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• Q: How much power does it make? also - 'What voltage or rating or wattage is the motor.'

  A: About 20%-30% more than other wood/full profile airfoils and about 30%-50% more power than hollow metal blades (above 12-15 mph) and dollar for dollar, if you follow our classes carefully, about 1/12th the price of other wind gen kits.

  There is also an Wind vs Watts calculator for more exact calculations.

  Let's review a quote from Ian, who is writing these days at Home Power magazine. From my discussions with him, Ian isn't too keen on wind power for cities (we are) or amp ratings (we are) or any rating unless it refers to KWH (kilowatt hours) and we calculate based on that too. We agree it makes sense to figure out what you are pouring into the batteries over time and most manufacturers just list amps at about 25-30 knots of wind, so our comparison lists those figures. As Ian has said, 'Who cares if it makes 100 amps in 30 knots, what does it make in 10-15 knots or 5-10 knots and what does it make over time.'

• The first question every buyer of any product from anywhere should ask:

  IF I DON'T LIKE YOUR GEAR CAN I GET A FULL REFUND?

  You bet. In over 400 custom, hand carved airfoils we have never had someone say that and never had a blade returned for noise or dissatisfaction with output although we did have 2 blades SWAPPED for thinner ones. Many people ask for a fat wide torquey blade for low winds and thats ok, but we prefer a thinner blade for higher RPM in good winds - much more power and if you ask for a wide fat torquey blade and don't like it, we will swap it free. We flat out make the most beautiful, quietest, most powerful, high-speed stall characteristics airfoil on planet Earth and nobody, from our customers to our competitors, questions that fact. PERIOD, END OF STORY! Our reputation depends on it.

  It comes from the custom shapes we make for customers based on their local wind speeds. A NASA physicist taught us how to carve them, gave us the books with all the graphs for hundreds of air foils and we've also spent time with a high speed turbine blade designer who makes turbines for jet engines and got her input as well. These are simply the best blades/airfoil shapes you can buy from anywhere at any price, hands down and we charge a fair price that is about 1/5th to 1/10th the price for a wind gen system of most firms out there...the lowest cost per amp guaranteed.

  If you buy and fly our blades and aren't happy with the output or if the generator you choose is too large or too small, we refund 100% - no questions asked. Click here for details.

  If you won the blade at an auction or paid via PayPal, you are responsible for those fees. We cannot refund third party fees (such as eBay or PayPal), which is one reason we don't use either of them. Sorry. If you think you might return a blade (we doubt it, but...), and want to save some money, pay by check. Personal checks are fine with us; we prefer them and that saves you money too.

  We carve such a beautiful blade our teacher asks us to make HIS BLADES which is the ultimate compliment. We get a warm, fuzzy feeling when we make airfoils for a NASA physicist. Wouldn't you?

  The most common type of return/exchange/refund is undersizing your generator. Many people expect our large 6 foot blade to match to the small cheap generators found for $25.00 (some vendors charge $500-$1000 for these systems-OUCH!) and while this is a fair combination in light winds, you waste a lot of power and should have spent a little more and gotten a LARGER generator.

  THE 6, 7, 10, 12 and 15 foot NASA AIRFOILS WE MAKE are flat out, unconditionally the most powerful blade on the market for their size in winds from 12-60 knots - guaranteed! If you have wind and want lots of power, buy large blades and larger gens: our blades will drive them easily and if you undersize your gen, they will burn them up in a heartbeat. Make sure you use the wind and watts link at the site to see what amperage you will get and make sure you either use furling or a wind switch for stormy weather. If you don't have wind, buy large blades and small gens to match your conditions. That's the elusive, but realistic and simple recipe for success.

  Personally, in San Francisco, I run a slightly larger generator that costs $35.00 (plus s/h) with my 4 foot blade in storms and my 7 foot blade on a $300.00 generator for most of the year. When a blasting 40-60 knot storm kicks up, since my large gen is fixed (points dead into the wind at all times) with no furling, I put the 5 footer on there for the storme (3 minute swap) and then run the 7 the rest of the time. This system provides 100% of my power requirement at anchor, where I have lived since 2001.

  One winter I was able to drive a 30 website apache webserver with that system for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a month. However, winds aren't always present and vary by region so your results will be different.

  Most of the time I have enough power for the routers, belt sanders and other 'power tools', used to make my own airfoils and those for customers who want a premium airfoil profile, a gorgeous blade and very important to some: a quiet blade.

  It is true that in late summer winds die off and I do run an oil lamp for a few weeks at night, but my music, which plays 24/7 has absolutely never turned off. I always have enough power for that and the rare occassions during August and September when there is zero wind in San Francisco is ok with me; that sunny weather gives me a chance to do a little boat work, get away from the shop and computer and so far, since 2001, without gas, diesel or a 'utility' company, I seem to be doing just fine.

  

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• Q: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SHIP A BLADE AND GENERATOR?

  Same day shipping is available from our dealers, based on their inventory on-hand. This applies to standard profiles and common generators and their terms and conditions: i.e. personal check and money order policies. We usually ship long blades overnight express and shorter 4s and 5s go out Priority mail. Gens are heavy ad go ground and take 5-10 days.

  Custom airfoils from our shop do take longer. We are the only firm that custom carves profiles to match local wind conditions free of charge and this can boost your overall output by as much as 50% as this comparison shows.

  As such, we do NOT keep blades in stock at the shop. We carve each one to order.

  The entire process usually takes 3-5 weeks and sometimes longer if weather is poor (wet winters and springs). Bad weather affects the high-gloss finish we demand in every airfoil to keep our reputation so darn good.

  If you are in a hurry, please do not order from us: see a dealer.

  Since the urethane process is what really takes a long time, rough cut airfoils (you sand) blades are much faster. We carve and coat as fast as we can, but they do take time. If it has been less than 5 weeks since you ordered, please be patient. If you ask us several times "Where is my blade?", we may pull it off the rack and send it as is. Some folks prefer to finsih their own and others want us to take our time with it. Whatever your priority is, we will try to accomodate you. We suggest you review the process so you understand what it takes to make a fine wind generator blade.

• Q: Is it the ENTIRE system?

  A: Buyers at our website can purchase blades seperately or with a PM DC Motor (Generator) and we show them how to make towers that are much stronger than kit towers and circuits that can take twice the amperage of an expensive controller. Expensive charge controllers don't like the high output our blades and gens create so you will probably want to use beefier components than those little 'fancy' circuits can handle.

  Both the GENERATOR and BLADE are included with many kits. The Chat room and New and Used Wind Gen Gear boards has some bargains as well. The larger generators cost $1500.00 - $3000.00 new from the factory and our customers are paying $200.00-$500.00 and sometimes the vendor is out of stock for several months; if you want it fast, sometimes you have to pay more. If you are patient and a great price and money and savings are important to you than please feel free to order from us.

• Q: Why not use solar instead?

  A: Solar PV is 10-20 times more expensive. If you have wind, start with that and then use utility bill savings to buy solar for the days when you have no wind.

  KWH and cost for that power. This is, after all, how you pay for electricity from utility companies: kwh. See your bill for what you pay. Some units, like the Air X Marine, have a protection mode so that their rated 400 watt output is actually quite a bit lower. When their unit goes into protection mode, it stops making power. Andy who makes that unit has gone head to head with a lot of folks in the industry about that and yes, the Air X is noisy, yes, it is very expensive (we mean VERY) for it's output and yes there are more powerful systems, but in all fairness, his system looks great, installs easily, is pretty rugged and if you can stand the noise (and bullets flying from your neighbors boats at your gen), then it may be the gen for you. Personally, as a sailor, I hate them and know of one couple who threw a rope into their neighbors Air X to shut it up, but I also know a sailor who likes his, except for that cut-out protection mode which annoys owners to death; whatever works for you.

  And to some extent, especially for low wind locations, as Ian suggests, low wind performance can be key. It doesn't matter if your gen can make 2 kwh in 30 knots of wind if you only get 10-15 knots max most of the time. If you have low winds, you probably need a bigger blade or smaller gen that can more easily be driven at higher speeds in low winds.

  As Jerry, the NASA Physicist says, 'The trick is to match the generator to the wind speed to the blade size and airfoil type (angle of attack, tip shape etc.); considering all key factors is important and if you forget one, the system will still work but won't put out the most watts it could for that particular wind speed/conditions.'

  That's great; you could swap blades and gens for different wind speeds, but that isn't practical for most people (I do it, but...) And then there is a gent in Tulsa, well known in the wind industry and pretty sharp who remachines his gens for max efficiency, shaving bearings and shafts etc. To us, that is a bit over the top, but then we have great coastal winds so we don't worry about half an amp here or there.

  For most folks, the trick is to put it up and forget about it and not have to listen to the noise which is why we try to make a very very very quiet blade.

  Most of our customers have wind; if you don't, we suggest you go with solar panels because there isn't much power in the low end of the wind spectrum anyway. Perhaps you have a stream or some other place to generator power; even a hot spring steamy crack in the ground can make power.

  If you have some reasonable wind, THEN wind generators make sense. If you want to know how many amps our units can make, remember it depends on the size of the gen and blade and wind conditions; all three have to be factored in to get a reasonable estimate of the best system for you.

  All that said, the side by side test below says volumes about 6 foot blades vs. 42 inch blades, expensive units vs. do it yourself units, and gives you an idea of what you can expect.

  There are a lot of folks in the wind gen industry who get very precise figures (or so it seems sometimes) and honestly, as one high speed blade designer said 'If it looks like a good airfoil, it is probably a good airfoil.' Get a good blade, get a reasonable gen, match them for your conditions and you'll get plenty of power. We offer a now-charge exchange so if you get a blade that is too small or a gen that is too small or too big for your conditions, all you have to pay to swap them for a different rig is postage (plus any size price differences).

  That is as good as it gets and it helps eliminate the stress of the purchase phase. Also, bear in mind; if you really absolutely want to save the most money, we suggest you buy the CD or online class and make your own. You won't find cheaper power from any place at any price than what you can fabricate in your own garage.

  ...onward with the test...

  COMPARE DOLLARS PER AMP CLICK HERE TO SEE OTHER POWER AND NOISE TESTS CLICK HERE TO SEE WIND vs BLADE SIZE vs EXPECTED WATTAGE On February 22nd, the NOAA wind data below (circled) indicates 13-18 knots at a bouy about a mile from where I live at anchor. My friend had just completed installing his Air-X Marine, 42 inch blade at the top of his mizzen and was checking out his fancy monitoring circuits, bleed-off circuits and I was walking down the dock and heard it whizzing away. I noticed it would slow down drastically quite often, then speed up in the gusts. Our blades have a more even RPM through lulls and gusts, so I wanted to see how many AMPS he was getting as the wind varied. I shouted down below 'Hey, how many amps are you making? Got that circuit finished?' and he shouted back 'Come below and see for yourself.' He sounded very proud and he had done a lot of work on it, so off I went down into his very nice boat. I saw the meter go down to 0-2 amps in the lulls and then when the gusts hit, it would go up to 3 to 4.5 amps. If a really strong gust hit, it would go up to just under 5 (about 4.8 or 4.9). I said, 'I'll be genereous and give you 5 in the strong gusts, but really 3 to 4.5 is about all you are getting and it sure does spend a lot of time at zero or 1 or 2 amps.' His hospitality soon faded with my comments (ooops) and I said I was going out to my boat and see what I was getting. I don't run fancy gear; I have a fat rotary switch, an automatic wind switch and a manual override, a few meters on my helm and a nice battery A-B switch. I also have those cheapie 6 LED christmas light thingys that tell me from anywhere in the boat how my batteries are doing. I took out my rather expensive multimeter (I am a union electrician who designs robotics) and changed the leads to measure amps, set the dial to measure amps and wedged one lead firm down into a fat wire where some copper goes into a battery clamp and the other lead onto the post where the gen comes down to the battery box. I reached around and flipped the A-B battery switch to OFF so the only way power could come from the wind gen was through my meter. BANG! 4.8 amps, 6 amps, 7 amps and then the gusts, 8, 9, 10, 9, 8, 10, 10.8! (oh boy this is really great!!!) and then POOOF! The fuse blew in the meter. Most multimeters are only designed for 10 amps. I don't know how many amps I would have gotten in those really STRONG gusts where he was getting 4.5 amps, but I do know that when he was in the 3 amps to 4.5 amp range, I was in the 8 amp to 11 amp range. That was the best comparison I had ever done and that is the power you can expect from our six foot blades with the larger, (more expensive) 7 inch gen. The standard gen we sell with our 4 and 6 foot blades will be a bit less. If you want the larger gen (you need good winds and a 5 or 6 foot blade to drive it), then you will get between twice and three times the power. Period. Our 4 foot blade puts out about half the power of the 6 foot blade, or just slightly more than the Air-X Marine Gens. That makes sense. The Air-X is 42 inches and ours is 48 inches, so the Air-X has an airfoil that is at least as good as ours (close anyway). We aren't knocking these units. They are much better weather proofed than the cheap ametek gens I use, they look sexy with that 'seagull' body and come with a casing, fin, mast/pole etc. and if you want to pay more than four times as much for less than half the power and you think that's prudent, go for it. Their unit will probably outlast our unit since we use refurbished Ametek PM motors. However, if your goal is POWER for the best PRICE, you won't find a better blade and gen on the planet than the kits we offer. No way. Not for this price performance. That little comparison taught me a lot about just how good our blades really are. And you know what was really telling? His AirX was at the TOP of his mizzen mast, a good 20 feet higher than my blade was. Had I mounted my blade as high as his blade I probably would have blown the meter out in the LIGHT wind gusts! Here are the NOAA wind speeds for the day I did this test. Note: we provide generator/motors to wind generator customers AT OUR COST. These are often ametek motors from third party vendors and we guarantee they will work or are replaced. Our vendors are professional surplus houses, electronic gear reps etc. Not all motors are rated for this or that voltage, but ALL are guaranteed to work within the parameters below and ALL will work with wind generator blades to provide 12-18 volts of charging power from wind power as described herein. Please remember we cannot and will not guarantee a specific ametek model number and as these motors get rare and hard to find, please consider yourself lucky that we sell them at cost for our blade customers. They aren't easy to come by and are considered 'The Gems' of the industry.

  
  

  Q: So just how much power can I expect?

  A: Output depends three factors: WIND SPEED and BLADE SIZE and GENERATOR SIZE selected. For example a large generator with a small blade in light winds won't make any power. A small generator and large blade in nearly any wind will make some power.

  Click the WIND vs WATTS link on the left sidebar of the main page to use the calculator - this is a very accurate measurement to go by.

  The trick is to match the generator to the blade and the wind conditions. Generally speaking, you want a blade that starts producing some power around 10-12 knots. Some metal blade generators claim to 'start in as little as 3 knots' which is nearly meaningless since there isn't any power to be obtained until winds hit 8-12 knots.

  Since our blades are carved to obtain power from 10-50+ knots (a wide powerband), you can expect a lot of power once the blades are actually going and the blades won't stall (below) until a very high speed has been reached, therefore they continue to provide increasing power throughout their range.

  If you find that your blades are quickly hitting top speed you should consider a larger generator; you underestimated your local wind conditions or the gen you are using is too small. Click the links on our site for various PM Motor/Generator options.

  As a rule of thumb, you can expect, at the small end (small 4ft. blade, smallest, lightest gen), 1-5 amps in 10-20 knots of wind, and as much as 10-20 amps in 25-40 knots and with larger 6ft. blades and matching generators, double these values.

  And with larger blades and gens run them through the formula:

  FORMULA:

  Multiply blade sweep (radius squared) by PI for swept area.
  For example, a 4 ft. blade is 2X2Xpi or about 13 square feet.

  A 6 ft. blade is 3x3xpi or almost 30 square feet or twice the area of a 4 ft. blade and hence, twice the power.

  An 8 ft. blade is 4x4xpi or about 50 square feet or about 4 times the power of a 4 ft. blade.

• If my gen is over or under powered can I exchange it for credit and get a larger gen?

  A: We do have customers who want to trade up or down, get larger or smaller blades etc. and we do match them with other customers who want to modify their system; there is no charge for this. Exchanging a motor/generator for full credit towards a larger generator is usually very easy and fast.

  HOWEVER, you are not exchanging it with us, you are exchanging it with them. Once they have received your blade or generator in good condition, we will credit you IN FULL for the exchange towards the purchase of a larger or smaller item. As a rule, generators are easier to swap than blades. Most customers love the air foils we produce and even when they want to go to a larger blade will usually keep the smaller ones for stormy seasons (suggested).

• Q: I live in Colorado and am interested in using wind power at my home. I live at 10,000 feet. How do I find out if wind power would be a good option here? Natural gas prices are skyrocketing and I need an alternative. Can wind power be hooked up to produce heat? Also, do you have any books you could recommend on home wind power systems and usage? Thanks, Aly

  A: Dear Aly,

  I have found that mountains are usually EXCELLENT places for wind power as there's almost always a breeze or one just around the corner. It's also a great place to explore hyrdo-power as well. When I lived in the sticks a friend had a stream generator which can be constructed using the same gens and wiring etc. as the wind gen we sell. Solar, depending on tree coverage, may also be an option, but solar puts out about 1/10th the amps for the same dollars spent on wind and shade messes these up (we have links on our site to find solar panels for pennies on the dollar) so usually that's a last resort: solar is expensive.

  There are wind maps at our website and looking at Colorado mountains it looks pretty good, in fact some of the areas are 'black' meaning the highest wind speeds on the map. Also some areas near there are white, indicating very low wind speeds. I'd guess those are large valleys but overall, your region is about as good as it gets in the U.S.

  It's not hard to connect this type of power and yes you can make heat although a renewable resource such as wood is a better option as heaters draw a lot of amps so you'd want extra gens if you want to do that.

  Connecting a system is as simple as a pair of battery clamps or as complex as the circuits for burning off power when batteries are full, turning pumps and refers on and off automatically etc. The diagrams for circuits, mounts, wood selection etc., are also all at our site for our blade carvers and blade buyers.

• Q: How much noise does it make?

  A: Due to the tip shape and air foils we provide (NASA 0418 and NACA 4418), our blades are considered one of the quietest in the industry. Noise comes primarily from tip stall and produces a helecopter sound. Our blades remain quiet until nearly hurricane force winds: well about 50 knots. Metal blades commonly begin getting noisy at 20 knots and most other gens begin to stall and make noise around 25-30 knots. Unless a specific air foil is requested, we carve a blade with a wide powerband, a high upper range for the stall point and great power production from 10-60+ knots of wind.

• Q: Can I make hot water or run tools with the system?

  A: YES, you can heat hot water, run skillsaws and do a bunch of things with this power.

  A few ways to make hot water:

  1. Directly off the batteries with the right circuit although some folks shy away from this as it is hard on the batteries and they are an expensive item in wind gen systems.

  2. With a 12 volt waterheater element; about $20-40.00 and they are slow.

  3. With a 110 volt element, faster and much cheaper or

  4. Even a 220 volt element.

  Remember that AC elements require INVERTORS of substantial wattage. Expect to spend $250-$400 for one to do this job, as well as $200-$500 minimum for the batteries to store a lot of power for large applications.

• Q: How much does everything cost to run a home?

  A: That depends on your kWh requirements and wind speeds. If you use a lot of power and have light winds, you will need more generators. If you use very little power and have strong winds, you can use less generators.

  Here are some examples:

  1. Customer in Costa Rica uses rig for weekend use and one 12 foot blade charges all week. That means they had to install a lot of batteries to absorb that power and spent a lot of money on batteries - nearly $5000 dollars and are able to run a small AC unit Friday night and all day Saturday and usually most of Sunday, plus a small TV at night and a few lights. Look at your kWh readings for the periods you need power and figure your AMP HOURS then use the calculator to figure out the amount of power you can make with your winds.

  2. Customer in Nova Scotia (it blows 40 - 50 there a lot) only needed one 12 footer for their weekend cabin and very little battery storage.

  3. Want to set up a grid tie? You will have to spend another $2500 instead of a $300 2000 watt inverter.

  4. Don't want to use scrap pipe (about $200 for a tower); you can spend $300 - $2000 for a nice tower for your rig.

  5. Copper prices are going up. How tall is your tower? You need ought welding cable (about the size of your finger). Which finger? That depends on the height of the tower and how long the power run is. There is a chart at this location with wire sizes and runs. It is usually cheaper to put the inverter under the tower and run AC for any long distances.

  6. Can you use WATER PIPE to make the mount or do you want to fabricate this from welded pieces? Can you weld? The price for the mount that hold the gen on your pipe tower can vary from $25 to over $500.
  7. Are you installing a subpanel to accept your AC power? Permits? Architectural drawins? Licensed electrician for the installation? All of these factors can cause the price to vary widely. A subpanel should have a switch that says "GRID - GEN - OFF" to meet NEC requirements that Fire Fighters have a single point shut off. If you do the work yourself that's about $200 and if an electrican does it the price can be higher than $1000.

  8. Are you getting rough cut blades or making your own? What size? How many? The average American Home with Average American usage and Average American Winds requires a 20 foot blade or four 12 foot blades. If you make everything yourself using scrap pipe and a cheap inverter you would save $5000 or more. If you buy everything and put in a grid tie too or reqire the entire home you could easily spend $10,000 or more.