News & Articles on Small & Household Size Wind Turbines

Small wind turbines encompass a broad range of wind turbines from micro turbines, to mini turbines, to household-size turbines. Wind turbines in these size classes may have power ratings from a few watts to dozens of kW. Internationally, this category includes wind turbines up to 15 meters (49 feet) in diameter. Wind turbines of this size may have power ratings from 50 to 100 kW.

While ducted or shrouded wind turbines and Vertical Axis Wind Turbines can be of any size, they are listed here because they are outside the mainstream of the commercial wind industry.

San Gorgonio Pass 20131103 0008

Video of NedWind Turbines Spinning in Palm Springs May 2024

By

Paul Gipe

This is a 23 second video of NedWind wind turbines operating on the Whitewater Wash near Palm Springs, California in …

Wincon Runaway Clip 20250626

Wincon Wind Turbine Runaway San Gorgonio Pass Mark Haller

By

Paul Gipe

This is a nearly 30-minute video of a Danish Wincon wind turbine running away in the San Gorgonio Pass some …

Altamont farm windmill california 198502 1200x600

Enertech E44 Wind Turbine Runaway SeaWest Altamont Pass

By

Paul Gipe

This is a 33-minute video of an Enertech E44 running in overspeed in the Altamont Pass in the late 1980s. …

Fayette altamont 04

More on Fayette Manufacturing and its One-Time Resurrection

By

Paul Gipe

While archiving articles I’d written for the American Wind Energy Association’s newsletter, Wind Energy Weekly, I came across this one about Fayette’s restructuring in 1990. At the time I was the west coast representative for AWEA in Tehachapi. There’s not a lot on my web site about Fayette. (I do mention them in my books and in articles on capacity factor and how this figure of merit can be so misleading.) Consequently, for historical reference I am posting the article with the original date that I submitted it to AWEA. See Fayette Reborn in Major Restructuring.

Enertech E44 Nrel Cropped

Set of Enertech 10-foot Long Blades for Sale

By

Paul Gipe

Robert Kroeger, a former Enertech sales representative, has a set of 10-foot long Gougeon blades probably for a 4 kW …

Fayette altamont 02

1984 Films of Fayette Wind Turbines by Thomas Braise

By

Paul Gipe

In the fall of 1984 California photographer Thomas Braise filmed Fayette Manufacturing’s wind turbines in the Altamont Pass. Braise was …

12325 Next