A Nevadan company, Mariah Power, has launched a unique wind turbine for the home, called the WindSpire. The turbine is rated at 1 kilowatt, and it has a thin design — it’s only two feet wide, but 20 feet tall (see a photo here). The color is also customizable — suggested colors are: Milky White, Forest Green, Sky Blue, Stop Sign Red, or Crystal Clear. You can see a video of the turbine in full-tilt action here. It’s designed to be easy to install, and it’s rated to survive in winds up to 100 mph. The minimum wind speed necessary for the unit to begin generating power is only 8 mph. It also said to be very quiet. The price is $3995 and the product is scheduled for delivery in the fall.
EcoWorld spoke with Mariah Power recently:
When I met Mariah Power’s VP of Marketing, Tracy Twist, last week in Sacramento…Standing on a 10 foot tower, with the inverter and generator attached immediately to the bottom of the rotor, this windmill appears simpler to manufacture and maintain compared to traditional horizontal axis windmills.
The problem has been getting sufficient efficiency from the rotor. Because vertical wind rotors have a lower RPM compared to conventional wind rotors, the challenge has been to find a generator that can still generate adequate power at these lower speeds. Mariah Power has patents pending on their generator which they believe have solved this problem. They have three prototype generators already constructed which they have submitted to 3rd party testing centers to verify their claims.
To find out more about the Windspire, visit their website Mariah Power. Check out this horizontal rooftop wind turbine about to be released. Other makers of more conventional wind turbines for the home are: Southwest Windpower or Bergey Windpower.
Via: EcoWorld
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi,
Nice looking machine and credentials.
I am an inventor over the hill in Jackson, Ca. with a VAWT design following nature’s designs. I have calculated 1.4Kw with a 20MPH wind. 100 ft2 into the wind with feathered anti wind vanes, 2 stage reflex feature. A real turbine!
Since you are close, would you want to talk?
Mike Krisman
209-763-5628
4165 Quail Hill Ct.
Ione, Ca. 95640
usa@tbomail.com
Thank you
Interested in your products can you please email me a price list and a list of product.
I can be contacted direct on: +61 402 805 262
I am interested please send me information. And Cost
FYI an upgraded version of this product is going into mass production and will be made in the USA (Michigan)! You can check out the company’s news page for more information:
http://www.mariahpower.com/the_news.html or their YouTube video
We are extremely interested in affordable alternative energy products. I like what I ssee. Please send info as we are interested in becoming a dealer.
Thank you,
Robert Thompson
Affordable Metal Roofing
4336 Sea Mountain Hwy Ste 6
Little River, SC 29566
Are there Authorized Dealerships available for the windspire ?
Interested. Please provide additional details for the windspire. Thanks Tim
I am interested in one of these systems. I am also interested in a Distributership in Michigan. I would like to sell and install these systems. Please send my any and all information on the cost and the process to get a business started. Thank You. Howard Whtie
What is the nearest distributor of Windspire? We live in northern Colorado (Longmont).
Please send any brochures, operating manuals, etc. to us at 6860 Nelson Road, Longmont, Colorado 80503.
Thanks!
Gail & Harley Lyons, Yatahai Eco-Farm
Interested in being a distributor of your product to the Caribbean .
We paid $14,000.00 for two of these contraptions in May of 2009. Sixteen months later, the largest amount of electricity we generated was .80 cents a month. You read that correctly, EIGHTY CENTS a month. As early as three months after the install, the company acknowledged that the turbines and inverters were “defective” (their words, not mine) and offered replacements “when available”. A year and dozens of empty promises later, our Windspires are still not replaced. The corporation talks a good game but is unable and/or unwilling to deliver. This has truned into a sad and disappointing, not to mention very expensive experience. We would advise anyone considering small scale windpower to look elsewhere. Caveat emptor!
Sometimes it hurts to pioneer. Don’t believe the hype but don’t give up. There are alternative energy solutions out there.
This turbines could be builded smaller, and could be really integrated everywhere… We could use it to charge EVs!
Olmo
ABOUT TO BUILD A HOME IN YUKON, OKLAHOMA AND WOULD LOVE TO INCLUDE SOME KIND OF RENEWABLE AND REUSABLE ENERGY SOURCE. PLEASE SEND MORE INFORMATION
People…
Getting wind power to work is super tricky. The suppliers rate their devices based on unrealistic conditions for most users. It’s very hard to compare apples to apples with different ratings formulas and criteria. In any consideration, you must determine what your average windspeed is first. Ideally, you would have an anemometer at the exact location (position, height) as wind conditions vary greatly based on height and terrain. If you live in an area that has average wind speeds less than 6 m/s (meters per second) averaged annually, I don’t think you can make wind power work effectively. Probably higher speeds are required to make it worthwhile. Hybrid installations are very interesting. Also, these turbines require extensive certifications in most cases to be used in on grid applications. No certifications can mean no grants/rebates or on-grid installs. (Disclaimer. I have an interest in a small wind company)