Southwest Wind Power Whisper 500 3000 watt Wind Turbine review
Posted by admin in Wind Turbine, tags: power, residential, Wind TurbineIf you’re looking for a top of the line residential wind turbine, the Whisper 500 3000 watt wind turbine from Southwest Windpower is a great place to start. It’s their top of the line entrant into the medium sized residential and farm wind power generator arena. And with a 3kw rated output, it’s more than capable of supplying all of your home’s power needs.
Southwest WindPower Whisper 500 3000 watt wind turbine
The Whisper 500 is a 15 foot, two blade turbine with a swept area of 176.7 square feet. The blades are carbon reinforced fiberglass and are designed to cut in at 7.5 mph, while being capable of sustaining 120 mile per hour wind speeds without damage. You’ll start producing power much sooner, and you won’t have to worry about the winds damaging your turbine. Both are great features to look for in a wind turbine.
Another must have feature of any wind turbine is some type of overspeed protection safety device. This allows the wind turbine to safely generate power in very high wind speeds. The Whisper 500 uses side furling for it’s overspeed protection method. The tail furls to the side, causing the blades to move away from the wind while still generating power. This way, even in storm/high wind conditions, you’re still safely generating maximum power.
Power output is rated at 538 kwh/month with an average 12 mile per hour windspeed. For charging a battery system, the output voltage can be easily set to 24, 36, or 48 volts. It’s also available in a high voltage version for long distance power transmission. And as a bonus, it comes with a Whisper charge controller complete with a diversion load.
Southwest WindPower Whisper 500 Wind Turbine from Real Goods
Southwest WindPower Whisper 500 Wind Turbine from Northern Tool
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Technical Specifications
Rotor Diameter 15 feet (4.5 m)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg)
Shipping Dimensions Box 1 (body): 36 x 25 x 32 in
(914 x 635 x 812 mm)
295 lb (133.8 kg)
Box 2 (blades): 88 x 12 x 6 in
(2235 x 305 x 152 mm)
38 lb (17.2 kg)
Box 3 (controller): 22 x 15 x 10 in
(559 x 381 x 254 mm) 75 lb (35 kg)
Mount 5 in schedule 40 (12.7 cm) pipe
Start-Up Wind Speed 7.5 mph (3.4 m/s)
Voltage 24, 36, 48 VDC (high voltage avail.)
Rated Power 3000 watts at 24 mph (10.5 m/s)
Peak Power 3200 watts at 27 mph (12 m/s)
Turbine Controller Whisper Charge Controller
(included)
Body Welded steel; powder coated
protection (not marine grade)
Blades 2-Carbon reinforced fiberglass
Overspeed Protection Side-furling
Kilowatt Hours/Month 538 kWh/mo at 12 mph (5.4 m/s)
Survival Wind Speed 120 mph (55 m/s)
Warranty 5 year limited warranty
Entries (RSS)
What is the price?
what size motor do they use on this turbine?
I had a Wisper 500 installed 2 years ago and it has been nothing but a nightmare since. Six months after the install, the blades actually fell off of the unit! Apparently Southwest used bolts that were too long to attach the mounting plate to the turbine, and after a short while they sheared off. The installer came out and actually put up a brand new turbine. 6 months later, same exact problem! Installer came back out and was able to fix the unit. About 4 months later, yet another problem, the turbine remained in the tilted position and stopped generating power. Installer came back out and repaired the unit again. Now, 4 months ago the blades just stopped spinning no matter how strong the wind. I checked the wiring for shorts and there are none. So in 2 years, my wisper 500 has broken 4 times. The installer told me he has had so many problems with Southwest, he will no longer come to repair the unit. No the fun begins with me dealing directly with Southwest Energy in an effort to have the unit replaced. Finally, they have agreed to replace the Wisper 500 with a Skystream 3.7. However, I have been forced to take an active role in finding another installer. I am also forced to pay to have a 4th wire run from the unit to my meter as well as pay to have the Wisper 500 shipped back to Southwest. Feeling I have no other option other than to seek legal representation I have agreed to Southwest’s proposal. So, I called them the other day to find out when they will ship the Skystream. I was told it will be a remanufactured unit, and it will take an additional 6 weeks as they don’t have any in stock. I am really at the end of my patience with this company and am contemplating seeking legal representation. I paid $21k for the wisper and it has been nothing more than an eye sore. I believe Southwest should be willing to ship out a new unit, and do it immediately. At this point, my best advice to anyone thinking about installing a wind turbine or becoming a dealer is to stay as far away from Southwest Wind Energy as possible.