Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) continue to get attention, press and R&D funding. Antagonists of mainstream wind generation continually point at them as if they were a superior technology. People...
The world market for small wind has continued to grow: As of the end of 2012, a cumulative total of at least 806’000 small wind turbines were installed all over the world. This is an increase of 10 %...
Over the past few months, an interesting wrinkle on the vertical-axis-wind-turbines-are-better mythology has surfaced: that they are superior offshore and that many countries are investing heavily in...
Thank you for your critique on the CBC article. I do not expect to get praise or support from anyone in the wind industry for the efforts that I have made, but I do wish you and others, would keep an...[more]
It must be a slow news week out on the Canadian Prairies. No big city mayor smoking crack or threatening to kill someone in Saskatchewan to grab attention. Instead they’re touting another—yes...[more]
United States Attorney Thomas G. Walker announced that on October 18, 2013, a federal grand jury in Raleigh, North Carolina returned a two-count indictment charging JAMES ALAN ROWAN with securities...[more]
A dramatic fall in income, coupled with rising energy costs, is seeing increasing number of farmers turning to wind turbines as an additional source of revenue ahead of looming energy regulator...
While the British government’s inexplicable decision to build two new nuclear reactors has dominated the headlines, Great Britain has meanwhile achieved two little-heralded milestones in renewable...[more]
Small and medium wind turbine installations had a total generating capacity of over 102MW at the end of 2012. For the fourth year in a row, the biggest growth in installed capacity was observed in...
Updated with a photo of the 18 Venger V2 Savonius turbines on the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[more]
Following the latest round of coverage, Gizmag takes a deeper look at his concept, and wonders whether the idea of packing turbines into as tight a space as possible might overlook some wind energy...
In addition to the market price, Gaia-Wind turbine owners will now get a feed in tariff premium of øre250/kWh (approx. 0.35 EUR/kWh).
The Small Wind Conference presented Paul Gipe with its first Lifetime Achievement Award on 19 June 2013 at its annual award ceremony in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.[more]
I was making the rounds to Upland, Indiana as part of a family reunion. We’d just stuffed ourselves on ice cream at Ivanhoe’s, an ice cream parlor worth the drive from our hometown of...[more]
I’ve written a lot about the folly of “building integrated” wind turbines, or the corollary, roof top wind turbines. It’s a plague here in the US, Britain, and the Netherlands. To reiterate, the...[more]
Hoosiers have definitely drunk the cool-aid. Worse, it's another example of architectural greenwashing. According local press reports the Nature Conservancy has installed the "crown jewel" of its...[more]
It’s a lovely thought, small wind turbines providing clean supplemental power at your home or in your community. But you don’t have to go far to find tales of small-wind woe, with newfangled...
Password: mistralmetrodenizen2013--The aim of this framework document is that it can serve as guidance, as far as it is practical, to those seeking to navigate and obtain approval...
I've posted photos of small wind turbines from my archives, including photos of Aircon, Aeroman, Bergey, Easywind, Endurance, Enertech-AOC, Fayette, Gaia, Grumman, Jacobs, Mehrkam, Northern Power,...
The wind industry isn’t going to be disrupted by someone with an idea and a Powerpoint pitch. If someone is approaching you with a great investment opportunity based on a ‘new’ wind generation...
The helical rotor design is reputed to reduce or eliminate the torque ripple encountered in traditional two-blade Darrieus or eggbeater turbines.[more]
FloWind’s development of the Extended Height-to-Diameter (EHD) Vertical Axis Wind Turbine was the last gasp of Darrieus wind turbine development in the US.[more]
I've added photos of historical interest to my web pages on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) and Darrieus turbines of various designs. . .[more]
There are now several measured power curves of the Mariah Windspire publicly available. This is one of the very few contemporary household-size (small) Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) to complete...[more]
The total number of small wind turbines installed all over the world reached 730'000 units as of the end of 2011 after 656'000 units in 2010, after 521'000 in 2009 and 460'000 in 2008. These small...
These are series of photos of a "demonstration" of "urban wind" using five Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) from three different manufacturers at Crissy Field in San Francisco. They are all very...
An insightful summary of how the aerodynamic properties of VAWTs differ from HAWTs by an authority on aerodynamics presented at the 2000 AWEA conference. . .
It is unlikely that any “modern” reinvention of Darrieus designs can perform any better than the experimental turbines Sandia and its contractors developed during the late 1970s and early 1980s. . .[more]
The Windspire is a vertical‐axis gyromill. The H‐rotor is 1.22 m (4 ft) in diameter by 6.1 m (20 ft) tall, capturing a swept area of 7.43 m2 (80 ft2). The data presented in this report was collected...
Carol Curtis, the director of the Coconino County Career Center, said employees were told by Southwest Windpower officials Wednesday that the facility in Flagstaff was going to be closed and they...
“For all wind turbines, other than those used for more decorative purposes, the cost of energy is important.”[more]
This review was a case of cleaning my desktop and before electronically filing away Sandia's year-old report on its work with Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), I'd decided to thumb through it and...[more]
Since Wind Energy Basics was first published in 1999, there has been an explosion of interest in new vertical-axis wind turbines. In that edition, the conclusion illustrating one photograph was...[more]
Note: The following is an excerpt from my 2009 book Wind Energy Basics Revised: A Guide to Home- and Community-scale Wind Energy Systems. I am reprinting it here because of the constant...[more]
In preparing for a review of a Sandia report on its decades-long research on Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs), especially the Darrieus or eggbeater design, I thought it might be wise to first see...[more]
The quest to slay the faulty dragon of conventional, or horizontal axis, wind turbines (HAWTS) has been an impossible one, thus far. The domination of conventional wind comes from their reliability,...
The installation of small wind turbines is growing rapidly in Italy since the introduction of feed-in tariffs, according to a report by the Department of Engineering at Milan's Polytechnical...[more]
Build Your Own Small Wind Power System was written by a small wind systems dealer, Kevin Shea, and a professional journalist, Brian Howard. Be forewarned, this is a big book. It's a modern book. It...[more]
Small Wind Newsletter: I was struck, while reading your biography, that you started out in this field at around the same time that many other renewable energy leaders (including Larry Sherwood,...[more]
Mariah Power, the company that produced the Sousas' wind turbines, generated headlines several years ago as an example of a successful northern Nevada company making headway in the renewable energy...
This is the history of wind turbine design breakthroughs. Paul Gipe, a prolific and respected writer on wind power, has seen a million of them. I asked him his view of the Catching Wind Power...
DWEA believes the current lack of turbine certification and siting criteria under the various LEED rating systems is hurting the distributed wind industry and is counter-productive to the intent of...
Expected to do the Same in 2012 New Feed-in Tariffs for 2013 The 2010 launch of Britain's feed-in tariff program has pushed the country ahead of the US in the installation of small wind turbine...[more]
I was just going to pick up the World Wind Energy Association's 2012 Small Wind World Report and extract a few useful numbers to keep myself abreast of the small turbine industry. But once I began...[more]
The Folkecenter for Renewable Energy (FC) has again published a handy report cataloging small wind turbines available worldwide. The FC's 2012 Catalogue of Small Wind Turbines is the one neutral...[more]
Reno, Nevada is vying for the world record for "Worst Turbine Install in History" through sheer scale, expense, and hubris. . . [more]
The most sophisticated and comprehensive study of small rooftop wind turbines in the Americas concludes rooftop wind turbines are "Not cost-effective at this site". . .
Presentation by Paul Gipe for PG&E Zero Net Energy Homes, Introduction
Presentation by Paul Gipe for PG&E Zero Net Energy Homes, Sizing
Despite my best efforts, I've been dragged into the DyoCore flap here in California. I successfully ignored Mick Sagrillo's plea to write something. I successfully ignored DyoCore's request to get...[more]
Toepfer is one of the pioneers of small wind in the US. He, like myself, began their careers by scouring the Great Plains for junk windmills.[more]
Wind Power: 20 Projects to Make with Paper by Clive Dobson is a great little book with a wonderful collection of photos and diagrams. I learn something every time I pick up a book, even a children's...[more]
But Energy Estimates Not Off by Much[more]
Plus Energy Building: Wind Energy, Small Wind, & Community Wind
August 13, 2009; Updated June 23, 2011 By Paul Gipe Because of the rapidly growing demand for windsmiths (wind energy technicians) in North America, several community colleges have begun offering...[more]
What Small Wind Needs to Make Its Mark
We have operated an Air Breeze BR0001068 since December 2007. The turbine has performed well without any problems and significantly quieter than previous versions in the Air series of micro wind...[more]
On May 5th, 2010 two-dozen French small wind advocates gathered at the SEPEN test site near Narbonne, France. The meeting was called to discuss the future of small wind in France and whether there...[more]
Small Wind in North America, the Good, the Bad, the Ugly; Real Urban Wind & the Community Power Revolution
What Small Wind Needs to Make Its Mark
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) has called on the Ontario government to offer feed-in tariffs designed for small wind turbines.[more]
Subtitled "A practical guide to small-scale energy production," the book follows ground well trod before and seeks to capitalize on the odd American desire to run their kilowatt-hour meter backwards.[more]
Wind Power for Dummies by Ian Woofenden is the mass-market, mainstream book on small wind turbines that the industry has long sought as a measure of respectability. [more]
The following data is summarized from a presentation by Paul Kühn, Fraunhofer-Institut für Windenergie und Energiesystemtechnik (IWES), at Husum, Germany, March 20, 2010 based on observations of...[more]
The French test site, SEPEN (Site Expérimental pour le Petit Eolien de Narbonne), published a performance report 28 September 2009 on Mariah's 1.2 kW Windspire. The test site is in a windy region in...[more]
Finally, after decades of effort, the American Wind Energy Association has established performance and safety standards for small wind turbines.[more]
You have to give them credit, small turbine manufacturers are a competitive lot, especially small VAWT suppliers. They are tripping over themselves to see who can win the award for worst turbine...[more]
Mike Nelson call this the worst turbine install in history. It certainly ranks right up there with some recent installations by Mariah, a Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine manufacturer.[more]
During the winter of 1998 through the spring of 1999, I installed equipment to measure the power curve of first mini and then eventually micro wind turbines. The description of this effort and the...[more]
I appreciate the vote of confidence in the Small Wind Certification Council's board of directors in appointing me to the Council. It is an honor to be nominated to be part of the commercialization of...[more]
Presentation by Paul Gipe for ASES Solar 2009
Presentation by Paul Gipe for CanWEA 2009 Conference, Toronto, Ontario. Includes a summary of feed-in tariffs for small wind turbines worldwide and a review of small wind program performance in the...
The turbine had failed sometime in the spring of 2009. We were living in Canada for most of the spring and early summer. When we returned it was the fire season and we didn't drive onto the site...[more]
Mag-Wind is back. Grab your children. Bar the door. The dead walk. . . Worse Ed Begley and Jay Leno, those omnipresent endorsers of all things "green", have leapt to the aid of the undead. Their...[more]
I've reviewed the series of preproduction wind turbine designs from Earthtronics twice before. See below.[more]
A podcast interview with Paul Gipe, author of Wind Energy Basics
Confirms That Rooftop Mounting Doesn't Deliver[more]
Scams, Frauds, & Flakes--Tell-Tale Signs[more]
Performance monitoring of rooftop wind turbines in Great Britain
The document below is a scanned copy of Adopt an Anemometer: A Unique Anemometer Loan Program created circa 1980 by the Center for Alternative Resources for the US Department of Energy. The...[more]
The Muncie (Indiana) Star recently reported that the Delaware County Redevelopment Commission awarded almost $1 million to a relatively little known German company.[more]
Data on actual measured performance of small wind turbines at the Test Field for Small Wind Turbines in Zeeland, the Netherlands. The site has a very low average wind speed of only 3.8 m/s during the...[more]
I've been putting off writing anything about the "Energy Ball" simply because there are too many of these "inventions" for one person to track, analyze, and report on. Like many of these...[more]
The Skystream uses a 3.72-meter diameter, three-blade, downwind rotor. Southwest Windpower claims that this rotor will deliver 1.8 kW at its rated speed of 9 m/s and generate 4,800 kWh per year at an...[more]
Twice now on our way to Pearson International Airport in Toronto we've passed two Skystreams in operation at a shopping center. They've both been operating both times. That's plus, we need a lot more...[more]
Gaia-Wind II kW--Power curve and annual energy output
The Windspire is a 1.2-kilowatt (kW) vertical-axis small wind turbine. The turbine tower is 9.1 meters tall, and its rotor area is 1.2 by 6.1 meters. The turbine has a permanent-magnet generator with...
Juliette Jowit The Guardian, Tuesday 13 January 2009 Home wind turbines are generating a fraction of the energy promised by manufacturers, and in some cases use more electricity than they make, a...[more]
Stewart Russell captured these photos of a Mariah Windspire installed at the College School in St. Louis. Stewart is an experienced wind hand and noted that the Windspire, which is an unguyed,...[more]
Britain's Renewable Devices introduced its "Swift" micro turbine several years ago to criticism that its estimates of annual production were inflated. See Roof Top Over the Top in Britain. Since then...[more]
Or How to Increase the Power of the Skystream 3.7 with the Stroke of a Pen[more]
The following tables are provided as a public service. Feedback is welcome. [more]
Finally, a detailed-some would argue exhaustive-treatment of how to build your own backyard wind turbine. The authors, do-it-yourselfers who actually know what they're doing, are the powers behind...[more]
AeroVironment has installed 20 units of its AVX 1000 rooftop turbines on a building at Boston's Logan International Airport. The 20 kW installation, part of what AeroViron[ment calls its...[more]
This is a classic example of how not to install wind turbines to best advantage. The best that can be said about this installation is that at least they were not mounted on top of the building.[more]
Consultants to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative have issued a damning report on the performance of small wind turbines installed under the MTC's subsidy program.[more]
Presentation by Paul Gipe for the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, June 2008
Despite the problem among the thousands of medium-size turbines in the Altamont Pass, there's little data on the impact from single medium-size turbines, small clusters of machines, or small wind...[more]
February 25, 2008 Below is summary of principle characteristics of mini- and household-size Vertical Axis Wind Turbines on the international market. It is not intended to include every VAWT marketed...[more]
Below is summary of principle characteristics of mini- and household-size Vertical Axis Wind Turbines on the international market. It is not intended to include every VAWT marketed worldwide.[more]
Applachian State University has tested a number of wind turbines at its Beech Mountain Small Wind Research and Demonstration Facility. ASU has published reports on both performance and noise. It is...[more]
Tests on the Whisper H40 at Applachian State University's Beech Mountain Small Wind Research and Demonstration Facility by Brent Summerville confirm earlier power curve tests on the H40 at the Wulf...[more]
Tests on the Air X at Applachian State University's Beech Mountain Small Wind Research and Demonstration Facility by Brent Summerville differ inexplicably with power curve tests on the Air X at the...[more]
We installed an Air Breeze at the request of Southwest Windpower in mid December. The turbine was provided by SWP at no charge. We are testing the turbine pro bono.[more]
The Air X s/n ABeta004 was installed for noise testing in December 2003. It ran unattended until the fall of 2007 when it failed.[more]
The Wulf Test Field is situated at latitude 35° 4'20.64"N and longitude 118°23'40.12"W and is at an elevation of 4,600 feet (1,400 m) on the north facing flanks of the Tehachapi Mountains in the...[more]
For more than a decade, senior environmental leaders in North America have been waiting for Germany's renewable energy market to collapse, an expectation tinged with schadenfreude.[more]
The pyramids have always been thought to contain some magical power. Maybe they do. Maybe Mag-Wind has found a way to tap into this magical power, because they certainly are not going to get much...[more]
Presentation to CanWEA's 2007 Conference
Hugh Piggott is one of the English-speaking world's true experts on small wind turbines, especially for off-the-grid applications. [more]
We returned to the site to remove the turbine for repair. The blades were removed without incident. However when removing the generator-yaw assembly the entire assembly came off in my hands without...[more]
he U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service has a long history of testing wind turbines at its research station near Bushland, Texas. They do good work. They're fair and...[more]
You can't get something for nothing. North Americans who think a micro or mini wind turbine will meet all their household consumption are in for a rude surprise. A wind turbine with a rotor 1-2...[more]
December 4, 2005 Typical of rooftop turbines, the rotor is tied down on this non-operating WE-10 Algaier turbine in Holzhausen, Rheinland-Pfalz, 2005. The turbine is noteworthy in its own right. The...[more]
The renewable lists buzz with discussions about net metering. Renewable's advocates spend hours, days, years even trying to implement net metering over utility objections. Why bother? Net metering is...[more]
Selsam's SuperTwin had operated unattended from March 2008 through sometime in the spring of 2009.[more]
At least several times a year, yet another announcement about a “technological breakthrough” arrives in my e-mail box. Invariably, the device being “unveiled” is a vertical axis wind turbine, and in...
Stewart knows what he's talking about. He's a pro.
December 8, 2003 by Paul Gipe For an explantion of the following chart see the article on measuring power curves. Though some of the turbines do not meet their manufacturer's advertised power...[more]
Simple Rules for Small Wind Turbine Design by Michael Klemen used with permission. [more]
Specifications of Small Wind Turbines at Wulf Test Field Rotor Swept Rated Number Approx. Tip Speed Tip Speed Turbine Dia. Area Power of rpm m/s Ratio m m2 W Blades @ 8 m/s @ 10...[more]
Cruising World Noise Measurements Turbines Rotor Swept Rated SPL* Tested Dia. Area Power @11 knots m m2 W dBA Rutland 913 0.91 0.65 70 75 Ampair 100 0.92 0.66 50 78 Air 403 1.17 1.08...[more]
Summary of Small Wind Turbine Noise Measurements at Wulf Test Field in dBA Hub Reference Slant Sound Projected Projected Turbine Height Position Distance SPL Power 100 to 45...[more]
Comparison of Noise from Small & Selected Medium-Size Wind Turbines ECN/Van der Borg Difference Turbine Rotor Swept Rated Tip Speed Sound Power Data Projection @ 8 m/s...[more]
Air 403 Ambient Noise. Air 403 Noise. Linear regression trend and data for Air 403 charging a constant load. NREL's Arlinda Huskey notes that the data suggests turbine noise begins to level off...[more]
Ampair 100 Noise Ambient. Ampair 100 Noise Charging. Ampair 100 Noise Unloaded. Ampair 100 Noise Summary. [more]
There was generally good agreement with the measurement of ambient conditions for the three seperate tests. Note that the ambient for the Ampair and Air 403 tests was higher than that for the...[more]
BWC 850 Ambient Noise. Linear regression trend and data from one-minute Leq with the turbine parked. Copyright 2001 by Paul Gipe. All rights reserved.[more]
Gustavo de Marsillac Peña presented the findings from a series of laboratory tests on an Air 403 at the American Wind Energy Association's annual conference this week in Austin, Texas.[more]
Both versions of the AirX monitored at the Wulf Test were qualitatively and quantitatively quieter than the Air 403.[more]
Tests during 2002 at the Wulf Test Field demonstrate that the AirX fails to meet the manufacturer's power curve by a wide margin.[more]
Links to more information on small wind turbines.[more]
False, Misleading and Deceptive Claims Regarding AWEA's Purported Endorsement of WindTree Energy Generator[more]
When the 11th edition of Real Goods' Solar Living Sourcebook landed with a thud on my doorstep, I knew I was in for a treat. L[more]
An edited version of the following was read on National Public Radio's Weekend Sunday program. Weekend Edition Sunday Re: Robbie Harris (sp)'s report on Wind Energy for Chicago/Sunday 26 August,...[more]
While it's difficult and time consuming, author Paul Gipe finds that measuring small wind turbine noise is within the reach of amateurs and asks why manufacturers and national laboratories are not...[more]
California's power crisis has proven fertile soil for a new crop of small wind turbines seen sprouting across the state. From Chico in the north to Temecula in the south, from the coast near San Luis...[more]
Like ducted turbines, a perennial favorite of hucksters and charlatans is, for lack of a better word, squirrel cage rotors. [more]
Researchers at Spain's national energy center, CIEMAT, reported on a survey of small wind turbine technology at the European Wind Energy Association special topic conference in Kassel, Germany.[more]
The following article grew out of research for an extensive revision of my book Wind Power for Home & Business published by Chelsea Green. The article is essentially a report on how to test small...[more]
A Memorandum to Colleagues in the U.S. Small Turbine Industry on the Draft Performance Standard AWEA 1.2.2000[more]
Hugh Piggott's plans for turning a used brakedrum into a windmill is welcome addition to the literature on small wind turbines. [more]
Wind energy is booming. Not since the heyday of the American farm windmill has wind energy grown at such a dramatic pace. By the new millennium, more than 40,000 medium-size wind turbines will be in...[more]
The most common technique here in the United States is to raise the tilt-up towers with a truck or tractor. I’ve never been a fan of this approach and I’ve long wondered if there is a better way....
My thanks to everyone on the awea-wind-home list for your help raising the BWC 850. Sunday 21 June, Nancy and I lowered the turbine with the griphoist. (Because we will be traveling for the next five...[more]
There is a pressing need for an international center to test and demonstrate small wind turbines. In contrast to the medium-sized wind turbine industry, which is nearing technical maturity, small...[more]
Romtvedt struck a chord with me and I found myself reading this fine book through in one sitting. [more]
Finally, something to supplant Michael Hackleman's aging classic Wind and Windspinners. [more]
Since 1997 Paul Gipe and Nancy Nies have used the site to gain experience installing and operating small wind turbines, to measure small turbine performance and noise emissions, and to experiment...[more]
Conclusion of Sandia's design development contract for FloWind's EHD Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. . .
The Inventus 5 kW power curve was measured by Windtest Kaiser-Wilhelm-Koog in Germany using 10-minute averages. Though the turbine is rated at 5 kW it produces 4.5 kW at 12 m/s using the 10-minute...[more]
Yes, it's a very old article that just resurfaced at Mother Earth News.
