{"id":4851,"date":"2011-07-07T12:20:40","date_gmt":"2011-07-07T16:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/?p=4851"},"modified":"2017-09-05T17:50:36","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T21:50:36","slug":"small-scale-wind-power-getting-more-airplay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.energyrefuge.com\/blog\/small-scale-wind-power-getting-more-airplay\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Scale Wind Power Getting More Airplay"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>
Honeywell Wind Turbine<\/figcaption><\/figure>Most people think of massive wind farms when they think of wind power. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a small revolution going on, and one that some people are, quite literally, screaming from the rooftops about.
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\nOne small wind technology recently appeared in Time Magazine\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s list of Top 20 Green Tech Ideas<\/a>. The company behind it is WindTronics, which has developed small turbine model of 6ft in diameter. It is called Honeywell Wind Turbine. Despite the small size, it can generate 1,500KW\/h a year (or around 15% of a household’s energy needs), depending on wind strength in the period. <\/p>\n

WindTronics<\/a>‘ turbine contains no rotating gearbox to generate electricity, which makes it quieter. The blades are equipped with magnets at the tips and are enclosed in a wheel that contains coiled copper, which means that the entire turbine is an electric generator.<\/p>\n

The Detroit News has an in-depth article<\/a> about Ted Klein, an 84-year-old retiree in southeast Michigan, who bought one Honeywell unit. The article says the gearless turbine can generate electricity with wind speeds of 2 mph.<\/p>\n

Klein seems to be happy with it. He says the wind turbine<\/a> is very quiet and you can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t hear it turn even from the porch. Neighbors have not complained about it; they are just curious. It will take him years to recoup the money invested and intends to connect 12-volt batteries to his inverter to store energy to help him cope with power failures.<\/p>\n

The 241-pound turbine is available to buy through energy dealers and some hardware shops (it costs $6,499.99 from Ace Hardware<\/a>. Here you can get the non-grid tied smart box <\/a>that goes with it). WindTronics expects to have at least 100 wind turbines in operation in Michigan by the end of the year.<\/p>\n

WindTronics\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 sales are benefitting from a federal tax credit worth of 30 per cent of the cost, including installation. The tax is available until the end of 2016.<\/p>\n

Criticism<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not everyone thinks small wind turbines are a good idea, though. The article also quotes Trudy Forsyth from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, which considers the unit expensive for the small amount of electricity it generates.<\/p>\n

She also highlights that her organization does not endorse rooftop turbines because when wind speed is reduced, turbulence is intensified. Besides, pieces could fall onto the ground, which is a cause for safety concerns.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Do small wind turbines have a role to play in energy generation?<\/p>\n

Watch WindTronics being featured on MSN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Today:<\/em>
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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news<\/a>, world news<\/a>, and news about the economy<\/a><\/p>\n

You should follow us here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Related Posts:<\/h3>
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    Most people think of massive wind farms when they think of wind power. But there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a small revolution going on, and one that some people are, quite literally, screaming from the rooftops about. Related Posts:No Related Posts Found! Go find some…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[961,793,960],"class_list":["post-4851","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wind-energy","tag-honeywell-turbine","tag-small-scale-wind-power","tag-windtronics"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t