southwest windpower
southwest windpower southwest windpower' s whisper 200 (formerly called h80) 1000 watt wind generator is designed for areas with low to moderate wind speed averages (less than 12 mph). wind turbine
the small wind certification council (swcc) has issued its first two full certifications and consumer labels to the bergey windpower excel 10 and the southwest windpower skystream 3. 7 .
southwest windpower closed their doors for business on february 20, 2013. they were one of the largest manufacturers of small wind turbines in the united states .
xzeres corp. designer, manufacturer and marketer of small (2. 5 – 10kw) wind powered, distributed energy turbines and other renewable energy products, has acquired the assets of southwest windpower. the assets include southwest windpower’s award - winning skystream product line and next - generation skystream product designs, related ip portfolio, manufacturing assets, and inventory .
southwest windpower began designing and distributing small wind turbines in 1987 and was recognized as a leader in the small wind industry. they built and shipped more than 170, 000 wind turbines to over 120 countries worldwide and, at one point, were sold in more than 88 countries. besides the manufacturing center in flagstaff, arizona, southwest windpower has offices in colorado and germany. southwest windpower systems have been installed in homes, commercial properties, micro grids, remote cabins, telecom transmitters, offshore platforms, water pumping and sailboats .
southwest windpower abruptly closed their doors for business on february 20, 2013. the largest manufacturer of small wind turbines in the united states surprised employees, customers, dealers and competitors alike .
southwest windpower is the manufacturer of the skystream 3. 7, designed specifically for businesses and homes. more than 8000 skystreams have been installed around the world since its introduction in 2006 .
southwest windpower’s small wind turbines meet customer’s expectations and are proven within the industry, which established and worked together to write standards to protect its customers from false claims and misleading marketing. so what does certification mean for you ?
wind turbines manufactured by southwest wind power. swwp makes residential turbines like the air30, air40, air breeze and the whisper series turbines .
you can trust us. why? well, because southwest windpower has the most certified products in the industry. we want you to know we live up to every label, certification and compliance we affiliate our products to. no gimmicks here. we go the extra length to validate our claims. skeptical? don’t listen to us; listen to what others have to say .
the small wind certification council (swcc) issued its first two full certifications and consumer labels to the bergey windpower excel 10 and the southwest windpower skystream 3. 7. swcc expects to issue more full certifications in the coming months, as more incentive programs initiate certification requirements. sixteen of the remaining 27 turbine models under contract to pursue swcc certification have either started or completed testing. to be granted full swcc certification, turbines must meet the full requirements of the american wind energy association small wind turbine performance and safety standard and complete the swcc review process. for more information about turbines and certification requirements, visit the swcc website .
established in 1987, southwest windpower are one of the most respected wind generator manufacturers in the world. they produce the air x series and the whisper series of small wind generators. the air series of wind generators was first launched in 1994, and became a huge success due to it' s dramatic shape and excellent value - shipping over 100, 000 units worldwide. these wind generators are no longer available from www. solar - wind. co. uk. details kept for informational purposes .
you’re a smart shopper. you like a good deal for a quality product that you can invest in and trust for years to come, right? with tight budgets and tiring research, shopping can be just as frustrating as it can be fun. southwest windpower has tried to help that process become a bit easier for you through our extensive product certifications, which allow you to take comfort in your investment by eliminating out any question of product performance and safety, false marketing claims or bloated sale speak .
southwest wind power estimates that a skystream unit will produce about 100 000 kwh of power during its 20â'' year design life. ”divide, say, $ 9000 by 100 000 kilowatt­hours, and you end up with [ an average energy cost of ] 9 cents per kilowatthour, ” says andrew kruse, southwest wind power’s cofounder and vice president of business development. although, generally speaking, larger turbines are more efficient at turning the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy, skystream outperforms 50 - to 100 - kw machines in terms of average cost of energy. many still come in at 20 cents per kilowatthour or more—far above the doe target of 10 to 15 cents per kilowatthour .
in august, southwest wind power, a start - up located in flagstaff, ariz. , began selling a 1. 8 - kilowatt residential wind turbine dubbed skystream 3. 7 [ see photo, ”in my backyard” ]. the tiny power plant sells for us $ 5100; total cost including installation runs between $ 8500 and $ 11 000. by comparison, the installed cost of comparable small wind devices can eclipse $ 30 000 .
”there’s not a device that’s anywhere close to matching [ skystream’s ] target cost in the $ 8000 range, ” says dennis lin, a technical manager overseeing the program at the energy department. the device benefited greatly, he says, from the company’s having secured several million dollars in venture capital. this allowed southwest wind power to do two things that are luxuries most small wind - turbine makers cannot afford: spend a lot of time optimizing the turbine’s design before creating a prototype and create the molds and tools that are staples of high - volume manufacturing. the result, says lin, is that as the market takes off, skystream’s price will likely fall .
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altaeros energies employs aerospace technologies to lift a small wind turbine to 1, 000 feet off the ground where the wind is stronger. the power produced by the airborne wind turbine (awt) is sent to the ground via conductors with the unit tethered to the earth .
the mit -, harvard -, and air force - trained team at altaeros just completed a test of a power - producing prototype which actually works, and lifted a wind turbine 350 feet off the ground to generate double the power at high altitude than at typical tower height. the test in the video was completely automated, according to co - founder, adam rein - - unpiloted and able to
lift, generate, and land without any active controls .
these tests took place in the middle of winter in northern maine .
the air force still uses tethered helium inflatable technology - - called aerostats, the industrial cousins of blimps - - on project construction. so, the inflatable technology is not entirely new .
rein notes that the company uses an
off - the - shelf
2. 5 - kilowatt, 3. 7 - meter, 3 - blade wind turbine merged with helium inflatables that have lifted radar systems for decades. the unit is rated to go to about 1, 000 feet in the boundary layer. the tallest terrestrial wind turbine is 350 feet high .
altaeros looks to deploy the units in off - grid and hard to reach spots such as military bases, remote villages, oil and gas sites, eventually even off - shore applications. power in those areas is typically diesel gensets with an expensive price tag of getting the diesel delivered and a total cost of $ 0. 50 to $ 0. 75 per kilowatt - hour. altaeros claims it cost will be
a third of that .
lending itself to these remote sites, the unit awt is
really easy and cheap to set up ,
according to rein, and
the whole system packs down to smaller than a compact car .
regulatory bodies and the powers that be are beginning to recognize the existence of this new technology. the faa has put out draft regulations for high - altitude tethered wind turbines. rein claims the awt design can overcome some of the challenges of traditional types wind turbines - - making them quieter with less bird and radar impacts. garrad hassan, a leading wind consultancy, has taken a look at the technology as well .
however, technical, regulatory, financing, and environmental risks remain for this alluring technology .
altaeros is funded by private seed investors, the usda, and the cec. other players in this field include makani power, skywind power, magenn, ampyx, kitegen - - also exploring this part of the atmosphere .
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customers report sending in large payments for orders just one week before the closure, and employees at the flagstaff manufacturing facility reportedly were told to leave quickly, without notice, immediately prior to the closing .
dealers selling and installing the skystream 3. 7 were also left hanging. carlos fernandez, co - founder of potomac wind energy in dickerson, maryland describes what other dealers have experienced: no notice, no information, and no access to turbines or replacement parts. he expressed bewilderment over how a top - notch turbine with significant investment from ge could close without even forwarding phone calls to a bankruptcy lawyer .
without more information, it is impossible to be sure of the reason for the closure. certainly, the u. s. small wind market has weakened in the last few years. it is a fact that government policies and incentives have been inconsistent, undermining the value of the programs designated to help grow the renewables market. at the same time, many customers for small wind turbines are overseas and these markets are enjoying some solid growth. some have speculated that, with more customers overseas and manufacturing costs lower in those same countries, manufacturers have difficulty justifying the costs of staying in the u. s .
phone calls to mike sobolik, the chief financial officer, and michael french, media relations contact, were not returned and email messages bounced back, undelivered .
the small wind certification council certified the skysteam 3. 7 in january 2012. according to larry sherwood, executive director of swcc, “turbine certification is valid so long as the certification renewal conditions listed in the swcc small wind turbine certification policy are met. certification must be renewed annually. if ownership of the turbine design changes, a new certification agreement must be signed by the new owner to maintain the validity of the certification. ”
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think wind power and you probably imagine multimegawatt - scale wind farms featuring gigantic turbines ­producing power for a few thousand homes. but a handful of companies in the united states would prefer to have each home powered by its own wind turbine .
for years, residential wind power has been a niche ­business, mainly because the turbines designed for this market cost more than many consumers were willing to spend and the units were not efficient enough to match the cost of power from the grid. but now, one company has managed to break the cost barrier with an ­affordable turbine that matches the ­efficiency of commercial wind farm turbines and ­produces power at grid prices .
while the skystream turbine is not meant to wean you from the grid completely, it can trim home electricity bills by 20 to 90 percent, depending on wind velocities, electricity prices, and government incentives in your area .
skystream is the first device to be spun out of the u. s. department of energy’s wind energy program. the program offers small - turbine makers technical assistance and the use of such facilities as the national renewable energy laboratory wind technology center, in boulder, colo. , to help them reduce the life - cycle cost of energy generated by small wind - power systems .
skystream’s designers focused on making the device a self - contained appliance, like a toaster or a tv set. components usually installed at the base of a tower or indoors are squeezed into skystream’s nacelle (the housing behind the rotors). this saves the company a lot of extra costs in ancillary products, such as wiring and cases, and makes installation simpler. and the development of a new curved shape for the turbine’s airfoil blades has improved its efficiency, allowing it to get the most out of whatever wind is present .
”historically, small wind rotors have been 30 to 35 percent efficient, ” says kruse. ”skystream comes in at around 41 percent, which is close to the efficiencies achieved by large wind turbines putting out megawatts. ” the theoretical maximum rate of conversion for airfoils is 59. 3 percent .
the sales potential of skystream is promising, says the company. ”according to the u. s. census bureau, there are 17 million homes in america that we believe are appropriate for a small wind system, ” says kruse. that number represents the households on a piece of property of a half acre or more in an area that has an average wind speed of 5. 4 meters per second or greater .
although it’s just a blip in the more than 10 gigawatts of wind power generated in the united states today, residential wind power has been on the rise, according to the american wind energy association. the washington, d. c. , trade group estimates that u. s. sales of small wind systems jumped 62 percent to $ 17 ­million last year. the association predicts that sales will remain brisk as long as energy prices continue to rise and state and local governments keep small wind - power subsidies in place—incentives that can, depending on where you live, cut the total installed cost of a wind turbine by more than half .
despite the breezy outlook, industry heavyweights—those producing megawatt - class wind turbines—are not necessarily looking to compete in the under - 100 - kw class. for example, a spokesman at general electric’s renewables subsidiary says that the company will focus on the utility market for the foreseeable future .
”tremendous demand for its 1. 5 - megawatt turbines and a federal production tax credit for makers of large turbines make utility - scale wind a good business to be in right now for ge, ” says the doe’s lin. legislation creating a similar tax credit for residential turbines has been proposed in congress, but it is not yet law .
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in an effort to harness strong high - altitude winds, the company altaeros energies has developed a floating wind turbine that’s a cross between a traditional windmill and a blimp. after some successful tests, the altaeros team is confident that this new levitating wind turbine will be a viable clean energy option for remote villages and military sites .
the design of the altaeros’ airborne wind turbine is pretty simple. an inflatable, helium - filled shell lifts it off the ground to high altitudes, where winds are much stronger than at ground level. the airborne turbines are held steady by strong tethers, which send electricity generated by the turbine back down to the ground .
“for decades, wind turbines have required cranes and huge towers to lift a few hundred feet off the ground where winds can be slow and gusty, ” said airborne wind turbine inventor ben glass in a release. at higher altitudes, not only are winds more than five times stronger, but they’re also more consistent .
altaeros energies was founded in 2010 by mit and harvard alums. earlier this year, the team completed testing of a 35 - foot scale prototype of the airborne wind turbine in limestone, maine. there, the floating turbine climbed to 350 feet off the ground, generated power, and landed in an automated cycle. according to a press release, the prototype produced more than twice as much power at high altitude than generated at conventional tower height .
there are of course other benefits to having a wind turbine that floats high above the ground. for one, it produces very little noise, and it requires little maintenance (and what maintenance it does require can be done at ground level). additionally, the inflatable shroud covering the wind turbine blocks the spinning blades from being visible to nearby communities .
this is a good idea. now you' ve eliminated the steel pole and all it takes is the neoprene balloon shroud, the generator motor and blade assembly. there can be no reason why they can' t dedicate some large factory somewhere to stamp out millions of these in a year. hall them out to sea, anchor them to small barges in vast arrays. now and today! .. run the electricity back to shore with ocean bottom cables. how really difficult is that as a project compared to the immense construction feats the human race has performed to date. and now you can start counting and wondering from the time i write this until the time you die why you never saw anything more about it until you come back to this link and see this same story hidden on this little web page, unchanged year after year. where can we buy these assembled or in parts? i' m going to have to start doing this myself. i' m sick of reading about it out here year after year .
@ wolf: there are two reasons that there are not solar panels on this one. first, it is a prototype, so they just want to test the turbine part by itself. second, solar panels weigh a good bit. it would require a larger gas bag to hold them up which would lead to extra expense and complications. furthermore, these will not be flying high enough to get them above the clouds, so there is no real advantage to placing panels on them, rather than on the ground below them, if they are in a good area for solar power. as to batteries, if they are tied into the grid, there would not be a battery. if they are being used in a remote area for emergency power, they' d certainly be on the ground there as well .
seems half thought out to me. why not collect solar energy at the same time with the new flexible solar panels. i hope the battery is on the ground .
don' t know much about it but i think we can live with it if they make them good - looking and not an eyesore. : p
@ lodhz: the threat to aircraft isn' t so much to bump into the blimp as to get entangled with its tethers. no wonder this system originates from the state - owned mit, knowing that the us government is seeking by all means to obstruct the forthcoming boom of general aviation likely to be triggered by the recent record performances of electric aircraft - - as witnessed by the latest attempt by president obama to curb airborne individual freedom of movement with a $ 100 tax for each flight of ga aircraft !
@ egalitare thanks. wouldn' t this then be an obstruction in the airspace for low flying aircraft? the area has to be a designated one and the potential hazard of an aircraft flying into one of these is something to consider. nevertheless, i like the concept of harnessing high altitude wind power .
@ audigaudi: we are running out as the government sells off its stockpiles at ridiculously low prices. for this project, though, hydrogen would work just fine. even leaving aside our overblown, hindenburg - induced fears, there' s no reason that an unmanned balloon like this couldn' t be sent up with it. i can' t speak to efficiency numbers, but from a kiss standpoint, i like this better than other designs out there which use the entire gas envelope as a rotor. this would likely use more off - the - shelf components and have less stress on the gasbag and thus less wear and leakage than a moving one. frankly, i think this would look pretty cool, rather than be an eyesore, but to each his own .
i love this idea... but aren' t we almost out of helium ?
for military site, also consider the inclusion of istar (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance) systems .
the shroud might hide the blades... but nearby communities can still the shroud. there' s still an eyesore to be dealt with. but imagine that these things are moved, say every 6 months, so that communities have some free time with uncluttered airspace. much easier than with conventional static wind turbines .
the altitude at which the lower boundary of virtually constant wind flow varies by location. in some places it' s as low as 600 feet, but when i' ve read about other variations on airborne wind designs and prototypes, i' ve seen them planned and designed for above 1500 feet .
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designed for homes and businesses, the skystream 3. 7 paved the way as the first compact, all - inclusive personal wind generator (with controls and inverter built in) designed to work in very low winds. it produces up to 400 kilowatt hours of clean electricity per month * and comes complete with skyview ™ monitoring software, so you can track skystream’s performance right from your computer. what' s more is that skystream amonst the most highly tested and certified wind turbines in history .
move your mouse over the diagram to see the unique features of the skystream 3. 7 .
we can tell you a plethora of positive information about our products, but when push comes to shove, you’ll want proof from other individuals or organizations, not just something straight from the horse’s mouth. third - party certification involves an independent assessment, which declares specific requirements that pertain to our wind turbines .
third - party certification ensures that our products are of the highest performance, safety and reliability and in many cases makes our systems eligible for generous government incentive programs that benefit our customers. the importance of every certification and compliance is that the industry is dedicated to giving our customers what they expect with the products they choose to incorporate into their lives .
truth be told, certification and compliance is some pretty complicated stuff. rather than stewing over the semantics and endless explanations, we’ve boiled it down for you to focus in on what you really need to know about the meat of each certification or compliance .
check out our product support pages for our skystream 3. 7, air and whisper product lines to read and download their individual certifications :
“the full certification of two turbine models is a major leap forward in establishing consistent consumer ratings and aiding incentive programs with determining eligibility, ” noted swcc executive director larry sherwood. “our labels allow easier comparison shopping and will help small wind turbines gain mainstream acceptance. ”
swcc expects to issue more full certifications in the coming months, as more incentive programs initiate certification requirements. sixteen of the remaining 27 turbine models under contract to pursue swcc certification have either started or completed testing. three turbine models have been granted conditional temporary certification based on certification from the uk’s microgeneration certification scheme (mcs). to be granted full swcc certification, conditional temporary certified turbines must meet the full requirements of the american wind energy association (awea) small wind turbine performance and safety standard and complete the swcc review process. download the full press release .
primus wants to thank our air customers for 25 - years of loyalty. repair, upgrade or get a new turbine with discounted pricing. learn more about this amazing new program .
air turbines can be utilized in nearly any off grid system. learn more about the air 30, air 40, air breeze and air x marine turbine products and find out which turbine is the best for your wind power needs. start here .
already own an air wind turbine and need to contact us for technical support? 303. 242. 5820. start here .
wind speeds are highest during the winter months when solar resources are at their minimum .
reliability: 5 - year warranty with over 150, 000 units installed globally since 1995 .
ease of installation: air is wired directly to battery bank, independent of pv controller and wiring .
nrel is a national laboratory of the u. s. department of energy, office of energy efficiency and renewable energy, operated by the alliance for sustainable energy, llc .
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southwest windpower ( swwp ) is a wind turbine manufacturer established in 1987 based in flagstaff , arizona , united states . the company specializes in small , reliable battery charging wind generators that complement photovoltaics ( solar energy or pv ) in supplying energy to rural areas . southwest windpower closed for business in the first quarter of 2013 . the remaining skystream assets were acquired by xzeres wind in july 2013 . xzeres ceo frank greco had been the ceo of southwest windpower . 
southwest windpower (swwp) is a wind turbine manufacturer established in 1987 based in flagstaff, arizona, united states. the company specializes in small, reliable battery charging wind generators that complement photovoltaics (solar energy or pv) in supplying energy to rural areas. southwest windpower closed for business in the first quarter of 2013. the remaining skystream assets were acquired by xzeres wind in july 2013. xzeres ceo frank greco had been the ceo of southwest windpower.
southwest windpower (swwp) is a wind turbine manufacturer established in 1987 based in flagstaff, arizona, united states. the company specializes in small, reliable battery charging wind generators that complement photovoltaics (solar energy or pv) in supplying energy to rural areas. southwest windpower closed for business in the first quarter of 2013. the remaining skystream assets were acquired by xzeres wind in july 2013. xzeres ceo frank greco had been the ceo of southwest windpower.