Minnesota is home to several small wind turbine manufacturers, including Jacobs, Ventera, and Talk Inc. (remanufactured turbines). We recently reached out to these companies and heard back from Blake Vermaat, a renewable energy technician with Next Generation Power Systems down in Pipestone, MN. Here are some of the details he provided.
Number of employees: Five
Turbines installed/testimonials: We have over 50 wind turbines installed in the Midwest—most in the region of Southwest Minnesota. Our customer Marty Espenson said, “It’s fun to see it running on a windy day knowing it’s supplying our energy needs.”
Turbine details: The NG 44 is a 35kW, two-bladed, upwind turbine with active full span pitch control, active yaw system, optimized airfoil for maximum energy production, three-phase 240 volt induction generator and a 90-foot lattice tower on standard installations. The NG 44 is the only turbine in its size class to incorporate an active full span pitch control. This is the same control principal which has enabled the successful operation of large commercial wind turbines. The controller of the NG 44 constantly monitors and adjusts the blade pitch to ensure the generator operates at its highest potential for the available wind condition. The NG 44 is designed with electrical and mechanical fail safe features, and remote data access through the internet is a standard feature on the NG 44. This enables the owner and Next Generation Power Systems service technicians to monitor the operation and maintenance requirements.
What should people consider when buying a turbine? When buying a wind turbine we advise taking your time and doing plenty of research. The purchase of a wind turbine can be a large investment and without the correct wind conditions and siting (placement of turbine), payback can take a very long time. Ask for a production guarantee and a product warranty. A power curve is a good source (if verified) to estimate production.
In other small wind news:
- The Sixth Annual National Small Wind Conference in Steven’s Point, WI was a big hit. Dan Thiede from CERTs was in attendance. Stay tuned for presentations from that event. Click here to read a recap of the conference from small wind expert and conference organizer, Mick Sagrillo.
- REDI Resources, the clean energy project builder website from Southwest Initiative Foundation, CERTs, Windustry, and The Minnesota Project, is expanding to small wind this summer! Check out the website at http://rediresources.org
- A new organization was just created to meet the needs of the small wind industry called the Distributed Wind Industry Association. The Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) is a collaborative group comprised of manufacturers, distributors, project developers, dealers, installers, and advocates, whose primary mission is to promote and foster all aspects of the American distributed wind energy industry.
