Keep Turning - Skystream 3.7 Wind Turbine Energy Network

Office closed until February 1, 2010.

Joshua Janes — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 13:11:00 GMT

Hello every one, I hope all is going well.

The Keep Turning office will be closed until February 1.

Thanks for your business,

Josh

JANES HOUSEHOLD SKYSTREAM kWh RECORD

Joshua Janes — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:00:00 GMT

	JAN	FEB	MAR	APR	MAY	JUN	JUL	AUG	SEP	OCT	NOV	DEC	Total
2007	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	175	225	0*	400
2008	98*	292	308	246	228	153	92	84	97	164	246	472	2,480
2009	265	348	244	371	182	86	90	84	250	100	194	131*	2,345
2010

* December, 2007 - Skystream shut down from software problem with cold and would not restart.

* January, 2008 - Skystream down until the 27th. Produce 98kWh in the 5 days remaining in the month.

* December, 2010 - Skystream shut down several times and would not restart on it's own, production very low for wind speeds.

Customer Support Forum

Joshua Janes — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:15:00 GMT

Forum area to discuss - Customer Support

Leveling the Skystream Monopole Tower Forum

Joshua Janes — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Forum area to discuss - Leveling the Skystream Monopole Tower

Grid connect Skystreams Forum

Joshua Janes — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:05:00 GMT

Forum area to discuss - Grid connect Skystreams

Battery Charging with Skystreams Forum

Joshua Janes — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:01:00 GMT

Forum area to discuss - Battery Charging with Skystreams

Skyview/Zigbee Remotes Forum

Joshua Janes — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:58:00 GMT

Forum area to discuss - Skyview/Zigbee Remotes

FORUM POSTS

Joshua Janes — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:52:00 GMT

I had a request from Scott Ditter to put specific subject posts up on the site to make it easier for people to discuss specific parts of the skystream. Sounds like a great idea, so here you go Scott. Hope this helps out.

If anyone else has a subject they would like loaded as a forum to be discussed, just email me a request at info@keepturning.com and I'll post it on the site. To see all the current forums, just click the FORUM link under category archives on the left side.

Josh

Skystream Relocation & Solar

Joshua Janes — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:52:00 GMT

Here is an email and a pdf from Jeff a skystream owner who recently relocated his turbine to a better location and added solar to his setup.

Jeff: wrote

All,

I recently moved my turbine to a better location on my property and went from a hub height of 39' to 53'. The turbine had too much turbulence from a small woods to my south. After the move I have seen a very noticeable difference with production, especially from the south. So heed to the recommendations of siting, it is very critical if you expect your turbine to perform. I originally installed it on a class-3 utility pole to keep my cost low because the steel poles were too expensive. Recently I came across a company that is selling Skysteam poles at a third of the cost of the Valmont ones SWWP uses. The pole I purchased is 50', one-piece pole with hinge tabs, bolts and delivery to my residence for $3500. Company I purchased it through is National Pole and Structure out of MI, owner is John. Note, it takes 6-8 weeks and you must have a way to unload it.

On a side note, I also installed a 1170 watt solar array with 6-Sanyo Hip195BA19 panels and a Fronius IG2000 inverter. I intend to make it solar tracking but for the mean time it is fixed. The array had a max output of 1273w (~10% above the rating). It has been in operation since 5/13, and as of 5/22 it has produced 82kWhr, my turbine has only produced 77 kWhr from 5/1 to 5/22, but it really hasn't been that windy. I am in NE Indiana and my small solar array has out performed my turbine, so if you haven't taken the plunge with wind you may want to take another look at solar. Prices of solar has actually dropped and turbines have gone up. All you need is a clear shot of the southern sky. In-case you are wondering, even on a cloudy day the array still put out 2 kWh. I have $7300 in my array setup and I did the work myself.

I will have Josh post pictures of my setup.

Jeff

Click here to download the pdf of the relocation of Jeff's skystream.

Skystream Paint Job

Joshua Janes — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:32:00 GMT

I received this image the other day and had to share it.

Looks like someone out there liked the keepturning.com fighter jet paint job.

Nice work.

Express Yourself with Skystream T-shirts

Joshua Janes — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 11:28:00 GMT

Whether you're a Skystream owner or a wind power enthusiast, express how you feel with these unique Skystream t-shirts. Illustrator and Skystream owner Joshua Janes has created these great images featuring Uncle Sam calling for energy independence and an Arctic dweller plugging in to wind power. The Skystream 3.7 logo appears on the front side. Each design is available in several t-shirt styles and a full range of sizes.

Shop now: http://www.zazzle.com/keepturning

Skystream installation in Elgin, Arizona

Joshua Janes — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:51:00 GMT

Just wanted to post a great photo sent to us by Greg Schwab of his Skystream 3.7 installed in Elgin, Arizona.

Thanks for sharing with us Greg.

Skyview 2.0

Joshua Janes — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 15:29:00 GMT

Skyview 2.0 is packed features and easier to use

	Energy production history: graphing and data export Skyview 2.0 lets you download, graph and export your system's energy production history. Any ZigBee-equipped Skystream with inverter firmware 2.02 stores daily energy production to an onboard memory chip and has capacity for several years’ worth of data.
	Carbon footprint information See how energy from Skystream has offset emissions when compared with coal power. Displays total pounds or kilograms of CO2 offset since installed.
	Radio signal strength information To help you find the best location to place your Wireless PC Interface, Skyview 2.0 now provides an indicator that provides instant feedback on radio signal strength.
	Instant performance display Skyview 2.0 maintains this popular feature from Skyview 1.x. Instantly watch dials for power and RPM move in response to changing wind conditions.
	Easy to use manual We expanded the Skyview manual, which now provides more detailed information about the program’s installation and use.

Other features include:

Cumulative performance table. Skyview 2.0 displays energy production totals for any selected date range, today's production, daily averages, and total energy produced since installed.

Turbine nickname capability. For easy identification or personalization, you can now enter a nickname for each Skystream. The nickname displays on the overview screen where energy performance is displayed.

Improved multiple turbine handling. If you have more than one Skystream, this feature lets you switch from turbine-to-turbine while on any screen within the Skyview 2.0 program.

One-button inverter clock setting. You can now synchronize your Skystream inverter’s internal clock with your PC time with a single button click. This speeds the Skystream setup process and permits the production data to be recorded on the correct dates.

System Requirements

PC computers that have an available USB port.
Windows XP or Vista 32-bit operating systems (Vista 64-bit and Macintosh computers are not supported at this time).
Skystream systems with serial numbers 1010-4839+ or upgraded to the ZigBee platform. You received this message because our records indicate you are eligible to upgrade.
Must be able to locate the Wireless PC Interface module such that it can establish a radio link with the Skystream wind generator.
Firmware 2.02 must be installed on Skystream (update available at download page).

If you are upgrading from a previously installed version of Skyview, you will not need to re-install the Wireless PC Interface drivers on your PC and you can skip directly to the instructions on installing the software.

Update to Firmware 2.02 Required

To take advantage of all of the features of Skyview 2.0, your Skystream wind generator should have (or be updated to) inverter firmware version 2.02. Instructions for doing so can be found on the Skyview 2.0 web page (link below).).

Download Skyview 2.0 Now

Go to http://www.windenergy.com/techsupport/skyview_2_00.html

Residential Wind and Birds

Joshua Janes — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:23:00 GMT

As residential small wind generators gain popularity around the world, its becoming clear they do not pose a significant hazard to birds. Extensive bird research has been done with large wind generators and has shown that bird strikes do occur but are relatively rare. Furthermore, although no formal studies have been conducted with residential wind generators like those produced by Southwest Windpower, bird strikes are even rarer. This is due in part to their shorter towers. 30-110 ft (9-30 m) and relatively small blades, 3-12 ft (1-3 m) in diameter. Also, residential wind generators are typically installed over a more dispersed area, further reducing the chance of bird collision.

Large wind farms are sometimes associated with risks for birds. In fact, such farms only account for a tiny percentage of the bird fatalities caused by man-made structures. Structures including buildings, vehicles, power lines and radio and TV towers affect far more birds than even the largest wind generators.

Advancements in Bird Life Preservation

Large wind farms have made significant advances in reducing their impact on birds. Since the earliest wind farms were built, wind experts have learned critical lessons in bird preservation. Today, thorough wildlife surveys are conducted prior to new wind farm construction, to ensure that wind farms do not interfere with migratory pathways.

Stimulus may get small wind turbines spinning

Joshua Janes — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:15:00 GMT

CNN
March 9, 2009
www.cnn.com
By William Armsby

(CNN) -- The gale force of President Obama's $787 billion economic stimulus package could breathe new life into an emerging industry: small wind turbines.
This 10-kilowatt, 120-foot-tall small wind turbine could fulfill the electricity needs of this household.

This 10-kilowatt, 120-foot-tall small wind turbine could fulfill the electricity needs of this household.

The bill provides a 30 percent investment tax credit to consumers who buy these turbines, which are typically used to help power homes or small businesses.

Even amid a recession, this tax credit "is going to blow the top off the market," said Ron Stimmel, a "small-wind" advocate with the American Wind Energy Association.

The association predicts the federal subsidy could help the small-turbine market grow by 40 to 50 percent annually, a boost that would parallel the growth of the U.S. solar photovoltaic industry after a similar 2005 initiative.

Unlike the towering windmills sprouting en masse from the Western Plains, small wind turbines have a capacity of 100 kilowatts or less and are designed to operate on the consumer side of the power grid, often in combination with solar panels. How do small wind turbines work? »

According to the American Wind Energy Association, the United States is already the world's leading manufacturer of small-wind technologies, holding roughly two-thirds of the world's market share. Last year, American companies made 98 percent of the small wind turbines sold in the United States.

To conservation-minded home or business owners, the turbines are an investment in clean energy and one way to ease America's dependence on foreign oil. In the right location, a 10-kilowatt turbine could supply the entire electricity needs of an average American household. The newly subsidized larger models can help power small businesses, farms and schools.

The wind industry is governed by the laws of physics. The higher the wind speed, the faster the turbine spins and the more electricity is produced. Because the output of a wind turbine also tends to increase proportionally with its distance from barriers such as trees or buildings, the most productive -- and cost-effective -- turbines sit atop tall towers erected on an acre or more of open land.

Despite this rule of thumb, there is a burgeoning movement to bring small-wind power to cities as well.

In San Francisco, California, a volunteer organization called the Urban Wind Task Force has distributed 27 wind-monitoring stations throughout the city to survey sites for potential turbine installations.

"It is true that doing wind in urban environments is a lot trickier than in rural environments," said Johanna Partin, San Francisco's Renewable Energy Program manager, who also coordinates the task force. "But the reason you rarely see [turbines in cities] may be that we just haven't figured out how to do it yet."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made headlines last August when he proposed installing wind turbines atop city bridges and skyscrapers. He later backtracked, saying he wasn't sure the project was feasible.

Some experts, citing physical and regulatory hurdles, view the urban wind movement as misconceived.

"When you get down around a house, or in and amongst a lot of trees, or around buildings, the wind resource is seriously compromised," said Mick Sagrillo, founder of Sagrillo Power and Light, a renewable energy consultancy firm.

"All of the data that we've seen that's come out of any reporting or testing ... backs that up," said Sagrillo, a 29-year veteran of the field.

Stimmel, of the small-wind industry association, agrees.

"There are pockets of usable wind in cities," he says, "but they're very hard to find, and they're a lot more limited than you might think. It is most often not worth the time and expense."

There are also zoning regulations and permitting requirements in many cities that pose serious challenges to wind installations. Most experts say that city dwellers should focus their energy conservation efforts on other renewable technologies or home efficiency improvements.

San Francisco entrepreneur Todd Pelman has founded a small start-up company called Blue Green Pacific, which produces a corkscrew-shaped, roof-mounted turbine that is still in the development phase. Pelman hopes to produce competitive amounts of electricity by capturing slower, more erratic winds, such as those blowing between tall buildings or across roofs.

He has an uphill struggle. Less than one percent of the 10,000 small wind turbines sold last year in the United States were of Pelman's rooftop variety.
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For Pelman, harnessing the wind is more about environmentalism than profit.

"[If] the technology makes sense on a philosophical level, which ours will, then it is, at the very least, worthy," he said in an e-mail interview. "It should help us to recognize our involvement with materialism, energy and community."

Turbine data processing macro for excel by Jeff Richcreek

Joshua Janes — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:32:00 GMT

Here is a Turbine data processing macro for excel that was created and sent in by Jeff Richcreek. Thanks for sharing Jeff.

Letter from Jeff:

I would like to share an Excel data processing tool I created with the Skystream community. It is designed to reduce the clutter in the data that is created by the datalogger software and allow the user to see the important information more quickly. This works for the old (900MHz) and new (2.4GHz) datalogger SW packages. Here’s an example of the output after the Macro is executed.

First, it looks for a .csv file in the directory specified

Second, it removes any lines in the data where the RPM and the Power Out are zero to give a better overall average of actual performance when the turbine is in operation.

Third, the data is processed and displays the following.

Forth, it will look for other .csv data files and process them.

The user will need to be somewhat computer savvy with VBA in Excel to create the macro. Attached is the code that can be tailored to the user specifications. It is clean and does not have any viruses.

Sincerely,

Jeff Richcreek

Deep Freeze... Skystream & Ice.

Joshua Janes — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:24:00 GMT

Recently there was a comment posted questioning the effect of ice on the blades on the Skystream and any danger to people & property that it may pose. So I thought I'd share my experiences with freezing rain and my skystream.

A few weeks back we got hit with a pretty good ice storm that coated everything with a 1/4"-1/2" of ice, accompanied by winds of 15-20 mph, gusting into the 30s at times. The skystream was turning at full speed in this wind, but as the freezing rain coated the blades the increased weight continued to slow it's RPMs. By the time the ice stopped there looked to be a 1/2" of ice on the turbine and even in the 20 mph winds it's rotation was slowed to what you would see in an 8 mph wind speed.

Later as the temperatures rose and the ice began to melt and fall away from the blades, the turbine continued to turn slowly. By the time the blades had lighted enough to resume rotating at a high rate of speed the ice had fallen off around the base. From what we witnessed no ice fell any further from the tower than 15 feet which seems to pose less danger to people and property than the average ice coated tree. If anyone else has had experience with freezing rain and their turbine we like to hear your comments as well.

Here's some shots of the tower and turbine during that storm.

Looking for answers.

Joshua Janes — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:18:00 GMT

Currently under the "JANES HOUSEHOLD SKYSTREAM kWh RECORD" post there has been a discussion going as to why Eric in Wood River Illinois, Skystream is producing such low output. Eric's turbine produced less than 600 kWh over the last year and a half, while another owner that is less than 200 miles away in the same state produced 600kWh for the month of December alone. I know sounds like a high school storybook problem, but bear with me. I'd really like to get some good feedback from the community that might help Eric out.

Here's the specs from Eric's site.

Location: Wood River, Illinois
Installed by: Illinois Wind Power
Tower Height: 45'
Production: 599 kWh over 12 month period
Possible obstructions: The only obstruction directly in the plane is to the northeast and there is limited wind from that direction. Prevailing winds are from the North, South, Northwest and West. Their are tree's to the south but nothing to the North or Northwest. Most of the tree's are below the plane, and better than 300 feet away, The only major tree to the south is well over 1000 feet away.

Here's photos of the location of his Skystream:

Skystream--&-House

Wind-Generator---South

Wind-generator-looking-North

Wind-Generator-looking-down

Wind-generator-looking-NW

Here's the specs from Mark's site.

Location: Champaign, Illinois
Tower Height: 70'

Northeast of tower

East view

South view

Meter that was installed (new) the last day of June this year, shows production made since then.

Below is a copy of the prior comments that have been posted about this issue:

Mark in illinois wrote:
December was a good month in central Illinois. I won't hold my breath but it appears the fix for our shut down problem, works. We have had low temps and high winds and the turbine has kept working hard. It produced 418 kwh in November and a record (for us) 621 kwh for December. Keeping in mind this was with the old fashion meter I had to install as the Remote is like a old married couple with the turbine, they don't communicate at all any more.

Eric Axtell wrote:
Mark, No pun intended but are you sure you understand what a KWH is? I live in Southern Illinois also, Mine over the last year and a half has created a grand total of 599 KWH. with the upgrades. Are you sure your not mistaking Watt Hrs for KWH? I won't say it's impossible, but I live in the same state and I know we don't make anywhere near that. Sorry....

Mark in Illinois wrote:
Eric: Do I understand kWh : a unit of energy equivalent to one kilowatt (1kWh) of power expended for one hour (1h) of time, vs. watt-hour (symbolized Wh) a unit of energy equivalent to one watt (1W) of power expended for one hour. No not very well. But however as per SWWP. specs. the Skystream will put out average 400 Kwh per month at a average 12 mph wind speed.
And as I (and suppose you have too) have read from the other people on this site Including Josh who has his on a chart did 472 kWh for the month of December.
I'm not sure where you live in southern Illinois, I am up by Champaign near the U of I ( go ILLINI). But any way I would imagine our weather is close. This post was to express my happiness that as opposed to this time last year when my turbine (on a 70' tower out in the country)was not turning at all in a 20mph wind for a l o n g time. Our December weather was horrible ( with numerous storms wind (a lot)and ice and snow and cold temps)but good for power production.
As also listed in the post this is on an old fashion dial meter that we had to install ( still not happy about the expensive wire less thing that I bought that don't work)that says it reads in kWhs??? Do I know ??? This is just what I have. Sorry...

Joshua wrote:
I'm wondering what Eric's site looks like and how tall of a tower he went with to get such low output? even in the 3 worst summer months we produced nearly a 100 kWh each of those months and there was barely a breeze most of the time. If you have your skystream on a 70' tower in that placement, I don't doubt it would hit those numbers. Ours is only on a 45' tower in an open field and we did 472 that same month and I bet on a 70' tower we would have hit close to the same amount as you.

Let me tell ya, after ours was down all of last december and than ran non-stop this december in freezing rain and extremely high winds I can totally understand why you wanted to express your happiness with your skystream. I feel the same. Hope january does as well.

Eric Axtell wrote:
Josh, If I could load a pic for you to your site, I would. I live near STL just east of the bluffs. I have tree's to the south but nothing to the north or Nwest. Most of the tree's are below the plane,""just barely"" and better than 300 feet behind clear, I know the only major tree to the south is well over 1000Ft.... I'm sitting on a 45' for a pole.

My point about KWH is this, a Kilo is a thousand fold or X to the third power. My Xbee 1.6 reads in Watt hrs, 62456 is actually 62.4 KWH as an example. I have two meter's on my system, ""Remember talking about this before?"" a two way digital that reads a grand total of 194 KWH back up the line. I also have a dial type directly connected to the generator. Reads 598 KWH total. The system has been up for better than a year.

I have an older friend named DJ in his area. She is sitting on a 70' also and doesn't get that production, Sorry guys I don't agree.. I'm really not wanting to blast the man, I just hope that everyone reading these posts are familiar with what KWH stands for and how you get there.

One other thing. I have a septic tank that runs 3/4 horse, I can burn 1 KWH in ten minutes flat. The wing generator is no match for it. KWH and actual time are not at any rate the same!!!!

Joshua Janes wrote:
Hey eric, if you like, email photos to me at info@keepturning.com and I will post them along with your totals and anything else you'd like to add and maybe we could get some of the dealers and people to weigh in on what's up with your low production and why it's happening.

With the cost of a skytstream I would be upset with those production numbers myself.
Although it came across less like you were blasting the man, (Southwest Windpower) and more of attacking mark.

I'm not quite sure what you don't agree with. I get what your saying about kWh and kW usage by different types of equipment, but it doesn't change the production and usage numbers on a persons metering system. A kWh of usage or production on a dedicated meter is still just a kWh.

I still only use my dedicated meter at the base of my tower to track production and to date the system has produced 2,900kWh of electricity over the past 15 months and the digital meter on the side of my house has tracked 652kWh have been returned to the grid of that 2,900kWh.

Eric Axtell wrote:
Hi Josh,
My problem with Jeff's post is he lives just north of us. Less than 200 miles. I don't believe they produce that much. If everyone has a meter installed directly on the generator an is producing that much, then great. Mine doesn't but good for them. I had mine Installed by a Mom & Pop crew by the name of Illinois Wind Power. See the pics, the only thing directly in the plane is to the NE and we don't have wind from that direction. Mainly North, South, NorthWest and West. Sorry I didn't take the pic from the West. The problem may be that the wind bumpers off of our roof and causes circulation problems. Maybe but kinda hard to bite at + 20' above... The unit on the 1.6 exbee looks like a heartbeat, it is never flat in anything except 6-8 mph winds. The unit bouces back and forth like mad... I just Don't believe there,"southwest's hype" about production is accurate...
Eric

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Joshua Janes — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:03:00 GMT

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season.

Here's a couple of shot's sent to us of the Skystream factory after a big snow.

Installation of mat foundation by Use the Wind.net

Joshua Janes — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:16:00 GMT

Use the Wind.net has great photos of how they set up the mat foundation for the Skystream.

Along with lots of other information on the process of installing.