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Just wondering if any of you have any information (good or bad) about windenergy7. They are a company based in Ohio, USA that offers hybrid wind/solar systems.
Thanks.
Thanks.
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Some comments from reputable solar installers regarding windenergy7:
"I cannot find a power curve of their product on their
website, amongst other things."
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"Their "patented mounting system" (!) will not make up for the laws of physics.
And even if it worked as claimed (small wind turbine systems never do,
especially if roof mounted) it is still pretty expensive. They claim 1400
watts, but typically such an install would get around 1/4 of that for most
people. $6000 would buy a small grid tie solar system."
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"I have seen two of these installed on roofs. I have and one of my students now
a solar installer,(NABCEP) has been called to repair. he moved the turbine and
placed the turbine on a bergey tower, and it appears to perform like a XL0.1
(1kW) it has been up for about 1 month.
I was called to repair a different unit for no output, in fact negative output
(but very little) . I visited the site on a windy day and it was not putting
out any significant energy, it was looking for the wind, it would turn left
then right, speed up and slow down, like a crazy machine, never holding
steady. there were occasions of energy output but it would drop to - about
-0.2 amps which I figure is normal wind conditioning unit power draw. The
system uses Outback inverter to change the 48 volt DC power to AC grid. I am
confident the outbacks were performing up to expectation, the turbine was not." -
The complaint is against all rooftop mounted units - they are worse than useless.
1) You have poor wind conditions on the roof - turbulence plus the best wind flow is forced above the turbine
2) They are almost always high speed egg beaters - this type is the bat/bird killer that people whine about and get confused with the larger turbines
3) All turbines generate vibrations - this goes into the house structure - they say not but it is impossible not to have vibrations
4) As their market is shyster, these companies tend to be of the 'fly by night' type. They are the smart ones. Any decent citizen operating such a company has been duped himself.
5) The little turbines mounted on the roof will never generate enough power to cover the incentives - let alone pay the full price.
7) The little egg beaters require strong winds to produce power - this thing is probably rated at 25 mph wind speeds - those are storm conditions
8) Wind is slower closer to the top of a building than out in 'clean air'. They do provide access to government sites for wind maps. If you look at the one for OR maybe 0.5% of the state has any hope for wind power. The best wind resource in OR is offshore.
This site has specific problems
a) No power curves of turbine information available without contacting them - this means they are hiding - the power curve would show that in 5 m/s (10 mph) wind speeds the unit would make nothing - no power. Most of the US does not have that good of wind.
b) Information on the site deals with incentives and become a dealer - trying to sucker in others
c) The HO-1.4 kW unit they advertise for 6,590 USD and a 1600 USD rebate.
Figure out how much power you have to generate to pay that off - will never happen
d) The site does offer one advantage - they give quantity discounts so you can get screwed more cheaply (per each) if you buy more than one.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Comment
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good luck!
As a contractor I became interested in becoming a dealer/installer for wind energy7.
I found it very difficult to have even the most basic of my questions answered. (I.E. Do you already have any dealers in my area?)
As far as I can tell, the whole company is a one man show, and his philosophy seems to be, buy first, then ask questions later.
After a month of trying to purchase a system and get going as a dealer I finally gave up.Comment
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Commercially it is viable and doable providing you have huge subsidies and laws in place to force utilities to buy th epower at a fixed price.
As for residential completely useless.MSEE, PEComment
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If you want to be a dealer in wind turbines I suggest you go for good quality machines that have been around for a few years and not junk like this particular brand. Virtually all of the very small turbines are boat anchors in disguise - or lawn ornaments.
Some brands are possibly certified by the Small Wind Certification group http://www.smallwindcertification.org/[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Comment
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windenergy7
bought a tower mount and had to go through lawyer just to get my equipment after over 2 months. absolutely no support. Won't return calls, emails or any communications. You are on your own BobComment
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Look at that site - it is 100% designed for people that have no idea. The method of rooftop mounting is well beyond silly!
This is even worse than they DIY sites for free PV power - the books are cheaper and you get just as much - next to nothing.
Roof mounted turbines may well be one of the worst ideas of all times.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Comment
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Any site which features dealer recruitment that prominently raises red flags for me.
In addition to what has already been mentioned, I find the way they offer grid-tie only in a form which includes a whole house UPS (using batteries) somewhat disconcerting.
No mention of permits or other small details. And on the web site, none of the links for details on the grid-tie systems work! But all of the dealer recruiting and sales collateral links do.SunnyBoy 3000 US, 18 BP Solar 175B panels.Comment
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WindEnergy 7
Troy, I would not recommend going with or doing any business with this company. I wished I would have found more review about this company before doing business with them. It has come to a huge mess of where he takes your money and does not deliver the the product. It has been over 6 months since I have sent him the money and he is yet to send the materials. Very poor communication and doesn't follow through on anything they say they can do. We are working with the BBB, Lawyers and Attorney General to just name a few routes to get this company to respond. This company is performing a scam on people that are not familiar on how it works. Let's just say if you have thousands to throw away, and nothing but time to waste go with this company. If so send some my way as well, because that's what Windenergy7 is going to take from you.Comment
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I've been on forums for years and still do this occasionally, each time completely embarrassing myself. I'll search for a word or phrase, start reading without noticing dates, and then occasionally get fired up enough to respond, forgetting to check the date of what I'm responding to.Comment
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Yeah, I did see that post date. But like myself I came across that post from doing a search. So it's there for reference so others may stumble across it in the near future and reference it as well. That's the power of the internet, once you put something out there it's no longer private.
I hope that others do a search in the future and see this post going forward so they are not burned like I was or Treeman58 was as well.Comment
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