Wind Turbine Claims Arouse Suspicion
A reader submitted this photo, and notes, “Here’s a 1 MW unit we built in the Republic of Georgia.”
I’m suspicious, and here’s why. It’s impossible to measure the height and diameter with real accuracy, because there’s nothing recognizable at the same distance from the camera, but judging by the house in the background, I’m going to say the height is ~3m and the diameter ~2m. Thus its swept area is ~6m2, which is the equivalent of a traditional turbine with radius of ~1.5m. Using the equation:
Power = π/2 * radius² * wind velocity³ * air density * efficiency
and given a good efficiency rating and air density, we find that a 1MW turbine would require a wind speed of 187.56 MPH. That’s quite a stiff little breeze! I’m not sure how long that house would last under such conditions.
