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| the swift rooftop wind energy system |
This is an independent review we have compiled for your reference. Feel free to add your comments or experiences at the bottom of the page.
Swift turbines, developed by Edinburgh-based Renewable Devices Ltd, made the headlines back in 2004 when they attracted a £9.2m investment from mega-energy company Scottish & Southern with an order for 2,000 turbines for their customers. Swift say their turbine is "the world's first silent, building-mountable wind turbine" and the ring encircling the blades is the secret to its quiet operation. They also state that the design means it is more efficient in turbulent air flows, which is an important consideration on roofs. swift power output curveThe graph below shows the typical power produced (in Watts) for the Swift at different wind speeds. The power output curve as published by Swift is shown below.  Blade diameter is an important thing to look at when comparing turbines, since it affects how much power can be captured from the wind. This turbine has a blade diameter of 2.10 metres. How windy? If you are thinking of buying a Swift, we'd advise measuring your wind resource first. Not just because we sell anemometers but it means you will have a much better idea of how much power you might generate.costAround £5,300 for the system, plus installation which would probably cost about £1,750, plus VAT at 5% for domestic properties, 0% for new build or 17.5% for commercial/industrial applications. You must use an accredited installer (you cannot DIY). our viewAn exciting proposition, especially as the claims say there is virtually no noise. It's an elegant design, but when we saw one at an exhibition, it seemed like a fairly large thing to be strapping to the side of your house, and there are of course well-documented problems with roof-mounted machines (as mentioned elsewhere on this site and others). Some technical problems arose with the Mark 1 version, which were withdrawn for a while adjustments are made to the setup. An improved Mark 2 version has now been released. UK grants available?Swift have government accreditation so the turbines are eligible for up to 30% grant funding depending on where you live in the UK. warrantyUnclear, but expected lifespan of 20 years  comments (13)
Augustinus Huisamen
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Sir, This is what rural south africa needs. Could sent a price list and technical specifications. My company and I is interested to market your product. kindly consider. Augustinus Huisamen 82 332 0846 P.O Box 33960 Glenstantia 0010 Pretoria South Africa Secondly, I have found a site the other day about a Scotish government agency that do feasibilty studies to advise which renewable system, work best at a given site. Kndly advise website |
Iainb
said:
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I forgot to mention the mean windspeed at my place is 6.7 m/s Try this to see what you are likely to get from your turbine: www.reuk.co.uk/Calculate-kWh-Generated-by-Wind-Turbine.htm |
Iainb
said:
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At £6000 outlay and £300 produced per year it will NEVER pay for itself in money and almost certainly use more carbon than it saves. The futurenergy 1kW looks much more promising, approx £1270 outlay and £250 per year produced - approx 7 year payback in real terms .( money promised to me next year is worth only 0.9 of money in my hand now. Consider the effect of CO2 put into the atmosphere now vs saved later) |
steve
said:
| Ask swift, what happened to their machine that was on test at the Narec test facility in blyth. northumberland?????????????? |
Steve Taylor (Aust)
said:
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Hi Guys, Yes great looking turbine, looks a lot like a bicycle wheel turbine we play with here in OZ. google "peter pedals". Anyway i have a question, Are you using Batteries to store the power? If so what about the cost of these? and you would need an inverter, correct? Another thing, why would anybody who is connected to the grid need a wind turbine anyway. Surely it would cost more than you would get back in electricity. And what about the electricity/power it took to make the turbine. Im no expert, these are just questions im sure people may ask. BTW, i am on solar and wind power here in country Victoria Australia, cost to connect to the grid is AU$30,000 if power connection was available at a lower cost i would connect real fast....but then again...I love not getting power bills. "Pre Paid Power"..cheers:) |
Insider
said:
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Waste of money and effort, to get one installed for under £6000 you'd be lucky, then theres the safety of it, the control system..... Tim knows the score, lets see if it gets a relaunch! Good lookin device though and a few were silent sometimes ;) |
Andrew Harmsworth
said:
| According to the information graph from RD, the power rating at 5 m/s looks to be around 180W, not insubstantial, but not 1.5 kW. I guess the proof will be in the eating - once they are available, people will either be delighted after 2-3 years, or very cross. In 2-3 years, we will see. |
Philip Goatly
said:
| Since the Swift turbine produces 1.5kw at 12.5 m/s and the power from the wind is proportionate to the cube of the speed of the wind then at 5 m/s the turbine should produce about 96 watts - just about enough to power 1 concvntional light bulb or 4-5 energy saving bulbs. That is a very expensive use of energy i.e the cost of the turbine. |
Tim Rogers
said:
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I work in the industry and have installed a few Swifts and a number of Provens. In reality the Swift costs at least £6,000. Swfit have had recent problems with the control box which meant the turbines would not generate anything. In the recent gales in Scotland the arms on one turbine fell off. Turbine have be removed at the majority of sites. I believe they are adressing the issue. I have had bad experiences of Swift themselves. The product has good potential but be wary of the mounting pole. It is quite substantial to install on your house. The turbines are however very quiet. |
Cliff Cook
said:
| I am interested in purchasing one of your rooftop turbines. Do you sell them in the USA. |
MK
said:
| In addittion to my last message, anyone wishing to query the status of the Swift can contact Irene Black at irene.black@scottish-southern.co.uk |
MK
said:
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I have recently spoken to Irene Black at Scottish Power who is a key figure in the department marketing the Swift. She said that the would be taking orders in the Spring of 2007, and that it is likely the cost of the Swift would be reduced to around £15-1800 excluding installation. |
guest
said:
| Does anyone know if Swift / Scottish and Southern are taking orders again yet? We're waiting to hear from them |
