Hurricane Wind Power Reviews Residential Wind Turbines Missing the Mark in the USA

Jan. 25, 2015 - PRLog -- "Hurricane Wind Power reviews residential wind turbine kit technologies" ; sees small wind power industry missing the bar .Hurricane Wind Power announces implementation of evidence base practices. Upon market review Anthony Jones, CEO Hurricane Wind Power , described the problems facing small wind and the Implementation of evidence based practice in manufacturing in this way:  The mainstream small wind industry has a disconnect between research and development  and those improvements being reflected in the offerings of products in the mainstream market. With minimal study we can observe the masses are offering overlapping and services knock offs and replications of preceding wind turbine designs. According to Jones we at Hurricane have renewed our focus on letting our design and manufacturing follow improvements as dictated by the research findings. In short "we will do what works"  its that simple.

Jones attributes the reluctance to spend money in research and development of small scale wind generators due to the failure of some industry giants.  It has been difficult for some of the largest and best financed companies in the US to stay afloat.Southwest Wind Power the largest manufacturer of small wind turbines in the US went out of business, February 20, 2013, despite government grants. Even after receiving millions in government incentives and praise for its innovative wind turbine design, Wind Tronics Wind Turbine by Honeywell ended operations after its sole-source supplier folded in 2013. Even the mega hyped and well styled Helix wind turbine VAWT failed to make the grade and was forced to sell in the-recent past. According to Jones there was no shortage of companies that have failed in the small wind industry.

The failures of these large companies, dumping of foreign imported products at below market prices and an over competitive market have forced US many companies to integrate the world of low tech into a high tech industry.  According to Jones the overcrowded competitive market has led to unscrupulous dealers making advertising claims that are absurd. In many cases he states “wind power ratings many times more than the mathematical possibility or power available in the wind are advertised and have given the industry a black eye”.  Jones went on to explain, “The many years of our large US based companies sending their manufacturing machinery oversees has made it nearly impossible to build awind turbine in the USA and compete in the global market.  Components such as neodymium magnets being for the most part being solely an export of China are one in a line of many high tech manufacturing casualties. Many of the high tech products needed in renewable applications are just too toxic to produce in the US cost effectively due to the environmental policy regulation and associated cost. Inability to source parts such as extrusions and laminations have in many ways sealed the fate for small wind made in the USA.”

A change in focus

It was an average Monday and owner and CEO of Hurricane Wind Power was facilitating a workshop with engineering students from Virginia Tech University. It was business as usual and and the seminar was going as planned. Anthony Jones Hurricane CEO was demonstrating how the direct drive systems worked. Basic principles such as wiring of components, going over different designs of permanent magnet alternators and blades systems were discussed.

According to Jones “Somewhere along the way the tables were turned and the teacher to some extent became the student” .  In checking if he had answered the student’s questions when a student by the name of Collin and Monty explained that it was actually their main goal to "improve wind turbine efficiencies". The students went on the explain how through technology they were able to implement their ideas and use 3D modeling and printing to rapidly prototype a wind blades collect data and make necessary corrections to improve efficiencies.

A simple straightforward scientific approach as observed by Anthony but in a sense the student provided focus of something we had in a sense forgotten. Products research and development should have a greater focus being data driven and less so by business.  In some capacity the business aspect of the renewable business has at least for some led a focus away from science and to business. In a blink we have been refocused not to worry about the failures of others. Use emerging technologies to gain a competitive advance and bring our concepts to reality. According to Jones this is the essence of what we are about our core values of truth in advertising and data driven product implementation.

Interested parties that would like to be one of the first to experience the Implementation of evidence based practice in manufacturing at Hurricane Wind Power are encouraged to visit the website at http://www.hurricanewindpower.com