Gaia-Wind manufactures wind turbines for light industrial, agricultural, commercial, municipal and residential use. Our clients include working farms, educational institutions, large home owners, offices and other commercial premises. To date, there are over 200 worldwide Gaia-Wind installations, representing over 1000 years of combined operational history.
Gaia-Wind turbines incorporate over 20 years of Danish wind industry design experience and offer features that are usually only found in larger, utility scale turbines. They include:
- Direct, Inverter-less grid connection with an asynchronous induction generator
- Redundant safety systems that stops the rotor in excessive wind conditions
- Low constant rotor speed for quiet and efficient operation
- Advanced controller that monitors and manages turbine operation, performance, safety and power quality
Another outstanding feature of Gaia-Wind turbines is their oversized rotor design. This allows the turbine to capture up to 80% more wind energy than other similarly rated equipment, enhancing project economics and maximizing the return on your investment. The large rotor also ensures optimum performance in low to moderate wind speed regimes (10-12mph).
A Gaia-Wind turbine generating around 30,000 kWh of green electricity per year, will offset around 17 tonnes of CO2 emissions from existing energy generation. This is sufficient to bring the carbon footprint of the average four person household back to zero (household energy use + car + air travel).
Turbine Design and Use
The Gaia-Wind turbine is in the ‘small wind turbine category’ and has a peak rated output of 11kW. It produces an energy yield that is practical for supplying electricity to properties such as farms, large residences, offices, small businesses and public buildings where the primary goal is to reduce the amount of electricity imported rather than generate specifically for export. The turbine has been developed according to ‘Danish design’; the design basis for most of the large commercial turbines used today. Like its bigger relatives, it has a slow rotational speed (61RPM) which remains constant regardless of the wind speed. It also incorporates many of the control and safety features found in larger utility-scale turbines.
The Gaia-Wind turbine is configured to give an optimal yield in moderate wind speed sites i.e. those with an annual average wind speed in the range of 4.5-7.5 m/s (10-12mph).
(NB - The Gaia-Wind 133-11 kW turbine uses an asynchronous generator to produce a grid matched output. It requires a 3 phase electrical connection. It does not require an inverter.)
Visual Presentation of a Gaia-Wind 133-11 kW Turbine
Tower: 18m high (60ft), constructed from galvanized steel in either a lattice or tubular form. The lattice open form merges into backgrounds such as trees or hills and fades with distance. The tubular form compliments modern structures.
Other tower heights are available on request.
Rotor: Slow turning at nominal speed of 61RPM (independent of wind speed). Light grey, reflection free fibreglass blades
Gaia-Wind 133-11 kW Turbine Footprint
Assembly Height - The standard turbine assembly is mounted on an 18m high tower. The hub of the rotor is at 18.3m (60ft). The rotor is a twin blade design and is manufactured as a single composite unit 13m (42.6ft)in) in diameter. When in the vertical position, the tip of the rotor extends to a height of 24.8m (81.3ft) and the lowest point is 11.8m (38.7ft) above the ground. This is around 1/5th the height of a typical turbine found on a modern wind farm.
Foundation – The bottom of the tower is bolted onto a reinforced concrete base with dimensions 5 x 5 x 0.55m (16.4 x 16.4 x 1.8ft).
Cabling- The turbine is connected to the building power supply at the main fuse box via an armoured cable buried at a depth of 0.75m (2.5ft).
Online Performance Monitoring
We are also able to offer real-time continual monitoring of the performance of your wind turbine through our unique web-based solution:
Safety and Control
The control system has been developed from the controllers of large turbines. It contains multiple sensors which continuously monitor the status and performance of the turbine. The internet connection for the controller means the wind turbine can be monitored online.
You will also be able to view historical production overviews. With this particular function, a grey windy day becomes a bit more enjoyable when you can monitor the amount of energy being produced by your own wind turbine.
