Questions & Answers
Powerhelix Wind Turbine under evaluation
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Do wind turbines come with ancilliary equipment? |
For the time being only additional electronic devices which are needed for the grid feed or to the self-sufficiency of each installation (loading regulator, connection equipment, battery benches) offered by us. Our experienced advisers will however with recommend additional devices, like electrical heating, infrared heating, 12, 24, 36 or 48 volt battery benches, and if required electric cars, electric bicycles, etc.
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Are wind turbines only white or grey? |
The POWERHELIX turbines are manufactured mainly in aviation-white with grey wings. These colours are not only neutral, but also are most resistant to UV radiation. However, other colours are also possible of course.
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Are wind turbines weather resistant? |
The POWERHELIX turbines are made of fibreglass-reinforced plastic and high-grade steel. These materials are used in High Tech aircraft construction.
| Can commercial buildings, hotels, public buildings etc, use POWERHELIX? |
Of course, commercial and public buildings are ideal for the installation of a bigger number of POWERHELIX turbines. Trade halls, public buildings, medical centres, schools, factories can be converted. It could be possible to be self-sufficient with their own power station in the form of a big battery bank, which could produce enough power to completely run the building , or at least to drastically reduce energy costs.
| Can I cover the energy need of my electric heating with POWERHELIX? |
This should be possible when running electric heating or even better when using an infrared heating system, for this the POWERHELIX turbine is ideal. Of course a detailed location analysis is necessary to estimate the necessary number of POWERHELIX turbines and generators required.
| Can I cover the energy needs of my house with the POWERHELIX turbine? |
This is possible under certain circumstances; it depends on the location of the house, the number of the POWERHELIX turbines, the local-prevailing wind speed as well as the size of the battery bank and the generator used. It also depends on your average consumption and the setup of your POWERHELIX plant. Our advisers will explain the best installations suitable for you, and what you may expect.
| Can I install several POWERHELIX turbines on my roof? |
Yes, only the length of the cable limits the number of the POWERHELIX turbines on the roof. Thus the achievement can be doubled, trebled or multiplied even more.
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Can the POWERHELIX Turbines over-rev? |
The speed of the POWERHELIX Turbines is limited by the special design and requires neither a mechanical nor an electric brake.
| Can I use POWERHELIX also inside cities? |
Of course the POWERHELIX turbine can also to be used inside cities. Of course the location is more important there than one selected in rural areas. When many properties stand side by side, with covered situations or high buildings, it can lead to losses of output achievement. However, there are also many exposed locations inside towns and cities in which the POWERHELIX turbines are totally suitable and work very well. Properties can be heated using the new design of infrared heating powered by POWERHELIX turbines.
In towns and cities we have what is known as the 'town wind', that originates from the warmth in a town, produced by exhaust gas, heating systems and industrial buildings, this produces a mainly upward wind.
To balance this flow, air must be dragged from the surroundings inside the city, this means a constant wind change in urban conurbations, which you can feel on roofs and balconies at 2nd, 3rd or higher floors in buildings.
| Does the POWERHELIX make noises? |
No, the POWERHELIX Turbines are absolutely silent. Customary wind arrangements have long blades; with higher speeds they start to hiss and to whistle. The POWERHELIX Turbine remains silent at all speeds. Our turbines do not have these blade points and are automatically speed-restricted
| Do we recommend Electric or Infrared heating powered by POWERHELIX Turbine? |
Electric heating and/or infrared heating is recommended of course ideally as a solution together with the POWERHELIX Turbine, through this, an almost free heating symbiosis originates, a clean and cheap heating solution for the future.
| How big is the wind-effective surface of the POWERHELIX turbines? |
The wind-effective surface of the POWERHELIX - 200 turbines wings is more than 5,5 m ². The wind pressure is extremely high.
| How long do the battery benches last? |
As mentioned previously, the battery benches are given a life span of a minimum 18 years by the manufacturer. We expect them to last much longer.
| How long is the delivery time for installation of POWERHELIX on my roof? |
The aim is to maintain a delivery time of approx. 4 weeks.
| How long is the guarantee on the POWERHELIX Turbines? |
On all devices made by us, we grant a 5-year guarantee. However, the life span is expected to be some decades, because we use only high-quality materials and place the extreme quality of our products first.
| How many POWERHELIX can I install behind or side by side? |
The number of side by side top roof mounted POWERHELIX Turbines is limited only by the roof ridge length, otherwise the number is endless.The electronic components must be adapted to application. There will be communities, using one building or maybe more, where generating the required energy has to be planned on an individual basis.
| How many sizes of the POWERHELIX turbine are available? |
There will first of all be one size of the POWERHELIX turbine available, the POWERHELIX - 200 turbine is approximately. 230 cm long and has a diameter of 180 cm. POWERHELIX output is about app. max 5KW depending on the rotor blades calculations. This depends however on the output generator.
The generator performs, depending on the size chosen, between 1.8 KW~ 3 KW in wind strength 5 - 6, with a peak level above 5KW.
It can be installed vertically or horizontally. It is suited for all pitched or flat roofs, Further sizes are planned and are under development. It is important that cost of the unit is more than justified by the extra output gained.
| Is it necessary to service the POWERHELIX Turbines? |
Our POWERHELIX Turbines do not need regular servicing. Only the finest quality materials and bearings are used in the manufacture of our products. Should it ever become necessary for repair then of course spare parts will be easily available.
| Is the generating output limited? |
The output is limited only by the generator installed and the available wind force, however, of course you can install a number POWERHELIX Turbines to raise the generating output. The design and output of POWERHELIX Turbines is constantly improving, so in the future each installation can be improved as new generators become available.
| Is POWERHELIX also suitable for flat roofs? |
Powerhelix Turbines are especially suited for use on flat roofs. With the special design of the second wing, even a small amount of wind will commence the generation process. One major advantage of installation on a flat roof is that the turbine may not be visible from ground level. As mentioned previously, the application possibilities are endless.
| Is POWERHELIX suitable for every roof? |
The POWERHELIX Turbines are suitable for every roof, pitched and flat roofs; On each type we can mount the turbine horizontally or vertically. Should it not be able to be fastened to the roof directly, a wired connection is possible on the house wall. We find in all cases, a solution.
| Is the POWERHELIX turbine also effective standing vertically? |
POWERHELIX turbines work equally well when installed vertically. They really are true wind - high performers. You lose some of the advantage of the higher efficiency of a sloping roof, compared with customary wind annexes, however, by the special design of the second wing you still have all of the other unbeatable advantages, like
- Many other location and installation possibilities
- No wing adjustment necessary
- Begins power generation with the slightest wind movement
- Noiseless
| Is the POWERHELIX turbine suitable for single-family dwellings? |
Yes, it is suited for all houses with pitched and flat roofs not directly covered by other buildings or area forms. Houses with roofs directed to most often prevailing wind direction are suited best of course. However, in vertical installation the wind adjustment makes relatively no difference.
| Is the power output of POWERHELIX turbines the same at every location? |
The output of the POWERHELIX turbines will be the same so long as the wind speed is the same, unfortunately, the wind differs in intensity at all places. The average wind speed at you're location is probably best known by yourself. Information on wind speeds/directions can be found on the Internet. However, the installation at a "sheltered from the wind" location would make very little sense.
| Must POWERHELIX be protected specially against storm? |
No, a storm connection is not needed as POWERHELIX Turbines from the outset are optimally fastened. Only high-class connection materials are used by our professional personal depending on the roof forms and materials used. Also a lightning flash protection is planned. Storm strength to 250 km/h is planned. POWERHELIX Turbines are dependant only on the construction of the roof in storm conditions.
| What are the main advantages of POWERHELIX turbines? |
One is able:
- To be autonomous from the use of other energy providers
- To reduce dramatically the amount of power from the public grid
- Feed the generated energy into the grid, to produce reimbursement
- Get together with several other users and sell the energy generated
- Pursue only the heating with POWERHELIX Turbine (INFRARED Heating)
- Generate the energy needed for your battery driven car
- Parallel management, i.e. the generated energy of the POWERHELIX Turbines is used to power your property directly, when too much is produced, the energy goes to the public grid and the meter stops, or runs possibly backward. Should you not produce enough energy, you are again supplied from the public grid, and your meter stops when the POWERHELIX turbine again supplies all the energy required. This a no battery solution - with the least amount of expense. However, all of must be arranged with the local energy supplier. The possibilities are endless.
| What do we supply with the POWERHELIX turbine? |
The rotor sheets, the wings, frame, the connection material and the generator are included together with the mounting fittings etc, along with necessary gear reductions. NO electronic components are included as they are different from case to case and dependent on customer requirements. Our expert staff will advise you regarding these items when designing your system.
| What is the cost of the batteries? |
The price of the batteries varies according to the achievement required, therefore, it can vary (from 320, - up to 650, - € per battery). In any case, a minimum of 12, and much better, 24 batteries are needed. Each installation requirement is different.
| What output performance from single POWERHELIX turbines? |
POWERHELIX - 200 turbines produce between 50 ~ 5,000 watts with wind force between 2 and 18 m/sec. depending on the built-in generator.
| Which additional devices do I need for my own energy need? |
If you want to use all of your own generated energy, or for a community etc. you will need 1 or several POWERHELIX turbines, the power regulator, switching gear, battery bank, an emergency circuit connected into the national grid as well as the necessary supply supervision instruments. We can offer all of the required electronic devices at the best possible prices. These components are available from a number of major electronic manufacturers and we can advise you of the best options when designing your system.
| Which additional devices do I need to feed into the energy grid? |
To feed the energy grid you need from us a suitable power inverter, we can deliver the required electronics to you and install. Indeed, the energy providers require additional electronics for the grid supervision, which also must be installed. Costs are relatively high, and if one sees this against the reimbursement paid by the energy providers, the question arises whether a grid feed makes economic sense. For these reasons we always recommend to aim at parallel management or at an island solution with a strong battery bank and in these cases several turbines to be independent from the energy grid. With an emergency circuit to the energy grid, in case of long periods absolute calm, and the accumulators are empty. Then you only need to maintain the absolute minimum basic charge to remain connected with the energy grid. With further developments on battery technology during the coming years, this will be become necessary less and less. Parallel management is still a great possibility as the energy providers become more aware of the need for independent generation and more grants become available for the costs of installation; however, all this depends on the co-operation of the responsible energy provider.
| Which battery benches are recommended for POWERHELIX? |
As island solution (self-caterer) batteries are necessary of course for power storage. For the time being we only recommend armoured record lead batteries, because they offer real professional quality, long life span (18 years in accordance with manufacturer). A tremendous AMOUNT of charge/discharges together with very high performance from, 300 AH, up to, 3,500 AH). Of course this has a price, but these are unique acquisitions with a long life span. In future we will offer lithium ions batteries, these are lighter and smaller with bigger achievement density. We hope to have these available soon.
| Which battery size do I need? |
The battery size depends on how much energy you need every day based on an average, and how long you want to remain self-sufficient with calm weather, e.g., 3 days of calm or 14 days.
| Which generator is used with the POWERHELIX turbine? |
A brushless generator which works with strong neodymium magnets is used. This generates a power stream which works with the help of gear reductions to create the most efficient speed area. This guarantees the best possible high energy efficiency. The disadvantage is a high weight to speed ratio. We have own generator under development which will address all the disadvantages of the present generators. This will revolutionise the wind produced energy market. It is hoped that the new generator will be available in 2009.
| Which type of electricity is generated with the POWERHELIX turbine? |
POWERHELIX generated electricity is an alternating voltage, the same as that produced by the generating companies and is highly regulated. Alternating voltage can be fed without big losses by smaller cable cross sections and, therefore, requires no "thick" cables.
| With which wind speed do the POWERHELIX turbines start producing? |
With the special styling; the POWERHELIX turbines start with very low wind speeds. POWERHELIX - 200 turbines will generate power with wind speed of approx. 1.5 m/sec.and will produce huge torque.
| Who installs the electric components? |
The electric and electronic components, as well as the battery benches are installed by experts from POWERHELIX, this can be also carried out in the future by selected professional companies.
| Who installs the POWERHELIX turbines? |
The installation is made by employees from POWERHELIX, because we vouch not only for the quality of the devices, but also for their expert installation. Nevertheless, in the future this will be also carried out by selected and qualified professional companies.
| Why do POWERHELIX turbines perform substantially better than other small wing arrangements? |
The POWERHELIX turbines differ in several ways from other wing arrangements. It is the special patented design of the wings on the POWERHELIX turbine which works like 2 wing arrangements in one. The wings cover not only the "counter pressure side"; to develop additional torque, but the POWERHELIX design provides optimum exploitation of the available wind. The exposed situation on a pitched roof provides almost doubled efficiency by using the pressure balance differential of both roof sides,sides; this cannot be done with any other customary wing arrangement. Of course the efficiency of the POWERHELIX turbine is also excellent when standing vertically.