Top Five Small Wind Turbines (In Sales)

Small wind turbines are a perennial point of contention. According to wind energy expert Paul Gipe, they often don’t live up to their hype. However, in very high-wind and off-grid situations, they may sometimes be useful. You really just have to do the best you can to evaluate your unique situation. Check out this guest post below for a look at the small wind turbines that lead the market.

It seems not a month goes by without some crazy new idea about how to more efficiently harness wind on a small scale passing by our desks. But really who are the biggest small wind turbine companies in the world? We scoured the industry to put together our updated list of the top 5:

BergeyBergey

Bergey Windpower is based in Oklahoma and is one of the longest standing small wind turbine companies in the world. They have a relatively simple horizontal design, identified by its yellow color, which is well suited for farms and other open spaces. Although their strongest presence is in the U.S., they do have presence in other locations with installations in over 50 countries. It was reported that Alec Baldwin would install one of their 10kW turbines on Long Island.

XZERESXZERES

XZERES’ wind designs are manufactured and deployed in the United States, the UK, and elsewhere around the world. According to their website, XZERES’ WindRx site assessment can aid in designing systems for markets such as residential, micro-grid based rural electrification, agricultural, small business, rural electric utility systems, as well as other private, corporate infrastructure and government applications. XZERES was formerly Abundant Renewable Energy (ARE) which ultimately went bankrupt in 2010 as part of a failed acquisition by Helix Wind (also now out of business). Afterwards XZERES was formed to resurrect ARE. XZERES trades publicly on the OTC (over the counter) market and had trailing 12 month revenue of $4.41m USD as of 11/30/2012.

UGEUGE

Unlike the other companies listed here, New York City-headquartered Urban Green Energy (UGE) specializes in full distributed renewable energy (DRE) solutions, deploying hybrid solar/wind/storage solutions for enterprise customers. However, vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) have caught many people’s attention over the years, and no company has sold more VAWTs than UGE. With a unique look, they utilize a helical Darrieus design that allows the turbine to harness wind from all directions simultaneously while being extremely quiet and durable. High-profile installations of UGE turbines include projects with Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Philadelphia Eagles), BMW, and GE. UGE also designs and supplies a variety of applications for its wind turbines, including telecom base station applications, wind/solar off-grid street lighting, and teamed up with General Electric in 2011 to provide wind-powered electric vehicle charging stations care of the Sanya Skypump. In total UGE has worked in approximately 80 countries.

Gaia-WindGaia-Wind

The Gaia-Wind small wind turbine is a Danish design and is now approximately 20 years separated from its initial inception. The company’s global headquarters are located in Glasgow, Scotland, from where they manufacture and distribute their turbines worldwide. Within the US the exclusive distributor is Talco. Over 500 of their wind turbines have been installed worldwide with a combined operational history of more than 1,500 years. The Gaia-Wind turbine can be spotted by its two-blade design, which includes a patented hub which allows the two oversized blades to rotate.

EvanceEvance

Evance Wind Turbines is a UK-based company established 12 years ago. With over 1,600 of their turbines installed, it is among the leading companies in the industry, with a particularly strong presence in Europe. Evance has a single model wind turbine, rated at 5 kW, for both grid-tie and off-grid configurations, and sells them in systems which range from 5 kW to 15 kW.

9 thoughts on “Top Five Small Wind Turbines (In Sales)”

  1. UnsatisfiedCustomer

    I installed a 442SR from Xzeres 4 years ago. The wind generator came with a 5 year
    warranty. Living in a remote area of
    Colorado, it was/is important to me to have a reliable/dependable source of
    alternative energy. We chose the 442 in
    the belief that the product was reliable and that the Company, Xzeres, would
    stand behind the 442. Both of our
    beliefs were gravely misplaced. The four
    years since installation have been an absolute nightmare. The last time our 442 worked was early spring
    of 2014. We finally got a technician from
    Xzeres to come out to the field in October, 2014. He determined that internal parts in the
    generator needed to be replaced and that he would be “back in two weeks” to
    repair. He finally came out the week of
    May 11, 2015, a full 7 months later.
    After reviewing the installation, he determined that he did not have the
    right parts and would be “back in 2 weeks.”
    Guess what, 2 weeks have come and
    gone and he still hasn’t come out. Now
    he is saying another technician will come but can’t give us a date.

    Please understand, we have documented a four year history of
    dealings with Xzeres. My installation contractor, who has been a life-saver,
    estimates that during the last 4 years, the generator has only been operational
    for 12 of the last 48 months. I
    personally believe it is somewhat less than that. I want to warn others against
    dealing with Xzeres. I would hate for others to spend as much as I have and receive
    a defective product and deal with an unprofessional, uncooperative company.

    1. You would have to dismount it every time you moved the motorhome more than a few feet. You would probably do better with some solar panels mounted flat on the roof. They would increase your clearance height a little but could stay in place while the motorhome was going down the highway.

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