There’s a long story behind the company called Enertech. The story begins in the early 1970s and ends in the mid 1980s. The story is later picked up with the principals, Bob Sherwin, re-introducing a derivative of the last and largest Enertech model in the 1990s. Sherwin’s company, Atlantic-Orient failed in the late 1990s. Since then the latter product has been built and marketed by various companies.

The models shown here are the Enertech E-44 (for 44 feet in diameter) a 13.4 meter diameter, 40 kW turbine.

Atlantic-Orient took the integrated drive train of the E44 and upgraded it to the 15 meters in diameter and 50 kW, the AOC-15/50.

Enertech turbines were distinguishable by their tip brakes. This design feature appeared on several American wind turbines of the era—all with similar results. It was not a reliable system for overspeed control and was otherwise problematic.

Enertech’s tip brakes should not be confused with pitchable blade tips found on Danish turbines of the era. The latter were a much more reliable and rugged design.