Turbotricity

One thing we wanted to avoid like the plague is selling turbines and then having to run around modifying twenty or thirty turbines. We had a few teething problems which, while not critical, needed to be resolves properly. In an earlier post we outlined the vibration issue. We now have a turbine head with two levels of vibration isolation which dramatically reduces the resonance in the tower, and we have beefed up the tower as well.

We have also used a beefed up generator. While the blades (which do all the work) are the same, and output will be much the same, we are using a generator rated at 3kw instead of 2.5kw, with an upper limit of 4.5kw for up to twenty minutes. On most installations, the output will peak at 3.6kw which is the rating of the inverter we are using.

The cowlings are all looking great. However, because the planning exemption only covers components with a matt finish, we have to dull them down a bit in the final version. Our moulding company had gone to great lengths to get a professional mirror finish. Pity….

We went to Bantry Show with our turbine last weekend. There was huge interest in the turbine, particularly amongst farmers interested in doing part of the installation themselves.

In the picture, you can see the finished version of our turbine, complete with its cowling, pinnacle wing etc. Although the resolution on the photo isn’t great, the board at the back shows, clockwise from top-left; Controller (built in Durrus, Co. Cork), Inverter, Resistive load, and wind interface. These components can be mounted inside the house, or if preferred in a custom-made box outside, under the eaves of the roof.