray into the renewable energy biz?  It was a 7ft. spruce prop
attached to used automotive alternators in a steel plate welded and
spray-painted box.   Boy, was I green (so to speak, I guess that means
something different now...)   My Dad, a meteorologist at OU and NSSL (and
with me here in Socal this holiday week from Oklahoma) backed up everything
you told me with a fine chapter on the amount of energy that can possibly be
captured, etal., and suddenly I got edumatated.

For the Skystream, we're still not there yet (no permit) with what we call
the "Urban Turbine", despite what the article linked implies:   
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/10/29/news/coastal/oceanside/zc78f3117d
1d26ef2882574f10063baec.txt

I think Andy K. and the changing crew of the SWWP team have actually done a
good job supporting us (and the sale of their products) with City of
Oceanside permitting process over the LAST FOUR YEARS to get this street
light pole in a residential (late 60's) neighborhood.  We started this
odyssey with a Whisper unit in planning in 2004 and welcomed the Skystream's
debut into a new plan set.   This jurisdiction wouldn't take the generic
wind load and structural calcs offered by SWWP, everything had to be site
specific and has so far cost over $5500 (geo-soil reports, PE
studies/stamps, and city fees) and the time of course.  That's more than a
third of the job value.

This will be my first Skystream, but other SD County compadres have sold and
installed several and have never told me these things I'm seeing from not
just you now.  Maybe I should talk to them more often or get them on this
list.  

After all this extra special effort, I hope this one's not a total dud too.
I may have revert back to hardwoods?   Nah, that thing wouldn't spin in a
gale.  So anything's an improvement at this point for this customer, whose
patiently waiting to be a "first", despite the low wind speed regime.  And
he's hopeful for 50 to 150kWh per month.   And that's where the "real" issue
is.  Anyone trying to push wind power where there's no wind half the time is
asking for disappointed customers.  Technically, at least, this thing better
work perfectly by now, i.e. the electronics.  It's been two years since we
entered the Skystream into the plan set.  

I believe they are replacing whole units because the on-board inverter has
gone through several deep changes to improve.   More guinea pigging
production I'm afraid.  Makes puppy-dogging nearly fruitless.

Looking forward to more insights and reporting our experience, which should
begin "trickling in", in direct grid-tie manner, sometime in Jan-Feb 09.

Sincerely, 
Peter D.
Technical Sales & Logistics
ASAP POWER! is "As Solar As Possible"
Oceanside, California, USA
Toll Free 866-724-3444

-----Original Message-----
From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Louis
Woofenden
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2008 4:14 PM
To: RE-wrenches
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Skystream 3.7 experiences?


Hi Kurt,

We've installed a couple of Skystream units here in southern Arizona. We
know the tilt-up tower works quite well--we've had to bring each unit down
2-3 times for various problems with electronics. Added to this was SWWP's
extremely poor customer service. They took several days to even call us
back, didn't send promised parts, etc. Of course, these two installation
sites are one and two hours from our shop. We had one customer who was just
about ready to throw the unit in the back of his truck, and drive it the
five hours up to Flagstaff.

It looks slick, the installation was no problem, but if it doesn't work
reliably, none of that really matters, in my opinion. I was hoping SWWP
would get this one right, but I don't think it's there yet.

Best,
Louis Woofenden
The Solar Store
Tucson AZ
Cell: 520.631.7556




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