Small Wind: Buyer Beware!

Small wind solutions are increasingly becoming financially viable thanks to local and federal incentives, and from a technical perspective the quality factor is improving. The historically negative aspect about installing a small wind solution was that it would take an extraordinarily long period of time to pay back associative costs; if ever during the expected life span of the wind turbine generator.

From my vantage point ‘quality’ and ‘pricing’ in small wind are among the largest concerns. However, of greater concern is that there seems to be a growing abundance of misleading, if not deceptive advertising and false or unrealistic claims by many manufacturers. These take the form of claiming higher energy output, faster payback periods (using higher than what can normally be expected wind speeds in their energy calculations), and other types of unethical claims and behaviors.

But help is on the way, manufacturers of small wind turbines that form the legitimate face of the small wind industry are in the process of creating accountability within their segment of the industry. In addition to industry events, we are seeing the advent of the Small Wind Certification Council. We may soon see a certification process that will eliminate the industry’s seedier side. New small wind turbine generators are rapidly emerging from individual’s garages to manufacturers in both newer vertical and the more traditional horizontal models.

Vertical wind technology remains in its infancy and energy power output claims by manufacturers are almost always overstated…sometimes grossly overstated (the same applies for many horizontal wind turbine generators on the market). In my view, only one vertical wind turbine generator (VWTG) manufacturer is really trying to get it right (I applaud Mariah Power) by subjecting its product to the testing rigors of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). After NREL suspended testing for mechanical failure, Mariah Power continues to try and ‘get it right’ through modifications and through an independent testing regime. As of today WECC does not recommend any vertical wind turbine generator to our clients.

Note: Relative to the topic of VWTGs, Mick Sagrillo offers a strongly worded and germane Open Letter to Vertical Wind Access Turbine Manufacturers – worth the read!

We must recognize that in the current environment in most cases the manufacturer claims of power production, payback, power curve, size of generator vs. actual power output, and conditions of internal testing are solely the manufacturer’s, and the consumer must be able to trust that information that is presented to them is indeed reliable. In my view, to determine legitimacy any small turbine as a viable small wind solution, the manufacturer must subject their machine to the rigors of independent testing until such time that the Small Wind Certification Council has codified its processes and independent testing/reporting becomes an industry standard. Using the power curve and energy output data from an entity with no connection to the manufacturer adds strength and proves the manufacturer’s assertions. Up until now in most cases, we only have the manufacturer’s data in order to complete a cost/benefit analysis before purchasing a small wind turbine generator.

A sad fact is that in the past year many, many inventors and manufacturers are emerging in the ‘small wind’ space and the ‘checks and balances’ are not yet in place to protect the burgeoning small wind industry from itself. Until the Small Wind Certification Council gains some ‘legs and teeth’ and the legitimate small wind manufacturers gain momentum in policing the industry, we can expect continued consumer confusion and in some cases, unchecked deceptive practices. The long and short of this is Small Wind: Buyer Beware!

Article written by Wayne Hildreth
Email Wayne at hildreth@frombeginningtowind.com
Visit Wind Energy Consulting and Contracting Inc.