Why are there three blades on a windmill?

Well some of you know that I was in Norman, Ok for training of the Bergey wind turbine. But I am now back and it was worth the trip to their company.

There was a lot of discussions about all the various types of turbines available on the market. Everything from vertical turbines right on up to the different turbines with one blade on up to the old fashion Aeromotors.

So because of these discussions that we had I am losing one of the turbines that I have in my line up. Let me go into more detail about why I am not going to use this particular turbine and various others.

I am going to start with the vertical axis type first, like the Windspire for example. Bergey actually tried to make this type of turbine work back in the 70's and was unsuccessful because they could not get the rpm's needed to generate power. But what they did find out that they could get torque which works great for pumping water, not good for electricity making. Also the blades are in a constant battle with each other in the wind never achieving the rpm's needed without a lot of wind speed.

Next is the one bladed machines. Which they are technically what you need to make a wind turbine generate a lot of power. But they are so lop sided that there is to much to go wrong. The other thing is you need a lot of wind to get it started. But once that happens it spins very fast and that's where things go wrong.

Two bladed machines are the next better choice. Again they are plagued with their technical problems. The problem with them is the blades get teetering back and forth causing alot of strain on the blades and the hub bearing. As the blade passes the tower it causes the blade to unload the wind blowing against it. Because the wind has to move around the tower. So the bottom has less force and the top blade has all the wind's force causing this teetering effect on the blades.

Three bladed is what turbine manufactures use because it is reliable and it helps get rid of some the other issues that other turbines with other blade configurations have. It is easier to balance the load on the hub with three blades. Like the two bladed turbines the three bladed turbines can counter act the teetering effect much better. Because there are always two blades in the wind. With the turbine being horizontal all the blades are in the wind at any given time not like the verticals which are not.

Now on to the reasoning of why I have decided to drop one of the turbines that I currently have. It's because it is a multi-bladed turbine. Since it has more then three blades the turbine will actually slow down, producing less power but more torque. Just like the Aeromotors in the old pictures of farms with windmills that you see with a lot of blades. Those turbines were designed for more torque in less winds to pump water out of the ground. Not for speed to generate electricity like we are today with the new wind turbines.

You may say just because I went to Bergey and they talked about these different blade styles. How are they correct? Well here is my take on that, they have been around thirty years and they are one of the very few left from the energy crisis back in the 70's. So to me that gives them a lot of credibility in my eyes. There are a lot of companies today that are trying to get rich quick and I'm not one of them. I believe you get what you pay for.

My mission is, "To seek out the best turbine, producing the most power, that can be reliable, and at is most reasonably price possible."

Stop back in the next few days and I will have more to say about my trip to Norman, OK and the Bergey product. I will also be talking about the turbine that is replacing the Skystream and Raum wind turbine too.

What are you waiting for?

I get asked the same question a lot. Are turbines ever going to get any cheaper? And my answer is .... NO!!!

Since I have started doing this now for a couple of years Southwest Windpower has increased their turbine price three times.

Today I received an mail from Hummer stating at the first of the year their price were going up too.

It is not just the turbines themselves that keep rising it is the cost of installing the things too.

Wire alone in the past month has gone up 30% since earlier this Summer. My builder informed me that concrete has risen to $100 a yard, up $25 from a year ago. Also the towers the turbine go on keeps rising because of the cost of steel cost and the cost of shipping it here is more because fuel keeps inching back up.

I keep reading and seeing that the cost oil keeps going up, if that happens this stuff will continue to rise, quickly.

My advice to you is call NOW!!!, while it is still affordable. I can get a person in a Raum 3.5Kw unit for around $19k INSTALLED. If you need financing we can get that for you too. I have some banks giving out some good rates for people with good credit.

Don't wait by then it maybe to late.

Also do not forget to stop my new online store . I am running a special on the Smart Strip for your computer or entertainment center. You can SAVE $$$ money with one of these strips by reducing how much electricity these items use just by setting idle in the standby mode. If you sign-up for my newsletter by Dec 24th, you will receive a code good for $3.00 off each strip you buy.

Raum Wind Turbine

Raum Wind Turbine

I know my blog entry yesterday is very similar This goes into more detail about the Raum turbine.

I just got back from the AWEA Wind Show in Detroit. I meet with my distributor that was there whom I had never meet in person. They were the voices on the phone so that was great to finally see them face to face.

But they are now carrying this wind turbine from Raum Energy of Canada.

The turbine is a 3.5 kw unit.
The turbine has 5 blades instead of 3. This allows the turbine it start producing power at low speeds, which we need it to do here in Michigan.
It is a down wind system, which means the blades are pointing the opposite way the wind is blowing.
The inverter is networkable and it has a display that shows what the turbine is doing at that moment too. So if you have an internet connection the turbine will be able to connect to the Raum website and you will be able to see the data in real time through a web browser. Which it will be great for dealer to what the trubines are doing.
Currently the manufacture has a 49’ tower only. But I have other sizes available to me already from a pole manufacture that I currently work with.

A unit installed is about the same price as a Skystream 2.4 kw on a 60’ tower.

Here is link to Raum Energy website: http://www.raumenergy.com/ and here is where you can find the complete specification sheet too. http://www.raumenergy.com/turbine3kw.html

We now offer financing too. So if you are looking to do a project like this but have been putting it off. Now you do not have to wait. So call today and let get start on your turbine right away.

AWEA Wind Show

I made it to Detriot to the wind show. I will try and do updates as I go along for the next few hours. The show does not start until 4pm and runs unitl 7pm. You can follow me on Twitter too. Www.Twitter.com/jdselectric

Well my big plan was to Twitter today while at the show, but that did not seem to work that well. I really have nothing to say but I was a little disappointed in it. There were no wind turbines there that made me say wow. Except one that my distributor is carrying now. It is called the Raum, it is made in Canada and it is now available for purchase. It is a 3.5kw unit and a downwind system. It is about the same cost as the Skystream. The unit has 5 blades instead of 3 like most turbines do. But that is an advantage because it starts producing power at a lower speed. Here in Michigan that is a good thing. If you would like to know more about this wind turbine give me a call and lets see if one is right for you.


-- Posted from my iPhone

Wind Turbines that I currently offer to customers

Skystream 3.7- Which is a 2.4 kw turbine which is grid connected and is a downwind system. It comes in tower heights 33', 45', and 60' tall. Other heights are available with permission from Southwest Windpower.

Raum 3.5- Which is a 3.5 kw turbine which is grid connected and is 5 blade downwind system. It comes in tower heights 40', 60', 80', 100' and 120' tall.

Hummer- Which comes in several sizes 500, 1kw, 2kw, 3kw, 5kw, 10kw, and 20kw turbines which are all grid connected and are upwind systems. But the thing about the Hummer is computer driven into the wind, not pushed into the wind. A computer samples the wind direction and speed and is always turning the turbine into best spot in the wind. 2kw and under are on 60' tower and everything lager then that start at 60', 80', 100, and 120'.

Bergey- Which is a 10kw turbine which is grid connected and is an upwind system. It comes in tower heights 60', 80', 100' and 120' tall.

I have much larger wind turbines if a farm or small business would need something larger. I have a 40kw and 100kw unit if I need something that large.

So if you are looking for a wind turbine system then is what I am currently offering as far brands. So give me a call today and lets see if your property is right for one of these turbines today. (231) 715-1170