July 2009 – Gaia-Wind recently completed their first sale in the state of New York. The turbine will complement the energy supply to a rural residence and is scheduled for installation in the autumn. The project has received approval for NYSERDA funding and will be implemented by Pyrus Energy, one of Gaia-Wind’s authorized resellers in the state.

Gaia-Wind small wind turbines incorporate more than 20 years of Danish wind industry design experience and include features that are typically only found in larger, utility scale wind generators: direct grid-connection; redundant safety systems; advanced turbine controller, amongst others. An oversized rotor enables the turbine to capture between 50-80% more wind energy than other similarly rated equipment.  The large rotor diameter also delivers increased performance in low to moderate wind speed conditions.  To date, there are over 200 worldwide Gaia-Wind installations. In the US, Gaia-Wind turbines qualify for the Small Wind Investment Tax Credit and are eligible for state funding in NY, WI, and NJ, with other areas soon to come.

Farmers, ranchers and rural business owners have until July 31, 2009 to apply for the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants. The grants provide funds to purchase and install small wind turbines (or other renewable energy systems).

May 2009 -  The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have released the interim results of their Independent Testing Program for Small Wind Turbines that began last year.  The results were presented by Amy Bowen, NREL Electrical Test Engineer, during WindPower 2009 in Chicago.  Four small wind turbines, including the Gaia-Wind 133-11kW, participated in this program conducted at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) in Boulder, CO.  The site is accredited by the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) to conduct power performance, power quality, noise, safety and function, and duration tests to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards.

Three of the five tests have been completed to date: safety and function, duration and power performance.  The Gaia-Wind turbine met the pass requirements for all tests.  Moreover, in terms of estimated annual power production, it outperformed its nearest comparable peer by a factor of nearly 3 to 1.  This result further validates the value proposition that Gaia-Wind is the ‘best performing small wind turbine in low to moderate wind speeds’.

The complete test report can be downloaded here.