Note attempts to rebut their critics.–Paul Gipe
Vortec Energy Limited
Auckland, New Zealand
- June 1997 Prospectus ascii text version (46k)
- links of interest
- This page in german … Deutsche Seite
- Design and Construction of the Vortec 7
- Vortec in the April/May edition 52dawt.html of the Energywise magazine
- Vortec on the cover of the June/July Energywise magazine
- articles in Innovate and New Scientist (June 97)
Project Update:
It has been a little more windy lately enabling the testing and optimisation programme to progress satisfactorily.
There have been some modifications to the secondary diffuser slots and the air flow is much better at this point. I have seen the videoed smoke tests and you can see the improvements.
The generation and electronics testing are not finished but progressing well. Some new bits are being installed.
Have spent the past few weeks on the road marketing the prospectus. It is filling steadily but unlikely to reach our target from New Zealand investors alone. We will need to fund balance off shore.
On 2. May 1997 the 7m diametre prototype of Vortec’s Diffuser Augmented Wind Turbine (Vortec7) went into operation. The first results are expected in August and certainly the wind-power industry is anxious to see them. At the site, at Waikaretu, on the coast west of Huntly, New Zealand, Vortec has installed the prototype, which has a 7.3 metre blade diametre, and stands 17 metres tall from the top to the ground. The power output of the prototype is designed to be 1.0 MW, the full verison, with a 20 metre diametre blade, will be producing 3MW!
The Critics of the Vortec DAWT Design, an overview by Norbert Haley:
Paul Gipe is a prolific writer (just search the net). He has an amazing output of stories about wind power. Maybe it is threatening to him that he hasn’t forseen the development of the DAWT. In any case, what he writes about DAWT is a good part speculation and he bases his findings on old data from Grumman. It may turn out to be another case of: “It will never fly, Wilbur”.
Heiner Dörner is similar, yet different. He is a “typical german engineer”, i.e. very conservative and skeptical of other people’s ideas. He dismisses the DAWT design, perhaps because he didn’t think of it. He made an anti-DAWT internet page diffuser.html which makes wholesale statements about the “sense and nonsense” of DAWT designs. You have guessed it… DAWT belongs to his nonsense category. The tone of the page speaks for itself. But the giveaway on his understanding of the DAWT is that he cannot fathom which direction the wind flow should enter the DAWT!
Without permission, Heiner Doerner “borrowed’ our picture of the Vortec7. What makes it worse, he converted the image to an inferior file format (256 colour GIF instead of 16million JPG) and as if this wasn’t bad enough, the file-size (download-time) increased six-fold.
New Zealand Sunday Star-Times article 6Jul97, pg D1
If you know of any other critics, please email Norbert!
