Small Wind: Maybe Not Ready for Prime Time Yet

For quite a while, small wind turbines have been in the “kinda crazy” segment of the greentech industry. Not the “We can replace all of the world’s oil imports with deep fat fryer grease and dryer lint” crazy. But more like hydrogen crazy: an interesting idea that has to take a backseat to more immediate and practical ideas like solar panels.

How impractical are some of these ideas? There’s the flying sausage from Magenn or the kites from Makani Power, a company I’m convinced is actually a day spa.

A week ago, an exec from a company that performs energy retrofits derided them as “eye candy.” They are visible, tangible proof that companies are doing the right thing, but add little (particularly when compared with better insulation or turning off lights) in terms of reducing energy consumption. And this is someone who sells them.

Nonetheless, the technology from companies like Marquiss Wind Power and Southwest Wind Power has been improving. $30 million in VC funds was invested last year.

Now, the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust says that, in a study of 21 small wind turbines, the estimates of power production are three times higher than the actual output. The main culprit isn’t the turbines themselves: it is the implementation. It’s tough to find a windy spot. Buildings, after all, aren’t built with maximum wind exposure in mind. Read more at the News.com link.

If anything, this report could in the long run help companies, like Marquiss and Southwest that have invested considerable time in testing the output in different circumstances.