Wind Turbine Manufacturers & Distributors
Wind turbines come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, design features and power outputs; designed and engineered to operate efficiently in various environments.
In the 1920’s small wind turbine technology and manufacturing started in the U.S. From those early simple machines, wind turbines have evolved into high tech marvels that are efficient, rugged and reliable. The U.S. still dominates the small wind turbine industry in technological improvement, manufacturing and global market share. But companies in China and Europe have received strong government support for product development and market expansion, and are providing stiff competition for the U.S. companies.
Perhaps due to the relatively forested and densely populated environment in Europe, some European wind turbine companies have focused on designing and engineering wind turbines that operate effectively in an urban environment with turbulent wind. In fact, they advertise that their turbines are engineered and produced to operate in an urban environment.
No doubt there are well designed, superbly engineered, durable and cost effective wind turbines produced in other countries, but there may be some risk involved in buying a wind turbine from a foreign manufacturer that doesn’t have a good track record of selling turbines in the U.S. and doesn’t have support from North American importers.
Not all manufacturers price their equipment the same way. Some price components individually, while others quote an installed price for a complete system. So that you can get a true comparison of prices between manufacturers be sure and check the price of all the following components, if the manufacturer has priced components individually:
- Turbine – the primary consideration of energy production is the rotor diameter!
- Tower – don’t scrimp on tower height or size! Be sure to confirm with the manufacturers you talk with that the tower you’re considering has been engineered to handle the load of the wind turbine you’re buying. Closer to the ground, wind is slower, more inconsistent and more turbulent. Which means turbine production would be less because of slower and less consistent winds, and potential maintenance and repair problems increase because of the greater turbulence. So the taller the tower the better a turbine will operate, and the more electricity it will produce. Don’t even think of mounting the turbine on your roof, unless it is the roof of a concrete or steel frame building.
- Controller – controls electrical input to the inverter.
- Inverter – required to convert the direct current (DC) electricity produced by the turbine to alternating current (AC) electricity that is supplied by the electrical grid system and used by everything in your house. Can represent 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of the wind turbine system.
- Wiring & conduit – you have to get the energy from the turbine to your house.
- Metering – tracks and records how much electricity your wind turbine is producing (if you’re on the grid and on a tight budget, you might just use your existing meter and assume it is accurately metering the electricity you’re producing).
- Batteries – Primarily for locations not connected to the grid. Batteries can be charged during periods of high electricity production and/or low demand, and discharged during periods of low electricity production and/or high demand. If your location is grid connected, you should probably skip the batteries. They are costly, and your electrical provider will most likely buy your excess electricity production (spin the electric meter backward).
While the following list of wind turbine manufacturers is not exhaustive, it provides a broad range of the available designs, sizes, mounting alternatives, energy outputs and system costs. Many of the companies have a long history of producing wind turbines, and a couple of the U.S. companies are the largest producers in the world.
While you are considering the various turbines, remember your budget and what percent of your energy usage you want to try and generate from the turbine. Of course, your budget and/or your ability to finance a wind turbine purchase is the most important consideration. If you just can’t afford a turbine that produces the desired percent of your electrical usage, you may have to settle for a smaller turbine.
As you look through the various manufacturers and types of wind turbines keep in mind the old adage about first time wind turbine buyers shop for price, second time buyers shop for reliability and dependability. Think about it, if you have your wind turbine mounted 50 feet in the air on a tower, don’t you want it to be dependable, reliable and maintenance free? With that in mind, you may want to focus your search on the companies that have been in business the longest. They have had the most time and experience to engineer the best turbines. Also, you’ll know that they will still be in business in 5, 10 or 15 years if you need replacement parts or warranty work done.
All companies are listed alphabetically in their home country.
Quick Links:
United States | Canada | China | England | Finland | France | Holland | Scotland | Other
United States
Abundant Renewable Energy
www.abundantre.com/
22700 NE Mountain Top Road
Newberg, Oregon 97132
(503) 538-8298
(971) 404-3059 (Fax)
Models: ARE 110 (11.8’ rotor diameter, 107 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 3,144 kWh / year @10 mph avg. wind speed; 315 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
ARE 442 (23.6’ rotor diameter, 434 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 15,132 kWh / year @10 mph avg. wind speed; 1,350 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Quiet turbines designed for low-wind environments.
Aerostar Wind Turbines
www.aerostarwind.com/
PO Box 52
Westport Point, Massachusetts 02791
(508) 636-5200
Models: Aerostar 6 Meter (22’ diameter rotor, 380 square foot rotor swept area;
650 lb turbine)
Aerostar 11 Meter (38’ diameter rotor, 1,134 square foot rotor swept area;
1,134 lb turbine)
25-Year track record of producing light weight, rugged, well-engineered, dependable wind turbines.
Aerotecture International
www.aerotecture.com/
3035 N. Rockwell
Chicago, Illinois 60618
(773) 604-4300
(773) 604-4302 (Fax)
Models: 610V (5’ diameter rotor, 43 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 1,300 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 86 lbs)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
520H (5’ diameter rotor 86 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 1,300 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 172 lbs)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
610V1 (Hybrid – includes 6 – 175 watt solar panels; 700 lbs)
610V2 (Hybrid – includes 12 – 175 watt solar panels; 1,400 lbs)
Turbines specifically designed and engineered for urban environments.
Aerovironment – Architectural Wind
www.avinc.com/clean_power/
AV Corporate Headquarters
181 W. Huntington Drive, Suite 202
Monrovia, California 91016
(626) 357-9983
(626) 359-9628 (Fax)
Model: AVX1000 (6’ diameter rotor, 28 square foot rotor swept area; 130 lbs)
Light weight turbines designed to be mounted on buildings.
Bergey WindPower Co.
www.bergey.com/
2200 Industrial Boulevard
Norman, Oklahoma 73069
(405) 364-4212
(405) 364-2078 (Fax)
Models: Bergey XL.1 (8.2’ diameter rotor, 52 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 1,410 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 75 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Bergey Excel (22’ diameter rotor, 380 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 6,240 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 1,050 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
30 years experience producing rugged, well engineered and reliable wind turbines. Wind turbines installed in all 50 U.S. States and over 100 countries. One of the world’s leading suppliers of small wind turbines.
Entegrity Wind Systems
www.entegritywind.com
4855 Riverbend Road, Suite 100
Boulder, Colorado 80301
(303) 440-8799
(303) 577-9775 (Fax)
Model: EW50 (49.2’ rotor diameter, 1901 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 72,000 kWh / year @ 9 mph avg. wind speed)
A 9 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
These turbines are for commercial users, churches, schools, community generation and municipal facilities due to their size.
Honeywell Wind Turbine by WindTronics
www.windtronics.com
380 W. Western, Suite 301
Muskegon, MI 49440
(866) 632-7840 (Toll-free)
(231) 332-1188
(231) 726-5029 (FAX)
Model: W.T. 6500 (6′ rotor diameter, 28 square foot rotor swept area; 170 lb turbine)
Produces 2,500 kWh/year in class 4 wind, which is between 15.7 + 16.8 MPH average wind speed.
Produces 2,000 kWh/year in class 3 wind, which is between 14.3 + 15.7 MPH average wind speed.
A 2009 Popular Mechanics Brilliant Innovation award winner. Low cost per kWh of energy produced. Low start up speed of 2 miles per hour.
Mariah Power Company
www.mariahpower.com
5450 Louie Lane
Reno, Nevada 89511
(775) 857-4888
(775) 201-0467 (Fax)
Model: Windspire (20’ tall x 4’ wide, 80 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 2,000 kWh / year)
Sleek, attractive design. Vertical axis turbines only 4 feet in diameter.
PacWind, Inc.
www.pacwind.net
23930 Madison Street
Torrance, California 90505
1-(866) 385-9463 (Toll free)
(310) 375-9952
(310) 375-2331 (Fax)
Models: Seahawk (Cage dimensions 4’ tall x 2.5’ wide; 60 lbs)
Aeolian (Cage dimensions 5’ tall x 10’ wide; 300 lbs)
Delta I (Cage dimensions 4’ tall x 6.5’ wide; 79 lbs)
Delta II (Cage dimensions 14’ tall x 13’ wide; 300 lbs)
Quiet operation. Low maintenance. Jay Leno has a Delta II at his antique car garage.
Southwest Windpower
www.windenergy.com/index_wind.htm
1801 West Route 66
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
(928) 779-9463
(928) 779-1485 (Fax)
Models: Skystream 3.7 (12’ diameter rotor, 113 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 2,700 kWh/ year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 170 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Air Breeze (46” diameter rotor, 12 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 2,580 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 13 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Whisper 100 (7’ diameter rotor, 38 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 660 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed, 47 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Whisper 200 (9’ diameter rotor, 64 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 1,680 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed, 65 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Whisper 500 (15’ diameter rotor 177 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 3,780 kWh / year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 47 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
The Air Breeze models are one of the world’s most popular small wind turbines. 22 years producing wind turbines.
Wind Turbine Industries, Corp.
www.windturbine.net
16801 Industrial Circle S.E.
Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372
(952) 447-6064
(952) 447-6050 (Fax)
Models: Jacobs 31-20 (31’ diameter rotor, 660 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 19,727 kWh/ year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 2,500 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Jacobs 26-17.5 (26’ diameter rotor, 530 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 14,729 kWh/ year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 2,500 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Jacobs 26-15 (26’ diameter rotor, 530 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 11,363 kWh/ year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 2,500 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Jacobs 23-12.5 (23’ diameter rotor, 415 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 10,521 kWh/ year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 2,500 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Jacobs 23-10 (23’ diameter rotor, 415 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 10,486 kWh/ year @ 10 mph avg. wind speed; 2,500 lb turbine)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
23 year track record of producing the Jacobs Wind Systems.
Canada
Cleanfield Energy
www.cleanfieldenergy.com
1404 Cormorant Road, Unit #6
Ancaster, Ontario
L9G 4V5
Canada
1-(866) 430-8298 (Toll free)
(905) 304-5223
(905) 304-521 (Fax)
Model: V3.5 Vertical Axis (9.8’ x 9’ diameter rotor;
produces 1,600 kWh / year @ 9 mph avg. wind speed; 540 lbs)
A 9 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Vertical axis turbines designed for urban and suburban environments. Effective in turbulent wind.
Energie PGE
www.energiepge.com
82 rue Giasson
Saint-Jean-Port-Joli (Quebec)
G0R 3G0
Canada
ch1-(866) 598-3338 (Toll free)
(418) 598-3338
(418) 598-9804 (Fax)
Models: PGE 20/35 (63’ diameter rotor, 3,117 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 85,000 kWh / year @ 9 mph avg. wind speed)
A 9 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
PGE 20/50 (63’ diameter rotor, 3,117 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 89,000 kWh / year @ 9 mph avg. wind speed)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
These turbines are for commercial users, schools, churches, community generation and municipal facilities due to their size.
Global Wind Group
www.globalwindgroup.com
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Canada
(204) 88-2222
Models: 1.2 kW VAWT
3.5 kW VAWT
Vertical axis turbines designed for urban and suburban environments. Effective in turbulent wind.
Wind Simplicity
www.windsimplicity.ca/
642 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 617
North York, Ontario
M2K 1B9
Canada
1-(877) 335-9463
(416) 227-9463
Models: Windancer3
Windancer7
Windancer23
Multi-blade design for low noise and low vibration operation.
China
An Hui Hummer Dynamo Co., Ltd.
www.china-windturbine.com
Room 2904, #5 Building
Jindi International City
No. 88 South of MaAnShan Road
Hefei, Anhui Province, China
86-551-3441231
86-551-3442991 (Fax)
Models: H3.1 – 1000W (10’ diameter rotor, 78.5 square foot rotor swept area; 33 lbs)
H3.8 – 2000W (12’ diameter rotor, 113 square foot rotor swept area; 55 lbs)
H4.8 – 3000W (16’ diameter rotor, 201 square foot rotor swept area; 132 lbs)
H6.4 – 5000W (21’ diameter rotor, 346 square foot rotor swept area; 147 lbs)
H8.0 – 10000W (26’ diameter rotor, 531 square foot rotor swept area; 331 lbs)
H9.0 – 20000W (30’ diameter rotor, 683 square foot rotor swept area; 683 lbs)
ISO 9000/9001/9004/19011: 2000 manufacturing standards. Has sold wind turbines in more than 70 countries.
England
Ampair
www.ampair.com
Park Farm
West End Lane
Warfield
Berkshire
RG 42 5RH
UK
44 1344 303 313
44 1344 303 312 (Fax)
Models: Ampair 100 (3’ diameter rotor, 7 square foot rotor swept area; 28 lbs)
Ampair 300 (4’ diameter rotor, 12 square foot rotor swept area; 26 lbs)
Ampair 600 (5.5’ diameter rotor, 24 square foot rotor swept area; 35 lbs)
Ampair 6000 (18’ diameter rotor, 254 square foot rotor swept area; 419 lbs)
Over 35 years experience in designing and manufacturing wind turbines.
FuturEnergy, Limited
www.futurenergy.co.uk
7 Ettington Park Business Centre
Stratford upon Avon
Warwickshire
CV37 8BT
UK
44 1789 451 235
Models: FE1012 (12V) (5.9’ diameter rotor, 26 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 460 kWh / year @ 9 mph average wind speed; 48 lbs)
A 9 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
FE1024 (24V) (5.9’ diameter rotor, 26 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 478 kWh / year @ 9 mph average wind speed)
A 9 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
FE1048 (48V) (5.9’ diameter rotor, 26 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 650 kWh / year @ 10 mph average wind speed)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Manufactured with permanent magnet generators.
GAIA-Wind, Limited
www.gaia-wind.com
1 Ainslie Road
Hillington Park
Glasgow
G52 4RU
UK
44 845 871 4242
44 141 585 6301 (Fax)
Model: Gaia-Wind 11 KW (42’ diameter rotor, 1,385 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 19,000 kWh / year @ 10 mph average wind speed)
A 10 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Over 20 years experience in designing and manufacturing wind turbines. Oversized rotor design to maximize output.
Iskra Wind Turbines, Limited
www.iskrawind.com
Unit 6, Weldon Road
Derby Road Industrial Estate
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 5RN
UK
44 1509 215 669
44 1509 267 722 (Fax)
Model: Evance Iskra R9000 (17’ diameter rotor, 246 square foot rotor swept area;
produces 9,018 KWh / year with annual mean wind speed of 11 mph)
A 11 mph average wind speed is below a Wind Power Class 3.
Over 10 years experience in designing and manufacturing wind turbines.
Quietrevolution, Limited
www.quietrevolution.com
1.12, Clerkenwell Workshops
31 Clerkenwell Close
London
EC1R 0AU
UK
44 20 7014 3399
44 20 7014 3388
Models: qr5 (10’ diameter rotor, 44 square foot rotor swept area 16’ tall; 992 lbs)
Designed and engineered for quiet operation in an urban or suburban environment.
Finland
Oy Windside Production
www.windside.com
Keskitie 4
44500 Viitasaari
Pihtipudas, Finland
358 208 350 700
358 208 350 701 (Fax)
Models: WS-0,15B (1.6 square foot rotor swept area; 84 lbs)
WS-0,30B (3 square foot rotor swept area; 95 lbs)
WS-0,30A (3 square foot rotor swept area; 192 lbs)
WS-2B (21 square foot rotor swept area; 882 lbs)
WS-4B (43 square foot rotor swept area; 1,543 lbs)
WS-4A (43 square foot rotor swept area; 2,205 lbs)
27 years experience in designing and manufacturing wind turbines. 10 year warranty. Silent operation.
France
Eoltec Wind Turbines
www.eoltec.com
455, promenade des Anglais, porte de l’Arenas, Hall C
06299 Nice Cedex3
France
33 4 88 13 05 70 (Fax)
Model: Scirocco 6 KW (18’ diameter rotor; 266 square foot rotor swept area;
15,880 kWh / year @ 14.6 average wind speed; 445 lbs)
A 14.6 mph average wind speed is Wind Power Class 3.
8 years experience in designing and manufacturing wind turbines. Centrifugal pitch control for over-speed control.
Holland
Fortis Wind Energy
www.fortiswindenergy.com
102 Cherry Street (U.S. distributor)
Ithaca, New York 14850
(607) 277-1770
Models: Alize (23’ diameter rotor, 415 square foot rotor swept area)
Montana (16’ diameter rotor, 201 square foot rotor swept area)
Passaat (10’ diameter rotor, 78 square foot rotor swept area)
Espada (6’ diameter rotor, 28 square foot rotor swept area)
25 years experience in designing and manufacturing wind turbines. Over 6,000 installed wind turbines worldwide.
Scotland
Renewable Devices Swift Turbines, Ltd.
www.renewabledevices.com
SAC Bush Estate
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
EH26 0PH
44 131 535 3301
44 131 535 3303 (Fax)
Model: Swift (7’ diameter rotor, 38 square foot rotor swept area)
Designed and engineered for quiet operation in an urban or suburban environment.
http://www.renewabledevices.com/
Other
Green Mountain Energy Company
www.greenmountain.com/
P.O. Box 689008
Austin, Texas 78768
1-(888) 380-9410 (Toll free)
(866) 301-3120 New Customer Signup (Residential)
(866) 767-5817 New Customer Signup (Commercial)
If you don’t have the money to buy a wind turbine or solar panel, and you live in Texas, New York or New Jersey, sign up to get your electricity from Green Mountain Energy Company. Green Mountain is an Austin, Texas based electricity provider that produces electricity from large wind farms.
Their rates may very well be lower than what you’re currently paying, especially if you take advantage of the six month program they offer.
Do-it-yourself systems:
For mechanical engineers, electrical engineers or true do-it-yourselfers willing to spend the necessary time and effort to complete the project, the following two websites sell do-it-yourself instruction manuals on how to relatively inexpensively build your own wind turbine or solar panel:
Energy 4 Green
www.energy4green.com
Home Made Energy
www.homemadeenergy.org
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