Birth of the British Small Wind Association

Posted on 14/01/2010 by hugh


Stephen Tasker of Hymoto has outdone himself as the ‘loose canon’ of the UK small wind industry by setting up a new Association in competition with BWEA.

“For the record I have repeatedly tried to work with the British Wind Energy Association but unfortunately this organisation has advised me that it has taken a policy of no communication with myself….

“Our view is that some things which are now happening in our industry are “just wrong” – particularly with regard to MCS – and we are not prepared to accept “that the establishment can’t be beaten” or that you have to be a “member of the club” to be in the British small wind industry”

Let’s hope he has got his facts straight and isn’t just scuppering the chances of the small wind industry being taken seriously by government. But the idea of a not-for-profit association promoting the interests of the British Small Wind Industry, rather than a club that exists to make money by whatever means, is quite refreshing.

We do not agree about the best way to test a turbine and predict energy output. But he does propose that there should be no link between the new ‘feed in tariffs’ and testing, a link that worries me as it excludes all homebrewed wind turbines from earning legitimate revenues under the new FIT system. Any testing regime is likely to be extremely expensive, excluding the small guy from the table. The cost of gaining approval under the MCS scheme has been estimated at £80,000.

Posted in People, UK small wind scene | Leave a comment

Microgeneration scheme (MCS) approved turbines list

Posted on 13/01/2010 by hugh

There is now a list of wind turbines that are currently approved for the microgeneration certification scheme (MCS) here. These are only ‘transitional’ approvals though.

They are the lucky ones that are eligible for Grants and Feed in Tariffs.

Most of them seem to be Ampairs!

But there are some Provens in there, and one of them is a newcomer. Before they have even got the 15 kW working, they have got certification for a 35 kW (is it?) or what. No, a quick inspection of the Proven web page reveals that the 15 kW has been re-badged as the 35 (The 2.5 is now the 3.2kW and has been rebadged the 7, the 6 kW is now called the 11. Simple, isn’t it.)

Among the verticals there is a new name ‘Vertical Wind Energy‘. This is one to watch, I am told. Hmm.

Renewable devices have not been Swift enough to get listed this time in spite of all their considerable BS.

All the usual suspects, Eoltec, Iskra(Evance) and Gaia wind are there, I am pleased to see.

And a newcomer from the Chinese direction(?) called Evoco have got themselves on the list too.

There has been a fair bit of controversy about the MCS approval process largely stirred up by Mr.Stephen Tasker of Hymoto. Nobody seems to understand the process or where it is going but it has received the endorsement of a large group of BWEA members in the form of a letter of support signed by representatives of 85% of the small wind industry worldwide (according to BWEA calculations.) That’s the same BWEA that has a Swift turbine on a rooftop in pride of place on its web page and will take money from anyone and give them credibility, because that’s what they have to sell. So their endorsement and calculations don’t prove much to me.

With Feed it Tariffs due to start in April, this show will be fun to watch in the next few months! Who will make it past the transitional phase, and will the process be successful in filtering out the nonsense products, or will it just be another bandwagon gravy train for the bureaucrats? Time will tell.

Posted in UK small wind scene | 2 Comments

News from Ti’eole in France

Posted on 08/01/2010 by hugh


La société TI’EOLE vous souhaite une heureuse année ventée pour 2010.

En 2009, quatorze stages d’auto-construction ont eu lieu aux quatre coins de France. Une quarantaine d’éoliennes de type Piggott ont été réalisées au cours de l’année. On remercie la région Rhône Alpes et l’ADEME pour la reconnaissance de notre travail à travers le prix éco-innovations. En 2009 a également eu lieu la première installation en France d’une éolienne ARE110. Installée sur un mât de 18m, elle produit en moyenne 15kWh/jour depuis son installation dans le sud Ardèche. En 2009, les membres de Ti’éole ont encadré de nombreuses formations : Ecole de Mines, CAPEB, GRETA, ASDER, Lycée St Louis, LPCOMESA, Espaces Info Energie (Pays de Loire, Languedoc Roussillon, et Rhône-Alpes). Une éolienne Bergey XL1 a été installée au centre de formation GRETA/GENR de Roanne pour renforcer leur plateforme pédagogique. Durant le mois de septembre, la société s’est agrandie avec l’embauche d’Hugues Cottineau. Étudiant issu de la licence STER, il s’occupe du pôle électricité et électronique. Il a réalisé un manuel d’une quarantaine de pages sur le petit éolien raccordé au réseau. Ce document est disponible sur le site internet http://reseau.tieole.com. Vos remarques sont les bienvenues pour continuer à améliorer ce document. En 2010 nous souhaitons renforcer le réseau d’auto-constructeurs en collaboration avec l’association Tripalium. Des stages sont prévus dans la Drôme, le Maine et Loire, en Bretagne, en Normandie… Pour faciliter l’accès au matériel pour les auto-constructeurs, l’achat en ligne sur le site internet sera bientôt possible. 2010 est une année prometteuse pour la éolienne Colibri, conduit en partenariat avec la société Hélioscop. Le prototype existant de 1,8kW va être installé prochainement dans la Drôme. Une seconde version de 3,3 kW sera réalisée puis testée au cours de l’année. En juin, Ti’éole, en association avec le CLER et la région Rhone-Alpes, va proposer une conférence nationale sur le petit éolien. Deux jours de conférence sont prévus autour des toutes les problématiques rencontrées par la filière. Les acteurs nationaux du petit éolien seront invités a venir débattre des aspects techniques, financiers et politiques. Que le vent vous apporte plein d’énergie pour l’année 2010 ! Meilleurs Vœux, Cordialement, Jay W Hudnall Ti’eole – énergies éoliennes 4, Côte des Chapeliers 26000 Valence Tél: +33 (0)6 67 74 21 21 Fax: +33 (0) 9 53 07 55 97 Mail: [email protected]

Posted in courses, France, People | Leave a comment

Course in Leitrim, Ireland soon

Posted on 04/01/2010 by hugh

Eirbyte are holding their own ‘build your own wind turbine’ course in Ballinamore on the 1st of February.

PS THIS HAS BEEN MOVED DUE TO WEATHER AND IS NOW 15th – 19th FEBRUARY.

Booking details are here

Posted in courses, Notices | Leave a comment

More about the scam mongers

Posted on 30/12/2009 by hugh

At the risk of getting boring about this…

I thought it would be a good time to publish this email that I received earlier in the year about Earth4energy and the other bogus products being marketed by the same dreary individuals. Now that I find they are using my name to further their sales I will do whatever I can to warn people to avoid these scams.

To:
Subject: Scam – Home Energy Renewable Energy Plans in USA
Date: Mon, 2 Feb 2009 17:03:59 +1100

Hi

Saw your website and just wanted to let you know about some company selling “plans” and instructions on building wind turbines and DIY PV modules.

I paid $75 for an eBook and downloaded it from http://www.homemadeenergy.org/ I have attached a copy for your evaluation.

It is of very poor quality, and after several emails, he is refusing to reply for requests for a refund.

The company has many paid adds with Google, and are connected. There are many sites that appear to be different entities, but closer scrutiny reveals they are part of the same scam. Some of the sites even claim misleadingly to “investigate” this company and provide “reviews”.

Examples:

homemadeenergy.org
BuildSolarPanels.net/
HomeEnergyReviews.com
www.Earth4Energy.com
www.ScamReviewTeam.com [this one has now gone – Hugh]
www.Inside-Opinion.com [So has this but others are apearing as I have found]

The address that I have been given in emails from this company (could be false):

Texzus Capital Ventures Inc
10708 Pedigree Cv, Austin, TX 78748-2565 USA
President, Steve Grey

Maybe you could warn your colleagues around the world about this scam.

Kind regards,

Dale Stewart

I have withheld Dale’s email address to protect him, but if anyone wants to contact him then I am happy to pass a message. The stuff he then forwarded to me was indeed a load of worthless burbling.

Oh and wait there is more. When I put some warnings on my web page I unbelievably got the following message from the very perpetrators suggesting I help them!

Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2009 12:14:59 -0800
Subject: Re: This Is What Super Affiliates Promote…
From: HomeMadeEnergy Affiliates
To: [email protected]

Hello,

I sent you the email below and I haven’t heard back. Are you the right
person I should speak with about promoting HomeMadeEnergy.org?

If so, please go here to learn more: http://homemadeenergy.org/aff/

We are eager to have you begin promoting us. Please don’t hesitate to
let me know if you have any questions or comments. Even if you’ve
decided not to participate, you’re reason(s) why would be very helpful
to us. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Jim Gribble [email protected]
Partnership Manager
HomeMadeEnergy.org
Phone: (301) 916-3900

On Wed, Feb 25, 2009 at 8:40 AM, HomeMadeEnergy Affiliates
wrote:
> It’s no secret among super-affiliates…
>
> Here are the 3 simple reasons why super-affiliates promote HomeMadeEnergy.org:
>
> 1. Biggest payout
>
> You get 75% on the initial $47 product AND on the popular $67 up-sell!
>
> Plus, you can get an additional bonus of $5 for each sale.
>
> And many super-affiliates confess we have the best conversion in the
> marketplace.
>
> This make HME is an offer worth promoting – but that’s not all…
>
> 2. Best product
>
> The HomeMadeEnergy now consists of a detailed eBook PLUS hours of
> user-friendly, step-by-step videos.
>
> These videos were produced by a NABCEP (North American Board of
> Certified Energy Practitioners) certified individual. This means your
> referred customers will get the best and SAFEST information. It’s no
> wonder why our refund rates are so low – buyers love this product!
>
> 3. Nurturing partner support
>
> We reach out and establish personal relationships with our affiliates.
> You can discuss special customizations with us because we are willing
> to listen and implement what you suggest.
>
> I gave you THREE great reasons why HME is probably the best “renewable
> energy” offer that you can promote right now. It’s the top choice
> among super-affiliates.
>
> I urge you to at least test this offer now and see how it does for you.
>
> To find more details go to:
> http://www.homemadeenergy.org/aff/
>
> If you have any questions or comments, please reply to this email and
> I’ll get back to you right away.
>
> Warmest regards,
>
> Jim Gribble [email protected]
> Partnership Manager
> HomeMadeEnergy.org
> Phone: (301) 916-3900
>
> HomeMadeEnergy.org
> 10708 Pedigree Cove
> Austin, TX 78748
> Phone: (512) 280-9331
>

Make of it what you will, but you won’t be making a wind turbine, that’s for sure 🙂 You could however be making 75% of $67…

Posted in Books | 1 Comment

Boston trials data

Posted on 30/12/2009 by hugh

Wind Turbines at the Boston Museum of Science: Production Data

I am indebted to Paul Gipe for this link. Here we have real world data for some of the big players including Skystream, Swift, Proven and some of the vertical oddities.

The project apparently got started on October 9, or at least the display indicated that the cumulative production was taken starting from that date. Since inception, the Proven has produced 538 kWh, the Skystream 344 kWh, the Aerovironment machines 67 kWh, the Windspire 57 kWh, and the Swift brings up the rear at 2.4kWh. The MOS display also calculates capacity factor, which ranges from a high of 9.2% for the Skystream to 4.6% for the Proven, to 2.4% for the Windspire, 0.68% for the Aerovironment machines, and 0.08% for the Swift. Capacity factor is the amount of energy actually produced in a given site, as compared to what the turbine would produce if it operated continuously at its nameplate power rating – values of 20-40% are the norm for commercial installations, with many homeowner installations lower than that. The MOS also calculates a “relative production” for each turbine, which I gather to be the actual production as a percentage of manufacturer’s claimed energy production for a site with the average windspeed at the Boston MOS. This ranges from 61% for the Skystream down to 0.5% for the Swift.

This is a very poor site for a small wind turbine (as usual) but the data is real enough. Reality is in short supply in this industry. Of course there are many arguments for caution in using this sort of data. But beggars can’t be choosers as they say, and the installation was done on a rooftop, where many of (the worst of) these machines are supposed to be sited!

Posted in People | Leave a comment