Residential Wind Links Again

[James Kempf]

Here are two links to residential wind turbines that were designed in the UK specifically for urban settings:
 
http://www.quietrevolution.co.uk/ - minimum speed 10 mph, energy output between 6,000 and 10,000 kwh/year
http://www.renewabledevices.com/swift/index.htm - Rated power output: 1.5kW, up to 2000 kwh/year at 27 mph
 
The first one is designed to catch variable winds from all directions (a Savonius like design), the second one is designed specifically to attach to buildings and is very quiet. Neither is cheap, especially when calculating the cost in dollars, but then neither is unsubsidized solar PV. Subsidies are also available for wind, not sure if they are also scheduled to go down next year like the solar PV subsidy is.
 
Most of the residential wind systems available from US companies seem to be traditional propeller systems like the big industrial units but smaller. They seem to be designed for McMansions on 0.5 acre or more. They would seem to have issues with birds and bats, which the above two don't (according to the company literature, not sure whether that is accurate though). Nothing for urban settings from US manufacturers.
 
As I mentioned previously, one of my neighbors did a solar site survey and found that, due to shade, his property was not a suitable site for solar PV. With one of these kinds of wind turbines, he could potentially generate from the winds that almost always are there in late afternoon in our neighborhood.
 
Anyway, I think this would make a good addition to Item F, if a wind survey determined that the school or city government site had good wind potential. A few of these in Shoreline around the restaurant at the lake would help to offset the energy generated by the restaurant for example, without raising questions about birds or ruining the ambiance of the PG&E transmission towers that run along Steven's Creek trail and out across the bay. :-)
                jak

[Les]

Thanks for re-posting small turbines James,

Your comment about the transmission lines is understood. I asked my
wife what she thought about wind turbines on the bay and she
responded, with some sarcasm, how well they would blend in with the
hodgepodge of transmission lines already scattered in all directions.

There are some simple renewable energy concepts, apparently not yet
well understood by many. One big one is that we will need to make use
of ALL available renewable energy options on the way to achieving the
goal of 100% renewable energy. Fortunately, all truly renewable energy
options tend to work very well operating side by side each other, and
often simultaneously. Some RE methods will end up being more practical
then others but all deserve a shot. Remaining open minded toward all
genuinely renewable options, some of which have yet to be dreamed up,
is an important sub goal to achieving 100% RE.

Hopefully Mountain View will choose to create a climate conducent to
realizing local business opportunities in areas such as small wind
turbines and any other technologies capable of generating perpetual
clean domestic energy.

On Jul 17, 8:07 pm, James Kempf <kemp...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Here are two links to residential wind turbines that were designed in the UK specifically for urban settings:

>  http://www.quietrevolution.co.uk/ - minimum speed 10 mph, energy output between 6,000 and 10,000 kwh/yearhttp://www.renewabledevices.com/swift/index.htm - Rated power output: 1.5kW, up to 2000 kwh/year at 27 mph