LE-300 is the most affordable and lightweight, yet powerful and robust micro wind turbine you can think of. With a rotor diameter of just 1.0 metres and its tiny weight of just 6 kgs, this low-priced and very versatile Home Power generator is fast and easy to set up and deploy. Quality-builtin the U. K. and using maintenance-free and sealed-for-life rare earth generators, the design life of this unit is 20 years. Expected annual power production is 240 KWh to 1050 KWh (for sites averaging  4.1 m/s or 8.0 m/s resepctively).

Why choose the LE-300 Wind Turbine

• Extremely quiet because of our Whispower^TM blades
• Lightweight – just 6kg – and easy to mount
• Starts generating in very low winds, delivers high power in very strong winds
• Robust aluminium chassis finished using Airbus approved paint
• A4 stainless steel fixings used throughout.
• Pairs of top quality, marine grade, sealed for life bearings used
• Excellent reliability with a 5 year warranty
• Superior battery protection system

When it comes to low-energy lamps, it is often confusing to know what’s right and what’s wrong: too much irritating advertising, sometimes unwarranted claims of “eco-friendliness”, price wars that can distort the picture. In order for you to make informed decisions, we would like to help you educate yourself about energy-saving lamps.

First of all, it is important to point out that CFLs are NOT the way to go: every tube including the ones contained in CFLs leave poisenuos heavy metals when discarded (like mercury contaminating drinking water supplies). CFLs also have a high-current “ignition” unit that emits Electromagnetic Fields or EMFs that are potentially harmful to your health. Also, CFLs are roughly 30% less energy-efficient than their more recent LED counterparts. The last point alone partly defies the idea of “eneergz efficiency” for CFLs.

LED (light-emitting diodes) have entered the race for lighting our buildings a lot later but have been around for some time now. Even if their price tag usually shows higher upfront prices, these are amortized by LED-based lamps’ better efficiency. An old 60 W light bulb can be replaced with LED lams of just 4 W, therefore using just 1/15th of power. So it’s a good idea to pay a few pennies more upfront and get LED lamps right away that last longer (25-30 years, almost like a good mini wind turbine). The bottom line is that LED lamps surpass those low-energy CFLs and can total 90%-94% in energy savings and pay for themselves many times over, despite their higher initial purchasing cost.

Also, LEDs don’t wear out from heavy turning on and off and are thus suitable for all kinds of rooms including the ones you enter for just a few moments before switching the light off again. Remember, those strobe lights for bikes use LEDs without any wear and tear.

Add to this the absence of any harmful EMFs and the peace of mind that you may use them even at less than 5 ft from your head, and the LED is the clear overall winner for your lighting needs.

The highest mini wind FIT in the world is offered by the Canadian province of Nova Scotia since September 19th, 2011, but with a twist: the province has skipped solar energy altogether (not just PV but even highly efficient solar thermal and CSP) which has rightly been called ‘outright criminal’ by a local Halifax, NS newspaper; also, the ‘ComFIT’ scheme is limited to community projects only and thus excludes mainstream participants. It seems the province tried to make an ‘impressive program as cheap as possible’ and that some learning is still required in Nova Scotia. We do hope that current flaws are not permanent and that improvements will follow soon.

The Nova Scotia ComFIT appears to be a work in progress anyway with numerous updates and revamps being made already. Initially, the small wind band was even higher (at Can$0.66 per KWh) and has already been significantly reduced. We hope that reasonable additions will include an attractive FIT rate for solar technologies too and would like to stress that, although being less famous for their sunshine than Nova Scotia itself, even the U. K does have solar incentives including a very promising solar thermal FIT equivalent of 18p per KWh.

A new iPhone app for monitoring Home Power systems while on the move has been announced by Enecsys, a micro inverter manufacturer based in the U. K. and Germany.

The new iPhone app is compatible with all Apple iOS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch) and displays generation information from Enecsys micro inverters. Micro inverters are a novel and efficient way of converting DC power from solar panels to appliance-grade AC (120 Volts/60 Hz in America or 230 Volts/50 Hz in Europe). Unlike central or string inverters connecting to an entire array of PV panels and requiring complicated and costly DC cabling, micro inverters plug in to one or two solar panels each and connect to the grid using ordinary plugs and a free socket.

Whereas central and string inverters usually require installation by a certified electrician, micro inverters are suitable for do-it-yourselfers as setup is easy and similar to plugging in a PC, radio or stereo equipment.

The new iPhone app makes monitoring of photovoltaic modules even simpler and more convenient. Launched at Intersolar Europe 2011 later this month, the app will be available direct from Apple’s iTunes store. Please register here to get notified once the app is released and available for immediate download.

Enecsys solar PV micro inverter becomes the world’s first without electrolytic capacitors to gain U. S. certification to UL1741 standard

Cambridge, U. K., January 8, 2011: Enecsys Limited, a solar PV micro inverter company, has announced UL1741 certification for its products. The patented design of the Enecsys micro inverter uses a rugged topology that eliminates electrolytic capacitors and opto-couplers, components that limit operating life and compromise reliability. Enecsys 240W micro inverters are the first micro inverters without electrolytic capacitors to achieve UL1741 certification. The same product is also certified for use in Europe, making Enecsys is the first company to introduce a truly global solar PV micro inverter. The inverter has an operating life expectancy of greater than 25 years, matching that of solar PV modules. This transforms the economic model of solar PV systems through greatly enhanced system reliability, energy harvest, ease of installation and improved system safety.

Solar PV systems based on micro inverters harvest from 5 to 20% more energy over the life of the system, compared to traditional string inverter based systems. In a micro-inverter based system Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) is performed on each solar module and thus maximizing energy harvest even under partial shading, module mismatch or obstructions from leaves or debris. Systems are simpler to design and install and are safer because the high-voltage DC present in conventional solar PV installations is not present. No string inverter is needed because the DC output of each solar module is converted to AC using a micro-inverter mounted on the rack behind each module. This eliminates the central point-of-failure and the primary failure mechanism found in traditional inverters systems and micro inverters currently available in the market.

The reliability of Enecsys micro inverters has been verified using HALT, HASS and accelerated life tests to IEC61215, the same methodology used to test solar PV modules. The micro-inverters maintain full performance from -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C, ensuring efficient operation in real-world conditions. The Enecsys Wireless Monitoring System provides real time performance information for each solar module in order to maintain the high performance of the solar PV system throughout the operating lifetime.

The Enecsys micro inverter is designed to operate in both North American (60Hz) and European (50Hz) electricity grid systems. The micro inverters are safety and EMC evaluated to EN 62109, UL1741, TUV and CE. Country-specific requirements, including VDE V 0126-1: 2006 compliance, are achieved through the use of specific Enecsys installation products.

The beauty of a play in residential-scale Green Energy is its capability of hedging against both a general economic downturn and an increase in electricity prices at one go. Both are likely to happen rather soon (and yes, even though it may sound contradictory from a conventional economic point of view to have both a severe recession or even deflation and an increase in energy prices at roughly the same time, this is still a very likely scenario). The supporting fundamentals for both are in place, it’s just a matter of time for them to materialize.

Click here to read more…

Micro inverters are a very innovative apporach to deploying truly modular solar PV systems.

A number of different micro inverter models have been developed lately, largely based on an innovation originating at Cambridge University and commercially developed by Enecsys. The Involar M-250 micro inverter is another implementation based on this concept, and while there is a certain smell to it, we are reporting on that latter product here. All micro inverters convert DC collected from a single solar panel or two into AC, tie PV modules together using AC connections rather than expensive and highly resistant DC connections, later transport the generated power to the grid, and usually also include components for monitoring power generation data. On top of the Involar M-250, we also offer the European-made Enecsys quality micro inverter models ranging from 200 Watts to 480 Watts and will add U. S. quality inverters in the near future. Enecsys inverters are fully UL-approved for the U. S. and Canada with the European models CE, UK G-83, German VDE 0126-1-1 certified.

The following is quoted (and slightly polished) from the Chinese producer’s description:

”
A schmeatic overview of a micro inverter setup

The following steps elucidate the basic working princilples behind the INVOLAR micro inverter:

Step One

Solar photovoltaic modules convert light energy to direct current through the photoelectric effect.

Step Two

Micro inverters attached to photovoltaic modules finish the DC-AC conversion process.

Step Three

Synchronize and transport energy to the grid through phase-lock technologies with speed and precision.

Remark 1：Independent modules supported by micro inverters (250W) could form a parallel connection for a larger power requirement
Remark 2：MIS =Micro Inverter System

Features of the M250 Microinverter

* Maximizes energy harvest – Different from conventional centralized inverters, M250 micro inverters conduct per-module MPPT, maximizing the efficiency of each single module with a consequent 25% increase in energy harvest.

* Applicable to various conditions – M250 micro inverters allow for mismatch of photovoltaic modules, and each module can make flexible reactions to obstruction shading, inter-row shading, and obstacles such as dust or debris to avoid a sharp decrease in system efficiency.

* Improved safety – With the built-in DC-AC conversion function, M250 micro inverters avoid dangerous HV DC circuits necessary to photovoltaic systems supported by conventional centralized inverters.

* Fast problem diagnosis & solution – With PLC (Power Line Communications, i e electricity network) or WiFi technology, it is convenient to maintain real-time monitoring of every single module in the photovoltaic system.

* Low failure rate – M250 micro inverter’s distributed framework ensures no single point of failure that would result in bringing the whole system down.

* Plug-and-play installation – Free from the HV DC circuit, photovoltaic systems supported by M250 micro inverters could have fast, easy, and safe installation by allowing for PV module mismatch, a 15-25% decrease of installation time and cost, and flexibility in the changing of systems.

* excellent INVOLAR M250 micro inverter is the result of the technical design with a high efficiency in its standard of air power supply, high power density, and high reliability.

* By making use of the resonance soft-switching technology in MAC250 micro inverter’s main circuit, the switch frequency reaches near thousands of kHz, reducing wear and tear of the switch.

* small, lightweight, high frequency transformer that achieves electrical isolation, power conversion, and high power density.

* intrinsically safe current source hardware topology and high reliability.

Micro inverter technology by INVOLAR has resulted in a revolutionary device that is fully integrated into each individual module, converting DC to AC at the module level, with an independent MPPT function. INVOLAR’s micro-inverters outperform centralized inverters in:

1. Module-level Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)

Different from the conventional centralized PV inverter, the microinverter enables each individual module to achieve MPPT, which allows for module mismatches and can harvest more solar power.

2. Increased Efficiency during the System’s Life Cycle

With the microinverter technology, the photovoltaic system receives a dramatically higher power output, more than 25% additional energy harvest in a less-than-ideal environment with possible obstruction shading, inter-row shading, and obstacles such as dust or debris.

3.Intelligence and Reliability

With the distributed microinverter framework, there is no single point of failure, which means that failure of any module will only affect its own performance and will NOT affect the other modules’ performances.

Involar’s unique Power Line Communication (PLC) and internet technologies enable real-time monitoring of every single module in the photovoltaic system for fast diagnosis and solution to a problem, thus improve reliability and system uptime.
”

We recommend switching off the integrated WiFi transmitters and use powerline communications instead in order to avoid potentially harmful EMF exposure; shield powerlines if necessary in order to insulate against powerline-transmitted high frequency signals. The full set of monitoring features is still available when using the less hazardous PLC and cable-Ethernet data transmission.

The INVOLAR remote monitoring system is based on a so-called ETU which is in effect a piggy-back box containing a data transmission unit. This unit is locked to transmit data to the manufacturer’s central data base on a proprietary protocol using internet protocol (high port 7001). If micro inverter user employs any sort of meaningful firewalling policy (blocking transmissions from the inside over non-standard ports) or if you just feel uneasy (actually, we do somehow…) to send your private solar energy data to some black box located in China and Chinese-controlled, you may want to use the “naked” micro inverter or multiple micro inverter units only.

Internet usage directives and Netiquette require every internet user to save bandwith and not flood the network or cause any jams by unnecessary usage. Transmitting a continuous data stream all the way to China is not exactly in line with proper internet use or common sense.

INVOLAR micro inverters can as well be run, and their other technical advantages such as increased output per panel can be used, without remote monitoring and without the “ETU” add-on. In order to lower installation cost — and in light of the above security considerations — you might be well-advised or simply want to go for such a bare-bones solution.

We do provide both solutions as an option, but feel it is our duty to be fair and raise the issue above for everyone to decide for themselves. In a simple consumer or Home Power setting the above issue may be less significant.

With or without the ETU the Involar M250 micro inverter enhances both modularity and configurability of solar PV arrays and, by eliminating DC line resistance, increase performance per solar panel up to 25%. Using a micro inverter, both accessory unit cost and maintenance cost can be decreased significantly in solar PV systems.

Micro inverters may also be used with micro wind turbines and is suitable for models from 50 W up to approx 1000 W rated power (depending on actual local wind conditions) when connected to a suitable regulator (or diversion or dump load). The Involar M250 along with the high-quality U. K.-manufactured Enecsys micro inverters are currently undergoing tests with LE-v50, LE-300 and the Airdolphin DC turbines.

We are glad to announce a novel CSP generator unit that is both extremely powerful and small in size. Using Concentrating Solar Power, the SopoLite™ unit generates heat for both power generation or direct heat applications (hot water, air conditioning/refrigeration, process heat). The SopoLite™ system is available as a part of the Mini Wind & Solar Technologies program by ecoPen Ltd.

SopoLite™ can be adapted to Home Power applications and is suitable for larger-scale power generation including commercial process heat and electricity generation using thermal engines. Sopogy trough technology can be configured to replace natural gas or other fossil power plants and significantly reduce carbon emmissions.

The system consists of a scaled down version of Sopogy’s parabolic trough that is able to follow the sun from east to west during the course of the day. As in a typical solar field, a mineral oil circulating through the system gains temperature as the parabolic trough is focused at the sun with a proprietary tracking system. The heat generated in this fashion is typically used for electricity generation, air conditioning and process heat applications. On the SopoLite™, various sensors measure the temperature gain, the flow velocities, solar irradiance, wind speed, rainfall and ambient temperature. These parameters are used to determine the thermal output of the collectors. The sophisticated controls allow remote access to evaluate all relevant data through an interactive graphic interface.

Pre-configured SopoLite™ systems are able to cover larger and commercial energy needs and are priced around £49,600.00 in the U. K. or roughly €54,800.00 in Eurozone and other EEC countries. Although residential-scale or small business systems can be deployed, SopoLite™ systems are tailoured for and primarily focused towards larger-scale residential developments, real estate management, commercial energy users and businesses who want to green their operations and significantly cut on high energy cost.

In the U. K., SopoLite™ systems are expected to be eligible for payments of 18.6p per KWh equivalent generated under the MCS Solar Thermal scheme (green energy cashback).

For further details, to discuss system requirements or to receive a no-obligation quote for an individual project, please contact us using the Reply field below.

A revolutionary design, patented blades and an extremely high output ratio — these are the main features of a micro wind turbine truly “Made in Germany” but without the associated cost of most of the VW models people put in their driveways these days.

The BreezeBreaker 500 is under 5 ft (1.5 m) in diameter and costs under $1500. Developed by a 19-year old inventor from Hannover, Germany, this turbine has the lowest weight-to-output ratio in the world and undercuts Japan’s Zephyr Airdolphin Z1000-25 and Airdolphin GTO™ “next generation” models by roughly one third.

It did not take very long for the “next generation” to start looking like a rather old one: BreezeBreaker 500 by 19 years old Fritz Unger does not only sport a sensational weight-to-output ratio (just 11.875 grams per Watt of rated power) but also makes clever use of rotor physics: 2-blade designs are generally far superior to more blades as 2-blade rotors reduce blade turbulence and suffer significantly less wind energy loss.

Interested? Leave a reply below or e-mail mwt@miniwindsystems.com, and we will get back to you with full manufacturer details.

Fancy a mini wind turbine? Like to save a bundle on energy cost or even make money by “selling” back — that is, export or feed-out electricity– to the grid? Sounds good?

Well it is — unless you get tricked into buying one of those attrative, cheap, and too-good-to-be-true junk turbines or dream up the impossible. Both are going to not work and will only cost you money. They will also give mini wind turbines or Home Power in general a bad name. Educate yourself before you buy! Be aware of the physical constaints and don’t ever assume that it might be possible to spin some little wheel from China up on your roof for a few hundred bucks or so. Never ever assume to even make lots of money from a junk turbine either.

It is just not that easy.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, this applies as much to Home Power generation as to any other area this phrase has been coined for. Do not believe any adverts touting cheap or apparently “affordable” products that will cover all your electricity needs or even promise you to effortlessly cash in big on “excess energy” exported to the grid. If it sounds “too good to be true”, it usually is. If it promises spectacular percentage returns, slash a few zeros. Don’t overestimate the potential of Home Power. Don’t expect to get rich quick, get rid of all your worries or make a lot of money with your mini wind turbine.

This does not mean it can’t be done — you need to know what you’re doing though, and you just won’t get it for “cheap”.

First of all, you need to live in a suitable location or at least have a chance to set up a proper tower for your mini wind project. Not all kinds of “wind” are suitable just because you can feel it in your face. The energy that can be harvested from the wind is better in “clean” wind situations. Buildings, trees and terrain shape may slow down the wind or cause turbulence. Slow wind, obviously, decreases potential energy output and may “cost” you some of your return. Turbulences do the same but also cause additional stress on the turbine, decrease its lifetime and, that way, may cost you even more. Overly simplified and as a rule of thumb, a mini wind turbine needs to sit about 30 feet above any obstacle within a 300 feet range. To get good results, a 40 foot tower would be needed in most areas. Unless for very special tubine designs or in a particularly suitable spot, roof-top deployment is not suitable.

This is why people say “flying” a mini wind turbine.

Flying is expensive — this also applies to flying your mini wind turbine. A suitable tower may very well cost as much as the turbine itself. Still, this is a good investment as it would be a waste of money to use a tower that is too low: if feeding-out electricity to the grid is your objective, this would be uneconomical and unnecessarily prolong the payback period of your equipment or make your mini wind project inefficient by design.

The bottom line is: never buy any garbage turbine from China or your average sweat-shop economy across the ocean, over alibaba.com, or eBay or you’ll lose money. Never use a tower that is too low or you’ll lose a good part of your profits (or the chance to make any profits at all). You don’t find suitable turbines in a local garden center either. Educate yourself before you spend any serious money, read a few books and know what you are doing before you buy your equipment. If you do it right, you may be able to make some money or even come up with very decent returns percentagewise. The key is doing your homework and knowing your numbers (which includes doing a proper wind survey). Then, Mini Wind may indeed turn out to be what you always were looking for.