Ventera VT10 self-regulating propeller blades
The Highest Performance Blades in the Industry
The new Ventera 10 kilowatt turbine is specifically designed to be the most efficient wind turbine available to convert wind energy into electricity. Three advanced, proprietary airfoil-shaped blades “fly” in the wind, much like a modern airplane wing, to convert the kinetic energy of moving air mass into rotating mechanical force. The blades of this propeller have a specific shape which has been developed from over 30 years experience in wind turbine design to provide the highest output at the lowest noise level at all wind speeds for a propeller of this diameter. For perfect reproduction of the advanced airfoil shape in each blade, Ventera has developed the molds to manufacture the largest injection molded blade in the industry.
Great Survivability AND Power Production in High Winds
Our patented (Number 7,186,083), exclusive governor automatically pitches the outer portion of each blade in response to a combination of wind force and propeller rpm. This governor effectively limits propeller rpm to avoid damage to the propeller, generator, tower and electronics. This centrifugal-force activated blade pitching governor results in maximum power output in winds above governing speed as opposed to more primitive methods such as furling or stalling that result in steep reductions in power output in high winds. Our advanced governor will limit propeller rpm at much lower wind speed in the event of electrical load loss insuring always quiet operation.
VT-10's elegant self-governing mechanism
New Governor Improvements Now Standard on all 2011 Models
Controlling the rpm of the propeller in high winds is the greatest challenge in designing and building a small wind turbine, because the power in the wind increases with the cube of the wind speed. That is, if your wind turbine reaches maximum output at about 30mph and the wind doubles to 60mph, which it can do quite quickly in a good windstorm, you now have 8 times the wind force to deal with! The gold standard for controlling any wind turbine, large or small, in dangerously high winds is by pitching the blades which, with a relatively small pitch change quickly reduces the propeller’s ability to convert wind energy into rotating mechanical energy. Big turbines use sophisticated computer control of blade pitch, but the Ventera uses the propeller rpm itself by means of the centrifugal force generated by rotation to pitch the blades. That is, the very thing you are trying to control, propeller rpm, produces the blade pitch required to control the rpm. It’s very elegant.
For 2011 we’ve simplified our governor design, reduced the parts count, replaced parts requiring lubrication with permanently lubricated parts and added a mechanical linkage to synchronize all three blades while governing. Customers are delighted and output in high winds is even better. With the new governor we now have at least three customers reporting over 2000 kwh energy production in one month.
Ventera VT10 Generator
Simple Design Reduces Cost, Increases Performance AND Eliminates Almost All Preventative Maintenance
The rotating mechanical force of the propeller directly drives an ultra high efficiency permanent magnet generator mounted to an aluminum mainframe with no transmission to rob power, require lubrication or need maintenance. On the tower end of the mainframe is the vertical yaw shaft housing which also includes a redundant connection brush and slip ring assembly allowing the turbine to follow the changing wind direction without twisting the power output cable. Another function of the aerodynamic mainframe casting is to orient the wind turbine blades to the wind direction creating a modern, tailless, downwind design.
Take Advantage of Windiest Locations
Well over 300 pounds of copper, steel and rare earth magnets!
Electricity is generated by the Ventera generator in a high voltage, three phase form that minimizes the wire size and cost necessary to carry the electricity from the turbine to the inverter and your electric meter. This permits you to economically place the turbine and tower at a location on your property up to several thousand feet or 1000 meters from your electric meter which allows you to choose the tower site on your property with maximum exposure to the wind.
Superior Design Using the Best Materials Available
The advanced generator features oversize rare earth super strength magnets rotated by the propeller inside an extra large, stationary copper winding assembly. By over sizing these components and choosing the highest grade steel for the winding laminations, Ventera achieves a superior generator efficiency averaging over 90% resulting in more kilowatt hours of electrical energy per month for this size propeller. There are no electronic components on top of the tower to require inspection or repair or to be prone to damage from lightning or static electricity.