Mariah Power - Low Cost Wind Energy
Wind energy is ’sustainable energy’, just like solar energy and water power. We already know the benefits of wind energy and why we should opt for it. But currently manufacturers are concentrating on the drawbacks of the wind energy and trying to eliminate or minimize those shortcomings. For example turbines are noisy and this sound nuisance can be a problem for the residents of the areas. Wind turbines are unsafe for birds too. Birds can be injured or die if they are caught up in the wings of the turbines. Turbines might annoy you due to horizon pollution i.e. they might meddle with your aesthetic sense.
Based in Reno, Nevada, Mariah Power has come up with a Windspire. It is a low-cost, easy-to-install wind power appliance. It is thirty feet tall and two feet wide therefore it can be installed at the place where you work or live. It is suitable for rural, suburban, and some urban residential environments alike, and at 30 feet, it is below usual residential and urban zoning limitations.
YouTube: Mariah Windspire | More Videos
Windspire is different from others by its sleek propeller-free design, quieter than other windmills and it is safe for birds and humans. Instead of working as an eyesore, Windspires can be installed in such a way in front of small businesses, commercial complexes and holiday resorts that they can aesthetically appeal to the onlookers without generating noise. The edges of the rotor don’t spin at a fanatic pace. They just spin two to three times the speed of the wind which makes it low sound producing device.
Mariah Power’s patented technology consists of a rotor, generator, and inverter. The 1.2 kW (1.2 kilowatt, or 1200 watts) Windspire will generate approximately 2000 kilowatt hours per year in 12 mile per hour average winds. The Windspire also has an internal wireless modem that can be connected to your computer so that you can check the power production information any time you want.
The initial Windspire model, costs around $4,995. Add around $1,000 for a concrete base for the installation cost. Windspire generates about 30 percent of the energy used by a typical household. They are thinking of launching a new model with larger radius for the blades to be in production next year. Priced at $7,000, it is expected to produce 100 percent of a typical household’s needs.
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August 11th, 2008
While this does sound like an excellent piece of equipment, I don’t see how it’s any cheaper than anything else out there. It keeps coming down to the fact that return on investment with most/all turbines is 15-20 years on average. Somebody has got to start building things cheaper.
August 15th, 2008
They don’t say what the life span of the equipment is, so it’s impossible to estimate return on investment, but I agree the equipment is probably only going to
last 10 years, and if so you would want to recover your costs within 7 years max to make it worth it. Bottom line - cost must come down. $3k price tag would probably make it worthwhile.
August 20th, 2008
Fixed electricity cost is about $0.11 per kWh where I live. At 2000 kWh/year, it’s going to take ~22 years for ROI (shorter if electricity gets more expensive — which it will). Still hard to justify a 20+ year ROI to the wife on a product that only has a 10 year warranty. I’ll save more by replacing my SEER 10 A/C compressor with a SEER 21 unit…
September 3rd, 2008
While aesthetics and space requirements are a variable in the wind energy equation, at the end of the day a few kilowatts of power at such expense does not make it useful.
Also the long term cost needs to be factored in:
- Resistance to hurricane and gale force storms?
- Mean time between replacement of parts?
- Service costs?