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The 50-kW AOC 15/50 is an improved and simplified version
of the Enertech 44/60 wind turbine developed in the United States in the
early 1980s. Its rotor diameter is 15 meters (49 feet). The downwind,
stall-regulated, three-bladed turbine features passive yaw control, wood
epoxy composite blades incorporating NREL-designed airfoils, aerodynamic
tip brakes, an electrodynamic brake, and an integrated drive train. This
turbine is well-suited for remote, stand-alone applications, village power
systems, and small wind power plants. Larger versions available from the NREL/DOE pix library. #07302 |
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Whisper 1000,1 kW wind turbine from World Power Technology,
Inc., that is used for pumping water for 120 head of cattle at a ranch
in Texas. Turbine is installed on a 30 foot tower. |
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Graphic, Range of Acoustics In a test conducted by the Clinton (Iowa) Detective Bureau, the noise
from a 10-kW Jacobs wind system was measured in winds between 16 and 36
miles per hour. At 50 feet, the decibels measured between 55 dB(A) and
59 dB(A). But the detective, noting that the turbine noise was partially
masked by rustling leaves, also took readings from trees that were 300
feet away. The trees registered 60 dB(A) to 62 dB(A). The report concluded
that the wind generator produced“inconsequential” noise emissions. Credit: American Wind Energy Association |
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Larry Gilliam found out that wind maps are no substitute
for on-site wind measurements. A map may show healthy winds over a general
area, but topological features significantly affect the strength of the
wind blowing across a particular site. “I looked at the maps and
thought I was in a Class 2 wind regime,” says Gilliam, whose 10-kilowatt
turbine hasn’t been as productive as he’d hoped. “If
I had to do it over again, I would have erected an anemometer.” Turbine: BWC Excel Larger versions available from the NREL/DOE pix library. #12560 |
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Windfarm: Wind energy has come a long way. Unlike yesteryear's
windmill, today's wind turbines include an array of technological innovations
that have substantially reduced the cost of electricity generated from
wind and made this power source more attractive to utilities. |
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The BWC EXCEL is a 10 kilowatt wind turbine designed to supply most of the electricity for an average total electric home in areas with an average wind speed of 12 mph. In remote locations, it can charge batteries for stand-alone applications or pump water electrically without the need for batteries. Simple and rugged, the BWC EXCEL is designed for high reliability, low maintenance, and automatic operation in adverse weather conditions. Turbine: BWC EXCEL |
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PV and wind system used for power at a Colorado home. System components include: .960 kW photovoltaic system, 8 - 120 watt PV modules, 1 - top of pole mount, 12 - Trojan l-16 6 volt deep cycle batteries, 1 - Trace DR2424 inverter 120 VAC, 1 - Trace C40 charge control, 1 - Trace DC disconnect, 1 AIR403 Industrial wind turbine, 1 - tilt up wind turbine towers, 1 - Trace T240 step up transformer (for deep well pump), vented battery box, indoor disconnect. Photovoltaic and wind power system installed by Solar Solutions Ltd. Turbine: AIR 403 Industrial Larger versions available from the NREL/DOE pix library. #10605 |
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Brenda Tankersley’s 10-kw Bergey wind turbine has been hit by lightning three times in the past 10 years, but she says having her own power is well worth the repairs. The wind generator had already been installed when Brenda inherited her western Kansas farm ten years ago. She and her husband, Oren, farm dry land wheat on the Tankersley spread of 3,200 acres. The local population is sparse near the town of Scott’s City and they’ve never had a complaint about the small wind turbine. Not that anyone should have a problem with it, says Brenda. “If you think about it, these small wind turbines are not that much different from the old windmills that use to dot the prairies,” she points out. “I like looking up at the machine during the day and seeing from which
direction the wind is blowing,” she says. “I’ve also become accustomed
to the sound the machine makes.” |
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Wind turbine being used in irrigation. |
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Tom and Angela Rhamy bought a combination wind/solar energy system to generate power their 2,000-square foot home and barn. They took advantage of state incentives designed to encourage the installation of home generating systems, receiving a state tax credit and a rebate from the California Energy Commission that covered half the cost of their machine. Their system went online in May 2002 and should pay for itself within five to seven years. Turbine: Whisper 3000 |
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Charles Koch of Elgin, Oregon owns Medicine Creek Farm in northeastern Oregon where he raises cows, chickens and turkeys. He installed a 400-watt Southwest Windpower Air 403 small wind turbine. A year later, he also purchased an old Jacobs small wind turbine rated at 17 kW. Koch estimates that up to half of his electricity is generated from the wind. Since winter is the season when his demand for electricity is highest – and the wind blows hardest – the two small wind turbines are a good match for his farm and home. “I really want to get my Jacobs up and going again before winter hits,” he admitted. Turbine: Air 403 |
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Joe Mathewson had been spending $15,000 annually on electricity
to irrigate his 40-acre vineyard. His 10-kilowatt wind generator has cut
his power bill from $1,000 to $200 per month during the grape irrigation
season. All told, he has cut his annual electricity bill by nearly half. Turbine: BWC Excel |
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Joe Mathewson had been spending $15,000 annually on electricity
to irrigate his 40-acre vineyard. His 10-kilowatt wind generator has cut
his power bill from $1,000 to $200 per month during the grape irrigation
season. All told, he has cut his annual electricity bill by nearly half. Turbine: BWC Excel |
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Turbine: Capacity: Manufacturer: Southwest Windpower Credit: Southwest Windpower |
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With three teenagers and two electric pumps providing well water, Daniel Scott's electricity consumption is well above average. Concerned that he would not be able to get a variance or conditional use permit to exceed a 35-foot height restriction, Scott opted to install three Southwest Windpower Whisper 3000s on 30-foot towers. Because of SCE's high electricity rates, Scott should be able to recoup my initial investment of roughly $20,000 within 7 years. I will then enjoy "free" electricity for the remainder of the system's 30-year life. With these figures in mind, a small wind turbine represents a low-risk, tax-free investment. My investment in my own renewable energy system nets an equivalent of a 30 percent return on a taxable investment. Turbine: Whisper 3000s on 30-foot towers |
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Riverside County previously required that wind turbine
applicants notify every landowner within a half-mile radius of the site
– even absentee landowners. Owner Steve Anderson was preparing to
send letters to nearly 50 people when AB 1207 went into effect. Under
the new law, notification requirements are limited to neighbors within
300 feet of a proposed wind turbine. |
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San Bernadino County zoning restrictions limited the height
of Gus Sansone’s turbine tower to 60 feet, and setback requirements
prevented him from putting the tower on high ground near the edge of his
lot. He was eventually permitted to extend the tower to 80 feet for a
$150 fee. He estimates the additional height is increasing the generation
from his 10-kilowatt machine as much as 25%, based on the experience of
other local wind turbine owners. Turbine: BWC Excel |
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Bergey Wind Turbine in Ice Storm |
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Wales has among the best wind resources in the world -- a Class 7 -- with an average wind speed of nearly 20 mph. This innovative hybrid project incorporated two 65 kW Atlantic Orient
Company (AOC) 15/50 wind turbines, 3 diesel generators, 2 electric dump
loads, a rotary power converter, and a battery bank. Owned by the rural
utility Kotzebue Electric Association (KEA), the small wind turbines were
installed in 2000 to test their ability under harsh remote conditions,
and made operational in the fall of that year. Turbine: 15/50 wind turbines Larger versions available from the NREL/DOE pix library. #05625 |
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Jim Kohlert has installed a Whisper 3000 next to his originally installed 1-kW Whisperer 1000 on his 3-acre farm in Ashton, Illinois. A solar photovoltaic array placed on the roof of his shop also adds to his portfolio of generation sources. Interestingly enough, Kohlert has discovered that the larger, 3-kW Whisper 3000 cranks out about 10 times as much electricity as the 1-kW Whisper 1000 in low wind speeds. The smaller Whisper doesn’t pick up momentum until wind speeds get up to 13 to 15 mph, he notes. Kohlert says his turbines have received no complaints from the local
community. “My neighbors love it, love watching it, and love renewable
energy,” he says. |
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Small wind turbines, like this grid-connected Bergey 10 kW Excel, can provide supplemental power for farms and ranches. Excess power is fed back into the utility grid. The wind generator had already been installed when Brenda inherited her
western Kansas farm ten years ago. She and her husband, Oren, farm dry
land wheat on the Tankersley spread of 3,200 acres. The local population
is sparse near the town of Scott’s City and they’ve never
had a complaint about the small wind turbine. Not that anyone should have
a problem with it, says Brenda. “If you think about it, these small
wind turbines are not that much different from the old windmills that
use to dot the prairies,” she points out. Larger versions available from the NREL/DOE pix library. 09624 |
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Verna and Everett Littlefield didn’t hesitate to put up a new small wind turbine after Hurricane Bob destroyed their first one, a 10 kW Jacobs they installed at their Rhode Island home in 1981. The Littlefields live on Block Island, just 14 miles from the Atlantic Coast. “If you paid the electricity bills around here, you would know why we installed our small wind turbines,” comments Verna, who says the average cost of electricity was 29 cents per kilowatt-hour. The 10 kw Bergey Excel they put up after the 1991 storm has proven surprisingly low-maintenance, requiring only one blade change over the past 12 years. “Maybe Hurricane Bob did us a favor,” jokes Verna. The Littlefields now let one of their sons climb up the tower every six months or so to make sure everything is OK. So far, there have been no problems. The Littlefields did not encounter any zoning or height restrictions for their 80-foot tower. Operating in winds that average above 17 mph, the Bergey has generated from 50 to 60 percent of their total electricity needs. “If we had net metering, I’m sure our electricity bills would be virtually zero,” Everett said. During winter, the wind blows steadily and the Littlefields use every bit of electricity that the wind generator puts out. “We also get on-shore winds virtually every afternoon in the summer,” says Everett. Turbine: Bergey Excel |
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Corey Babcock examines the 1.5 kW Enertech small wind turbine before hoisting the machine up with jut ropes and pulleys. Corey Babcock of Lewiston, Minnesota, had always been interested in electricity. “I remember tinkering with batteries as a kid,” he recalled. “Instead of going to college, I decided to rebuild a 1.5 kW Enertech wind turbine,” he said. The hands-on project was quite time-consuming, but well worth the effort, according to Babcock. “It took the entire summer to get the 80-foot guy-wired lattice tower to stand without a crane by relying upon only ropes and pulleys, but it was a great learning experience.” Still, the machine was already 30-years old and needed frequent tune-ups. Babcock took down the 1.5 kW Enertech machine in 2002 and replaced it with a new 10 kW Bergey Excel small wind turbine. “I had to work on the Enertech about once a week. The Bergey machine went up about a year ago and I haven’t had to touch it since!” said Corey. Turbine: Enertech |
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The New Jersey Clean Energy state rebate program that covers 60 percent of the installation costs of a small wind turbine prompted Cathy Sims to power her home with renewable energy. “We have some high electricity costs because my husband and I run our small businesses out of our home,” said Cathy Simms. “Since installing a 10 kW Bergey small wind turbine in April 2002, our electricity bill has been reduced quite a bit. Sure, we like to do things that are good for the environment, but there are also economic advantages of going with wind power.” The Simms, live on two and half acres in the township of Wall, about five minutes from the northern New Jersey coast in Class 3 winds. Obtaining a permit for their Bergey machine required creativity. To get around a 45-foot height restriction, the Simms applied for a Federal Communications Commission license available to ham radio operators, which allowed them to build a 60-foot tower. After that, the only county requirement the Simms had to comply with was ensuring that the wind turbine wouldn’t fall onto neighbors’ property. The Simms’ 10kW Bergey works nicely along side their photovoltaic and geothermal heating and air conditioning systems. Turbine: BWC Excel |
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Ron and Suzanne Joyner put up a 900-watt Whisper H 90, manufactured by Southwest Windpower, next to their apple orchards in 1998. The turbine, which sits on a 42-foot tower, supplies the bulk of the apple farm’s electricity between November and May, when they need power most. In the summer, a 300-watt solar system becomes the major contributor. With the help of a small wind turbine, they’re also looking to preserve old-fashioned self-reliance. The Joyners’ 75-acre apple farm near Lansing features all the modern appliances of American life, yet they are not connected to the power grid. “We are developing a self-sufficient farm. Relying upon renewable energy sources has been part of our plan all along,” explains Ron. Turbine: H 90 |
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