New for 2011!

The Honeywell wind turbine is an excellent solution for residential and commercial wind power generation.  With a ground breaking design cut-in speed has been dramatically reduced to as low as 2mph!  This light weight turbine offers a multitude of mounting options making it a perfect solution for metro areas that have low average wind speeds and neighborhoods with limited space for a traditional pole mount.  Denver Solar and Wind is proud to support Honeywell during product launch early this year.

Honeywell Turbine Documentation

• Honeywell Product Catalog
• Wind turbine FAQ
• Wind Turbine Product Presentaion

The Skystream 3.7 is "a fully integrated, utility-connected wind generator designed specifically for homes and small businesses".  The following table shows the Skystream's product details:

 

Certification	UL Certificate of Compliance
Rated Capacity	2.4 kW
Rotor	12 feet (3.72 m); 50-330 RPM
Interconnection	Utility connected or battery charging
Alternator	Gearless, permanent magnet brushless
Voltage Output	240 VAC (Volts Alternating Current)
Est. Energy Production	400 kWh per month at 12 MPH (5.4 m/s)
Weight	170 pounds (77 kg)
Tower	Towers from 34-70 feet are available; height is dependent by site

 

Location is the single most important factor in determining the efficiency of a wind turbine.  Most turbines need a wind speed of 8mph to get started, and the SkyStream 3.7 doesn't reach rated capacity until 29mph.  In short, your location must be very windy and the tower must raise the turbine high enough to clear any obstructions. 

As you can see the Denver metro area is in a pocket of typically gentle wind speeds.  This is true for most urban areas, humans prefer to live in places that are not dominated by strong gusts of wind.  Another problem with wind power generation in the city is obstacles such as high buildings, or rows of multi story homes. 

To the east and west of the Denver metro area is pockets of very high wind areas.  In the foothills along the Rocky Mountains it is common to see sustained periods of high wind, and even on calm days a noticeable breeze can be felt.  Towards the east flat terrain allows wind to flow freely.  These expanses can be perfectly suited to wind power generation.

One issue facing the Denver area wind installer is the soil composition in the Rockies.  Decomposed granite dominates the region.  This somewhat loose soil is very difficult to work with, and can increase costs.  An important part of a wind turbine is the foundation on which it is mounted.  Steel reinforced concrete is required to keep the turbine in place during violent gusts of wind.  Digging in decomposed granite is very hard on equipment, and sometimes large dense rock can be encountered making the foundation location unusable.  Part of our job at Denver Solar and Wind is to properly engineer a foundation design that works well with the soil composition of your property.  This keeps installation costs at a minimum and ensures years of worry free power generation.