Small Wind Projects

Dr. Pramod Jain chosen to bring small wind expertise to Wind Expo 2009

Panama City, Panama
September 2-4, 2009

WECC’s Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Pramod Jain, was selected to present “The Do's and Don’ts of Small Wind” at the second annual Latin American Wind Power Conference and Exhibition. Wind Expo 2009 will focus on “integrating wind power into the Latin American energy matrix”. Small wind turbines are being installed at a rapid pace to power small businesses, buildings, malls, houses, and a variety of other applications. Dr. Jain’s intent is to address the primary reasons for poor performance of small wind turbines and provide a framework for successful projects... Read More

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Small wind - Buyer beware!
July 9, 2009

There seems to be a growing abundance of misleading, if not deceptive advertising and false or unrealistic claims by many manufacturers. These take the form of claiming higher energy output, faster payback periods (using higher than what can normally be expected wind speeds in their energy calculations), and other types of unethical claims and behaviors. But help is on the way...Read More

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Small wind - Is it right for you?
July 2, 2009

The search for affordable and sustainable energy sources in today’s struggling economy may have you looking toward the small wind market. Before thinking any further about a small wind project, consider the following...Read More

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Will your small wind investment pay off?

Items to consider before diving into a small wind project
June 5, 2009

Small wind turbines – those with power ratings of less than 100 kW – are being installed at a rapid pace.  Unfortunately, a large fraction of these projects produce less energy than advertised as a result of insufficient upfront planning and analysis.

WECC's "Common Mistakes to Avoid in Your Small Wind Project" provides simple steps that can be taken to ensure a more viable project from the performance and financial perspectives. Have you done your homework?…Learn more about how to realize a positive economic return from your small wind project. 

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Wind Energy from Rooftop Turbines—Does it make sense?
May 12, 2009

There is immense interest in capturing wind energy with turbines installed on rooftops. This blog entry and the associated whitepaper will answer the questions: Does it make sense to place a wind turbine generator on a roof?

Examples of prominent rooftop installs include: Twenty 1KW Aerovironment turbines at Boston's Logan Airport, the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard, and on top of comedian Jay Leno's garage. Read More

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Cost of Energy for Small Wind Projects
April 17, 2009

In this entry I will talk about the cost of energy for small wind projects. The previous blog addressed how the cost of energy is computed and presented the cost of energy generation for utility scale turbines. The focus of this blog entry will be on turbines that are rated 10KW or less.

To recap, the cost of energy production depends on average annual energy production (AEP), total cost of installation, recurring cost for operations and maintenance, and the discount rate. Read More

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Wind Expo LAWEA 2008

Guadalajara, Mexico
November 5-7, 2008

"Wind Power and Renewable Energy Conference and Exhibition"
WECC's Pramod Jain, Ph.D., has been invited to speak at the event on the one-off model and small wind projects. Read More

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