FAQ

WHAT ARE THE SPECS ,FEATURES, AND BENEFITS?

HONEYWELL WIND TURBINE
W.T. 6500

  • Honeywell Gearless Wind Turbine .
  • Blade Tip Power System (BTPS)
  • BTPS Permanent Magnet Electric Generator, Patents Pending
  • UL and C.S.A. Certified .
  • Pole or Roof Mount Capable
  • Lowest Cost kWh Installed Technology in Class
  • Enclosed Blade Tip Power System
  • Wide Wind Acceptance Angle
  • Acoustic Noise Emissions < 35dB
  • Tip to Tip Blade Dimension 5.7′ (170 cm)
  • 170 lbs ( 77.2 kg)
  • 120 AC 60 Hz Non Gird Tied
  • 220 AC 50 Hz Grid Tied(May 2010)
  • 2.2 KW Plate Power
  • < 2mph (3 km) Cut in Speed, Shut down 45mph (72 km)
  • Renewable Electric Generation 2752 kWh/yr. Class 4. @ 33ft
  • Smart Box Control System (includes) Optimal Power Transfer Controller, True Sine Wave Inverter, Battery Power Management System, Wind Direction & Speed Measurement Control System, Standard RS485 Communication Port
  • 5 Year Limited Warranty
  • Annual CO2 Displacement 2.2 Tons
  • Product Design Life 20 Years

What is the retail price?

The Honeywell Wind Turbine (model WT 6500 ) has an MSRP of $6,495. U.S.D.

What application is the Honeywell Wind Turbine best suited for?

The Honeywell Wind Turbine (HWT) is designed for residential, small business and commercial applications, generating energy where we consume it, throughout the entire wind regime in your area, including the ever prevalent low wind speeds.

What wind do I have?

80% of our actual wind resources in North America are well below 10mph, 90% of the time. Almost all traditional wind turbines require 8mph winds to cut in and start turning. Unfortunately, to date small wind turbines have failed to impress in terms of energy creation, sound quality and the installation expense. When they state “we turned wind turbines inside out”…. they had to do just that…. By removing the mechanical resistance of a geared spinning generator, the Honeywell Wind Turbine, patented Blade Tip Power System (BTPS) starts turning at 1mph, begins generating energy at 2mph, therefore is in operations 50% more of the time, than traditional systems.

When will the product become available? Where can I purchase it?

WindTronics has began production and limited dealers (such as R-E CANADA) have demo units. R-e Canada is accepting orders and usually delivers in 6 to 8 weeks.

How much energy does the turbine produce?

The HWT generates Renewable Electric Generation 2752 kWh/yr in Class 4 Winds @ 33ft The HWT offers the lowest cost per kWh in class.

Here are some helpful Wind Resource Sites

http://www.solar-estimate.org/index.php?page=wind-calculator
http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_maps.asp
http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas/atlas_index.html

How much money will the turbine save me?

The ROI of the turbine will depend on many different factors:

  1. Your annual kW usage
  2. The price you pay per kWh
  3. The incentives available to you
  4. Your installation cost

While the ROI will be shorter for some people than for others, we believe that increasing energy prices within the next few years will decrease the payback time of our product even more.

What is the warranty?

The HWT has a limited 5 year manufactures warranty and is designed for a 20 year life. Commercial warranties may vary.

I’m a contractor or a dealer and I want to sell / install the HWT?

R-E CANADA is actively pursuing sales reps, installers and affiliates, check out our partners program section

What’s involved to install the HWT? Can I do it myself?

We highly recommend that installation will only be done through a qualified installer. However R-E Canada recognizes that many individuals ,such as contractors, engineers, fabricators and tradesman are qualified to install or fabricate their own installations and mounting systems, and such professionals will recognize the importance of properly engineered systems. Therefore, R-E Canada has put together a self install kit, to assist qualified purchasers in the installing or supervision of the installation with the proper engineering, schematics, etc. Needed to ensure a safe installation . check out the details in our INSTALLATIONS SECTION. . Because the HWT operates in low wind speeds, installation is simple too. The HWT can be installed on a pole, plate, or rooftop where there is unobstructed access to the wind. A number of engineered fixtures are available.

How long does installation take, what are the costs?

Check out our INSTALLATIONS SECTION for complete packages, installed prices.

What are the provincial / state and local regulations governing turbine installations?

The small wind industry is changing rapidly and so are the bylaws and ordinances governing them. Many localities, provinces and States are clearing the way for small installations, but there’s still much work to be done. The HWT is 170lbs, 6 foot in diameter, high output turbine, making it far easier to get approvals. Most restrictions are in place to prevent 30- 60 foot towers and >12 foot blades. The HWT is redefining the market again. For instance, in Ontario Canada, new provincial legislation, The Green Energy Act of 2009 now guarantees every homeowner or small businessman the right to generate up to 10 k.w. regardless of previous city or municipal bylaws.

What is the composition of the turbine? What is its rating?

The Honeywell Wind Turbine is rated for standard North American building code requirements of a 90 m.p.h. 3 second gust, as are all buildings in the standard area. It is primarily made out of UV resistant nylon and anodized aluminum to withstand a variety of elements.

What happens in high winds?

All functions of the HTW are controlled by a computerized Smart Box connected to an anemometer, constantly reading wind speed and direction. The HWT Smart Box interacts with the turbine, maximizing wind capture (up to 45mph) and applying electromagnetic braking, when exceeding 45mph. The HWT is certified to industry safety and electrical standards.

What happens in ice and snow?

The HWT is designed to handle the elements. Severe freezing rain will certainly slow the unit down and could keep the unit out of service until it thaws, as with all solar and wind renewable energy systems.The HWT was developed with winter and maintenance in mind. With far fewer moving parts than traditional turbines, service and maintenance is greatly reduced. Most parts can be quickly replaced, including the bearings and blades.

What about the noise from turbines that’s in the news, and what about birds?

Traditional turbines have reported issues with vibration caused when the wind passes over and behind the blades, referred to as cavitation. The HWT deflects the wind in a completely different manner, alleviating this characteristic. Unlike traditional turbines that are difficult for birds to see as the tips are virtually transparent, the HWT turbine’s design, color, and enclosed border system help make the turbine more distinguishable to wildlife.

Is the HWT a replacement for a backup generator?

The HWT has standby power capabilities but does not replace a gas powered generator. During power outages the wind is often blowing and the HWT will generate energy in addition to the stored energy.

Does the HWT support Net Metering and FEED- IN TARRIFF Programs?

The Non Grid Tied system is a closed loop system, which seamlessly interacts within the A.C. panel in a building and uses the generated green energy there, thereby reducing the consumption of grid power at the panel. Consult your R-E CANADA rep. for details on the Grid Tied unit used for net metering or Feed- In Tarriff programs like the one in Ontario.

What are the KW ratings and kWh power curves for the HWT?

KW power curves, KWH charts, and specs, are available in our Specs Section

Where can I obtain technical information?

Check out our How It Works Section , as well as Specs

I would like to run several units. Is this possible? How?

You can certainly run several units, however currently the system is sold as one turbine and one Smart Box together. Only one additional turbine can be coupled to that smart box. Therefore one smart box is required for every two turbines, contact your R-ECANADA rep for details.

Why Does The System Require Two 12 Volt Batteries

The system requires a minimum of 2 deep cycle batteries hooked up in series at 24 volts, which sit between the Smart box and the panel. The batteries, referred to as the “bucket” are a system resource that allows the HWT to always capture the energy being generated by the turbine. The Smart Box truly is an energy management system and uses the batteries as a storage and buffer device to regulate the energy being generated to your batteries (especially in low winds speeds where the bucket is always being trickle charged), until such times as enough voltage and current are available at the batteries to be routed to the inverter to invert efficiently. Thereby relieving the HW.T. of the inherent inefficiencies of traditional wind turbines where start up wind speeds of 7 to 9 m.p.h. are still diverting energy to a dump load in the form of heat, at a heat sink, because the start up wind speeds, while producing voltage have not yet generated enough voltage and current to be inverted efficiently. The battery also serves as a standby power resource when the grid is down, for this reason multiple batteries are often installed to extend the standby power resource of the HWT.

In a Non Grid Tie unit, what happens to the unused energy?

While the H.W.T. is equipped with a heat sink and any unused energy can be dissipated there, this would only happen after the batteries reached a fully charged state and the panel still wasn’t calling for any energy. A qualified R-E CANADA installer will ensure the proper circuits are called upon or enough batteries are installed to minimize this from happening.

How are the units mounted?

There are basically two types of mounting systems , rooftop or pole mount and R-E CANADA offers variants for each. Check out our INSTALLATIONS SECTION

Are there Federal and State / Provincial Incentives for the purchase, installation and/or use of your product?

We recommend that you visit www.dsireusa.org to learn more about local rebates and incentive programs. In other world markets incentives vary, however many nations recognize the benefits of renewable energy and have incentives in place, contact your local governments for more specific detail.