Editor's Choice - The Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Sky Farm™ 50 kW by Eastern Wind Power

Eastern Wind Power, Inc. (EWP) has developed the Sky Farm™ 50 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) with the strength, stability and versatility to withstand accelerated winds when roof-mounted on high-rise buildings in urban areas or pole mounted in open areas. A 30 kW electronics system with the same turbine is also available.

Since 2010 EWP’s team of aeronautical, mechanical, electronic, and structural engineers designed, built, and durability tested full scale prototypes and production models of its 50 kW VAWT. In August 2010 the Sky Farm™ 50kW prototype was erected at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport in Edgartown, MA where Airport staff enthusiastically supported this green energy project.

The generator and inverter for the EWP Vertical Axis Wind Turbine were developed by Siemens Industry, Inc. German engineers. Through a mutually beneficial EWP/Siemens partnership, Siemens prototyped its small wind inverter with the 50 kW prototype.  In September 2011 the turbine was fully commissioned with grid connection to NSTAR, and is producing power for the Airport. Safety testing has been successfully completed, and will enter the Small Wind IEC 61400-2 certification process.

Please click to view videos showing operation of the VAWT at Martha’s Vineyard Airport:

• Fully Commissioned Turbine
• High Wind Test with Saab Turbo Prop

Advantages

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines have many advantages over horizontal bladed turbines for roof-top as well as for pole mounted applications. VAWTs are quiet and do not harm avian life. Gear boxes with associated mechanical issues are also non-existent. In addition, the low profile of VAWT’s is more acceptable to community aesthetic considerations.  One of the major advantages of VAWTs is that they can be closely spaced (one diameter apart) conserving valuable land or roof space.

Whoever purchases a Sky Farm™ 50 kW turbine will be purchasing high quality, built to last at least 20 years in strong wind environments. Since 2010, the turbine has successfully withstood the test of two hurricanes, a blizzard and the full throttle wind test of a twin engine Saab turbo prop, sponsored by Colgan Air.

With its Sky Farm™ 50 kW, Eastern Wind Power Inc. met the challenge of making the turbine extremely strong to handle accelerated and turbulent winds, but light enough to be efficient. The system was also made smart enough to deal with varying conditions. On the exterior, the turbine appears to be quite simple. But serious work was invested in achieving these goals, using carbon fiber technology for the blades manufactured in Bristol, RI, and stainless steel castings for critical strength components manufactured in Gorham, ME, the inverter/generator system/software built by Siemens in Atlanta, GA, and steel shaft and casings fabricated in Salem, MA. The NSK bearings with a 20 year life were designed and built in Japan with lifecycle simulation testing in Ann Arbor, MI.

Specifications of the Sky Farm™ 50 kW

• Starts up at the low speed of 4 m/sec (9 mph), and shuts down at 40m/sec (90 mph)
• Each turbine generates approximately 45,000 kWh of energy per year, with calculations being based on two-years of real-time wind data collected from the 300 foot high building in Cambridge, MA, as well as field testing;
• The rotor is relatively small, with three vertical blades  of 6 meters (20 feet) in height, and  a diameter of 5 meters (16 feet)
• Can be closely spaced, 16 feet apart, when pole mounted on our standard 54 foot high pole, or mounted on a roof surface creating a “Sky Farm” to maximize energy output;

Eastern Wind Power's recommended applications and umbrella market are mainly Energy Islands: 

• islands or pockets of high energy cost; unpredictable service or no energy infrastructure; yet good wind potential:
• Ocean islands throughout the globe have extremely high electricity costs, unpredictable or inaccessible service; and constant strong wind, ideal for our pole mounted turbines.
• High–rise roof mounted VAWTs provide the most efficient green energy in urban areas where there is the greatest demand and limited space.
• Mobile Units (self-contained) for remote Off-Grid locations, particularly to set up a micro-grid for disaster relief applications, as for military base use where fuel is trucked in at premium cost with significant safety hazard.
• Developing Countries: Isolated Communities with no energy infrastructure but great need for power to provide basic human needs such as drinking water, lighting and medical facilities.
• Working farms and remote industrial sites in the US pay a premium for electricity and can become masters of their own energy future using efficient wind energy.
• Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards: Turbines can be easily mounted to decommissioned or active power plant chimneys, which provide height and circular geometry favorable to accelerating wind, to help meet REPS requirements for green energy.

The Mobile Unit.

The Sky Farm™ 50 kW vertical axis wind turbine has been adapted to fit in, and assemble out of a 20’ ISO shipping container, using it as the turbine’s “foundation”:

• The unit is sized to be transported by ship and then by either a mid-sized tractor or helicopter.
• The mobile unit can feed a field micro-grid with the power  as is required, be it 48 volt battery storage for reserve power or live time 220/480 Volt – 3 phase @ 60 or 50 Hz. feeds.
• The unit can serve as a self-contained power station, including on-board battery power storage systems, communications centers, grid distribution nodes, and mobile battery charging station.
• The turbine blades will be hinged at their connection joints and will open like a tripod, with the blades locking in the open rigid position. The turbine tower would be transported in the same container – being (3) 19’ sections designed for field assembly.
• The unit is simple to install in the field as the hydraulics are adapted from a typical fire truck design to lift the turbine in place at the height appropriate for its utility and security. The trailer will have retractable outriggers for stability on any slope or terrain, locking the system in-place, thus freeing up the delivery vehicle for other transport duties.

If you would like to know more about Eastern Wind Power, Inc. (EWP) and its Sky Farm™ 50 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, recieve our Newsletter or find out more about what w3.windfair.net has to offer. Please, do not hesitate to contact Trevor Sievert at ts@windfair.net.

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