Experimental Wind Turbine

*THE TURBINE HAS NOW BEEN DISMANTLED THIS IS NOW A VIRTUAL ATTRACTION*

From Gebbies Pass you can see the trial turbine designed by avid wind enthusiast Geoff Henderson. The turbine design differs from those marketed commercially in Europe. If successful it should reduce the cost of capturing wind energy.. It has two variable pitch blades rather than three. The rotor teeters and the drive is through a torque limiting gearbox (TLG). The turbine powers a synchronous generator. The combination of the TLG system and the two bladed rotor design effects major reductions in fatigue loads. A storm in March 2005 in which the wind direction changed by 100 degrees in 89 seconds caused the bolts which secure the gearbox to the pallet to break. The gearbox and rotor then fell to the ground. This incident led to a redesign of the control system and a strengthening of the joint that failed. Clearly more testing will be required before this promising design can be adopted commercially.

The Gebbies Pass turbine was dismantled in 2016 following a dispute over its operating conditions. There is more to the story.