# Small windmills put to the test



## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2009/04/small-windmills-test-results.html#more

The results weren't suprising when you look at the windmills they tested and the tower hieghts.

I just wish they would do a test on real machines on real towers.


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi,
It looks like their average wind speed was about 3.8 m/s, or 8.5 mph.

Seems like like a pretty marginal speed to do a lot of testing at? 

A 12 mph average wind speed would give around (12/8.5)^3 = 2.8 times as much output?
At 12 mph rate, the best one (the Montana!!) would have given 7500 KWH per year -- enough for most people to be net zero?

Or, not?? (I don't know much about wind power -- would like to hear what the wind people think??)


Paul Gipe has published some results from his small turbine tests:
http://www.wind-works.org/wulf/index.html

Gary


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Did you see the note about the windspeed



> ...Even more interesting, the following article (also in Dutch, unfortunately) describes how a weather station of the Dutch meteorological service only 14 km off the test field did measure the expected wind speed of 6m/s.
> 
> http://www.olino.org/articles/2008/10/22/test-resultaten-kleine-windturbines
> 
> ...



I think the reason they picked the 12 they did is:

1. They are all advocates of short (30-45') towers. (at least the ones that I am familiar with)
2. They are all advocates of windmills in residentail/urban areas.

So they put them on the towers they recomend and they fall short of expectations. Imagine how bad it would be to put them next to tall buildings.


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## Mallow (Aug 4, 2006)

I think they should have included the Bergey XL.1 and also the Whisper 200 in the testing. Also with that low wind speed and short towers it really wouldn't have mattered. They would all perform horribly.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Wouldn't it be only fitting to test them how the manufacturers are recomending them to be installed?

I never seen where the bergey or whisper have been recommended to be installed on that short of a tower. So they weren't included.


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## damoc (Jul 14, 2007)

seems like a fairly honest and good assesment bigger is better.
average wind speed seemed fairly decent and better than where i am
.
all the towers were at the same height so it should have been a fairly
good comparison even if they were not to manufactures specs.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

That was a wasted 10 minutes reading that bullcrap.

yup 30 meter 'towers' are just ------ ------ ------ ----- ------ ------

Note to Ross; as you can see I deleted it all ready.


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Thanks


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## woodsy (Oct 13, 2008)

I am amazed at some of the locations these small wind turbines on short(30-40')poles are popping up around here, beside homes in forested and urban areas. They don't seem to spin much.....
Unscrupulous salesmen or unwitting homeowners ?


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

> Unscrupulous salesmen or unwitting homeowners ?


Both.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

The Bergeys on tall towers very popular in our desert.

Nice to see folks doing it right,they spin a lot,good winds there.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Yup . .A Good machine on a tall tower............

These back yard toys on clothes poles just don't work......

And they are a black eye to the wind industry.........

there ain't NO free lunch...............


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

In Wisconsin, if you are looking to get a "rebate" for installing a wind machine, you must have it on a tower over 60 feet in height, and usually higher. Also, they have a list of acceptable machines, that have proven themselves as actually working.


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