A “plug ‘n’ produce” wind turbine designed for installation at residential and commercial properties has received ETL safety certification for the US and Canada, a critical step in making the technology available to consumers.
The Windspire design from Mariah Power incorporates a tall, slender, vertical coaxial rotor aimed at the emerging small wind market, and resembles a slender Giromill type of Darrieus rotor. Mariah Power has submitted the unit for independent performance testing at Windward Engineering and will obtain third-party validation before releasing it to the market.
Mariah Power says it will make Windspire available in 2008 for around $3995. The unit is 30 feet tall with a 2 foot radius, has no propeller, and contains an integrated inverter and wireless performance monitor.
The Windspire unit is claimed to produce around 1800 kWh/year in average wind speed conditions of 11 miles/hour, equivalent to approximately 25 per cent of a typical US household’s electricity consumption.
“ETL certification is a critical step in making Windspire available to consumers,” said Mike Hess, CEO of Mariah Power. “We are pleased that the process went smoothly and look forward to receiving independent test data from Windward Engineering. Our goal is to bring low cost wind power to the masses and we are well on our way with the anticipated release of Windspire in early 2008.”