This category started as a joke when Mike Nelson forwarded a photograph of a poorly installed wind turbine in Seattle. Mike is an old hand at renewables and like Stewart Russell knows a good installation--and a bad one--when he sees it. Since Mike's first report, others have followed and now the list is continuing to grow.
If you don't know why these are bad installations, then you need to read a good book on wind power. There are now dozens of such books available in English.
This category was originally a part of Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) and the examples given are of VAWTs of various kinds. However, poor installation practices are not unique to VAWTs and so this category has been reassigned to include all small wind turbines.
Thilo Wirth was working in the LVR building the Cologne district of Köln-Deutz and sent me his cell-phone picture of the Clean VerTec wind turbine on the roof. [more]
The college installed 80 miniature wind turbines on the roof of the nine-story building last week. . . for $240,000 . . .
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]
Reno, Nevada is vying for the world record for "Worst Turbine Install in History" through sheer scale, expense, and hubris. . . [more]
The following is another submission by Stewart Russell for the worst turbine install in history. This one is on a bridge in Kansas City and uses two of Southwest Windpower's Air series turbines. As...[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]
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]
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]