INTRODUCTION TO WIND GENERATION TECHNOLOGY

In a world of increasing energy costs, the idea of owning a wind generator is increasingly attractive as an alternative to paid energy. Of course, there is an initial outlay involved, but over time a wind generator saves a considerable amount of money, while harnessing the resources of the world around us.

The purpose of this article is to list of the main providers of wind generator energy, allowing you to be a more informed customer in finding a product for your electricity generation needs.

Bergey Windpower (http://www.bergey.com) – this U.S. based company has been building and selling wind generators for over 30 years. Their range varies from a small 1000w (1kW model) called the Bergey XL.1 to a much larger 10kW model, the Bergey Excel. Their prices range from just under $3,000 to just under $30,000 depending on your needs, and there may be essential accessories on top of that price depending on your situation. Their products can either be bought for self-installation (for the brave!) or through their network of dealers, who are aware of permits and installation issues.

Northwind Power (http://www.northswindpower.com) is another company with over three decades of experience, providing wind generators to a variety of industries, including farms, schools and small businesses. Northwind’s products are generally at the larger end of the market, for example the Northwind 100, which is rated at 100kW (as is the Northwind 100 Arctic variant). These larger wind generators are particularly suited to community projects rather than small individual projects, due to their greater cost (yet also of course greater energy production).

Swift Wind Turbine (http://www.swiftwindturbine.com) specializes in the smaller end of the market, with its chief product being a roof-mounted 1.5kW wind turbine which uses a special quiet mast in order to reduce vibration to the building to which it is attached. This wind generator is designed to become energy and carbon positive and four years, making it an ideal wind generator for relatively small installations which still need high output of power. The estimated install cost is about $10,000-$12,000 for a product which they estimate will provide about 20% of an average home’s electricity.

LNP Equipment (http://www.lnpequipment.com) makes a wider variety of smaller wind generators, many around the 300w-500w range. However, they do also make a 10kW and a 20kW model. These models are made in China and shipped from Shanghai, so prices may vary due to world market and currency fluctuations, but the 300w may be found for as little as $100 and the 20kW for about $10,000, although these prices are of course without installation and permits.

Southwest Windpower Co. (http://www.windenergy.com), formed in Arizona in 1987 sells a variety of models, from the AirX, rated at 400w to the Whisper 500, rated at 3kW. With a number of products in their range, they are particularly suitable for homes and small businesses, although they also have wind generator products designed for marine use. Southwest Windpower sells through their network of dealers, and from their website you can find the details of your local dealer.

WES Canada (http://www.windenergysolutions.ca) are unsurprisingly based in Canada, and provides a variety of wind generator solutions, ranging from 2.5kW to 250kW, built by WES Netherlands. The smaller model is perfect for a home or small business, while the medium (80kW) and larger model are particularly useful to small wind farms and clustered use as well as individual use. Although based in Canada, there are over twenty dealers spread throughout the United States to choose from, so there is likely to be one local enough to be able to meet your needs.

CONCLUSION

These dealers are only the tip of the iceberg in terms of wind generator availability, but they will give you an idea of the variety of wind generators that are available, and between them they will be able to meet your wind generator needs. I recommend that you check out How to Build a Wind Generator to understand how to setup wind generation systems on your own.