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The photo
shows two 1.5 kW Bergey turbines installed at a telecommunications site in Wales
operated by the Welsh
Water Company. This communications system links the headquarters of
Welsh Water with remote
monitoring equipment and its field crews. This system originally had one
Bergey 1.5 kW turbine and one Northern Power Systems 1 kW turbine. The
second Bergey unit was installed after ~ 8 months.
The power
system for the radio transmitter also includes a 3 kW PV array which is located
on the
other side of the
building and a back-up generator. This site has been in operation since 1990 and
has provided reliable
service with a minimum of fuel consumption. Combining wind and solar
power is very effective
because wind and solar resources often complement each other on a
seasonal basis. The
wind is strongest in the Winter, when solar energy is weakest. Solar is
strongest in the
Summer, when wind speeds are usually lower. Together wind and solar provide
reliable year-round
power.
Wind power
is an excellent source of power for telecommunications sites because the height
and
exposure that make for
a good antenna site also make for a good wind energy site. But wind
turbines for this
application must be particularly rugged because of the harsh conditions often
encountered
at elevated sites.
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