Mariah Windspire
Mariah and its Windspire will go down in history as another novelty Vertical Axis Wind Turbine that was doomed from the start. Tall and slender, it was, if nothing else, distinctive. Unfortunately, a tall and slender wind turbine mounted on a short tower is still a wind turbine on a short tower. The company soon realized that the design was really only suitable in “architectural” applications that were looking for visual bling. Architectural ornamentation alone is not enough of a market to support a wind turbine manufacturer as Mariah learned to its regret.
If you don’t know why these are bad installations, then please read a good book on wind power. There are dozens of such books now available in English.
Michigan Live: Michigan-made windspires designed for homeowners
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The Michigan Economic Development Corporation supported the project with a $400,000 grant.
How Not to Site Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (Mariah Windspire) #1
By
Paul Gipe
Stewart Russell captured these photos of a Mariah Windspire installed at the College School in St. Louis. Stewart is an experienced wind hand and noted that the Windspire, which is an unguyed, cantilevered VAWT, was swaying in the wind. A flyer was posted on the turbine saying that this swaying was normal.
How Not to Site Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (Mariah Windspire) #2
By
Paul Gipe
This is a classic example of how not to install wind turbines to best advantage. The best that can be said about this installation is that at least they were not mounted on top of the building.
