Concept in “Small Wind”

I’ve been having a discussion with an inventor of a product in the “small wind” energy space (i.e., anything under 100KW) whose website is linked above.  He had asked my advice about his concept, which is summarized as follows:

The hanging windmill doesn’t require a tower.

The 4 foot diameter machine weighs 15 pounds and can be hung on a line, tree branch or hook.  It doesn’t require a permit because it isn’t a permanent structure.  It can be lowered to the ground easily for maintenance.  I’ve put a battery onboard.  It should do up to 100 watts in 20 mph wind.  I’m hoping to get the cost below $100, and sell it for $300.

I advise:

You’re obviously high on this idea, and I applaud your enthusiasm.  Nothing great in this world ever happened without great enthusiasm (Emerson).  But I think you should take steps to disconfirm your beliefs re: how cool this may be.  Ask yourself tough questions:

• What’s the history of efforts to commercialize small wind (“micro” in this case)?  Exactly why has it been such a train wreck?

• Obviously, you’re not the first one to think of putting a turbine near the ground; people don’t just want to put things up in the air for no reason. What’s the difference between the wind conditions that your typical customer is likely to encounter vs. those 80 feet above ground?

• You’re probably not unique in your idea that lowering the cost of maintenance is a good idea, or that it would be nice to do all this without a permit, or that storing excess energy makes sense.  What have been the results of similar inventions?

I think you need to honestly confront some of these truths.  Why don’t you do a bit of research and then get back in touch?