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WEPower Eco Wind Turbine installed at Crain Memorial Welcome Center

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A new vertical axis wind turbine has been installed in Southern Maryland. The VAWT, installed by All In Energy, partnered with WEPOWER Eco, has a 12 kW installed capacity.

crain center wind turbine

The turbine stands tall outside of the Crain Memorial Welcome Center in Newburg.  Officials, community members and students were on site Feb 26th for the official ribbon cutting ceremony.

A long time coming, the turbine faced stiff opposition from local goverment. Due to the persistence of Charles County commissioner  Ken Robinson, and the help of the Maryland Energy Administration and the Maryland Clean Energy Center, the VAWT plan was finally realized.

This WEPower turbine is capable of producing 105 kW hours of energy a year, with 29 mph winds.

To see this vertical wind turbine yourself, visit the Crain Welcome Center in Maryland. It’s highly visible to travelers coming up route 301 from Virginia.

12480 Crain Hwy, Newburg, MD

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Is Cleanfield Energy in trouble?

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It appears that Cleanfield Energy, a Canadian vertical wind turbine manufacturer is running into difficulty. They have triggered an event of default, which basically means the bank is coming after them for money.

According to the news release, Cleanfield’s board voted to either wind-up or liquidate the company.

“Furthermore, because of Cleanfield’s lack of positive cash flows, its inability to secure additional working capital and weakened demand for the Company’s products, the Company is unable to properly operate.”

It’s unfortunate to see another VAWT manufacturer’s operations stop turning, after the well-known failure of Helix Wind several years ago. The energy business is cutthroat and if there’s no customers, there’s no money. Perhaps another wind turbine manufacturer will step in and buy the technology.

Here’s a look at one of Cleanfield’s installations at Durham College in Ontario, Canada:

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGfZ9ETsHSA’]

 

Clean Green Energy LLC Moves Forward

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Clean Green Energy LLC is a renewable energy company based in Michigan that has developed a vertical axis wind turbine, the Winde20. CGE has just received financing to continue this development of the Winde20 VAWT and begin installations in 2013.

CGE intends to use this money to finance Purchase Power Agreements (PPA) for their wind turbine customers. A purchase power agreement allows the customer to avoid the capital costs of installation by signing up to a long-term agreement on fixed-rate energy pricing. PPA’s have been common in the solar industry, but are a relatively new concept in the wind power sector.

CGE winde20The Winde20 vertical axis wind turbine stands 105 ft tall and provides 65 kW of power. Designed for an urban environment, the CGE VAWT is well suited for businesses, schools and government buildings. One interesting aspect of the Winde20 is that the blades can fold up in high wind conditions to reduce damage to the turbine.

The Winde20 is just part of Clean Green Energy’s power solutions. CGE also installs solar PV systems, as well as energy efficient lighting upgrades.

Urban Green Energy Partners with Pfister

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In the news today, Urban Green Energy has partnered with Pfister Energy, a provider of renewable energy solutions. As a distributor and renewable energy integrator, Pfister will now have access to Urban Green Energy’s line of small vertical axis wind turbines.

Pfister Energy

The small VAWTs designed by UGE fit nicely in Pfister’s line-up of energy products, as their strength is in “stackable solutions” that combine wind with other renewable energy sources such as solar.

“These smaller wind turbines represent a bright spot in the renewable energy sector, opening wind up to a whole new range of customers,” said Wayne Pfisterer president of Pfister Energy. “This partnership adds a new dimension to our business and enhances the energy solutions we offer our customers.”

Pfister is based in Hawthorne, NJ and will be working with UGE in New Jersey, New Hampshire, Florida and Maryland.

Ski Resort Sees Wind Power Advantage

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Many businesses all over the world have taken advantage of the environmental and money saving features of vertical axis wind turbines. The problem some businesses face when checking into a possible installation is the lack of room or a lack of wind.

There’s one kind of business that has no shortage of wind, however, and for which wind turbine installation is the perfect solution . . .  ski resorts! Located atop high mountains with plenty of cold, gusty winds, a ski resort is the perfect place for a wind turbine installation.

Park City Mountain Resort recently made the news when they installed a Falcon 12kW vertical axis wind turbine developed by WePowerEco. They installed the turbine at the top of the Silverlode chairlift, an area that receives plenty of wind. The turbine, along with a solar panel, generates 30,000 kW hours of electricity per year. This is enough to power approximately three average homes in America.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk44VFBz–8′]

An informational kiosk was installed to allow public spectators to view the power being generated in a real-time setting. Brent Giles, Chief Sustainability Officer of Powdr Corp (Park City’s parent company) says,

“Our goal is for our guests to see a turbine and solar array installation up close and hopefully encourage them to install wind or solar at their home or business. We live, work and recreate in a mountain setting and we want to continue this lifestyle for years to come. Therefore we have adopted a policy to reduce emissions generated by our operations.”

Falcon 12kW similar to the one installed on Park City Mountain:

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBvBuv90Wsk’]

 

Giles also said that large scale renewable installations are not an option at the ski resort, which purchases wind power renewable energy credits which offset 100% of their power usage- usage that averages 14 million kWhs per year.

Lexington Farms wind turbines

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Have you ever seen an entire community of wind turbines? Lexington Farms Subdivision in Jerseyville, Illinois is exactly that. This community is totally energy self sufficient due to a combination of wind turbines and solar panels installed on every house.

The Illinois Housing Development Authority spent over $1.6 million to build the housing development, which is designated for lower income earners (below $41,000 annually). Each of the 32 single-family dwellings sports a Urban Green Energy vertical axis wind turbine and a set of solar panels. Even the street lights are powered by smaller, conventional wind turbines. Each hybrid system can produce up to 8.3 kW of energy, enough to take a large chunk out of the renters’ electricity bills.

lexington farms wind turbines

Each Urban Green Energy VAWT is an eddyGT, a 1kW wind turbine, standing about 9 ft tall. These turbines are rated for speeds of 26 mph, but turn in wind speeds as low as 8 mph. Imagine driving into a neighbourhood and seeing 32 wind turbines rotating above each house! Perhaps in a few years it won’t be such a rare sight, especially if municipal governments loosen their bylaw restrictions.

In the video below, the neighbourhood residents are interviewed and answer questions on the performance of the wind turbines. Most of them have seen reductions of $50 to $100 a month on their utility bills, with one guy even claiming a negative bill. This could happen if your turbine provides more power than you need and the excess energy gets fed back into the grid.

Click here for more information about Urban Green Energy.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nWeVeiBmj0′]

Fort Lauderdale Hilton Wind Turbine Installation

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The Hilton hotel group announced earlier this year that six wind turbines would be installed on the roof of the Fort Lauderdale Hilton. Of course, this wouldn’t be too exciting, except for the fact that they will be vertical axis wind turbines!

The wind turbines will be provided by Urban Green Energy. Each UGE-4K wind turbine will provide 4kW of energy. The height of the Hilton Fort Lauderdale lends itself to wind turbines, since standard commercial wind power is not typically economical in the flat landscape of Florida. The ascetically pleasing design of the UGE vertical axis wind turbines will mesh well with the high end luxury of the Hilton hotel chain.

Hilton UGE wind turbine plan

The six vertical axis wind turbines will be combined with a solar panel installation to create a hybrid generating station. The energy generated will be the equivalent of powering over 2500 lights in the hotel. Additionally, the hotel plans to build a small restaurant and lounge, nestled on the roof between the solar panels and wind turbines, creating an ecological oasis 200 ft above the beach.

Since opening in 2007, the Fort Lauderdale Hilton has made saving energy a priority. The hotel’s Green Team has overseen many energy reduction initiatives including recycling programs, automatic flush toilets and high efficieny lighting and batteries. The new wind turbines are the next big initiative for the hotel.

For a video of an Urban Green Energy 4kW vertical axis wind turbine in action, click here. 

 

Interstate Asphalt Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

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For several years now, the skies above Fort Lauderdale, Florida have been decorated with the spinning of a vertical axis wind turbine. Specifically, above the Interstate Asphalt building on SE 17th St.

The Urban Green Energy vertical axis wind turbine is a unique sight to behold in the industrial block of buildings. Installed in May 2011, the 4kW wind turbine was the result of a research project by Tufts University in Boston, MA. When winds are blowing at 20 mph, the wind turbine can power 100 40 Watt light bulbs (i.e. 4000 Watt generating capability).

Interstate Asphalt UGE Wind Turbine

Florida typically is not a prime real estate for wind power due to generally lower wind speeds and flat terrain, but the Urban Green Energy wind turbine can provide power at winds as low as 7 mph.

You can see the wind turbine installation yourself by checking out the Interstae Asphalt building at 1041 SE 17th St in Fort Lauderdale.

Click here for a video of another 4kW UGE turbine installation in Fort Lauderdale.

Interstate Asphalt newspaper clipping

 

 

 

Urban Green Energy wind turbine in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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Here’s a video showing one of Urban Green Energy’s vertical axis wind turbines operating in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It looks incredibly surreal, with the blades turning hypnotically under the calm Florida skies.

The installation was done by Automated Life, Inc. based out of Boca Raton, Florida. Automated Life started as a home automation company, but has ventured into renewable energy. This installation appears to be a demo unit or temporary installation, as evidenced by the trailer mounting.

The vertical axis wind turbine is Urban Green Energy’s 4kW version, the UGE-4K. Standing just over 15 ft high, it provides 4kW of energy or 4000 Watts. The carbon fibre and fibreglass blades on this turbine can spin in winds of 7 mph and can also withstand winds of 123 mph.

[youtuber youtube=’http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mM3GnVCRTY’]

 

Mercedes-Benz Leads Way To Wind Energy In UK

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Mercedes Benz Wind Turbine Installation

Quiet Revolution wind turbine installed at Mercedes Benz in Tongwell

As more businesses turn to different kinds of green power, it’s always exciting to see businesses step out into a revolutionary mode and try something new and innovative. When  Mercedes-Benz UK announced they would install vertical axis wind turbines at their site in Tongwell, Milton Keynes, it brought out that kind of emotion. There were only five other turbines installed anywhere in the UK, so this was a very innovative move as the German automobile manufacturer made this decision. Even better, the turbines could be used to power their smart cars, in this case, the smart Fortwos.

 

The wind turbine the company installed was a 20m in height and its design was compact enough to be fully functional in an urban environment. Unlike horizontal axis wind turbines, the vertical axis wind turbines spin in a specialized helical pattern so the specially designed, carbon fiber blades will catch the air no matter which way the wind is blowing.

President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz UK, Wilfried Steffen, said: “Mercedes-Benz is taking the lead by installing this energy saving technology; we hope to inspire other local companies to do whatever they can to reduce their carbon footprint. Mercedes-Benz invests in a wide range of environmental technologies through its vehicles and production facilities and this is another way we can lead by example and make a difference.”

The turbine is expected to generate enough electricity to power two of the electric Fortwos for approximately 30,000 miles. This is approximately the same amount of power that would be required to power two average size houses for a year. Quiet Revolution Ltd is the renewable energy company that manufactured the wind turbines. These are the same turbines used at the 2012 London Olympics, although Mercedes was first!

Renewable energy has been a focal point of Mercedes-Benz as they have explored many other possible solutions such as rainwater harvesting, solar water heating, ground source heat pumps and other forms of wind energy.