This is a specification page. Better Generation do not sell this product.
Possibly the biggest selling small turbine in the world, with SouthWest wind power claiming more than 140,000 units sold to 120 countries in the last ten years.
A new version, called the 'Air Breeze' has recently been launched, claiming reduced noise and improved efficiency. The Air X is not without its detractors of course, some of whom have already left comments at the bottom of this page.
Wind turbines
Swept area
The Air X has a blade diameter of 1.14 metres. This means it has a swept area, or capture area of 1.02 square metres. This is all important when comparing wind turbines, since it directly relates to the amount of passing wind energy
the turbine blades can intercept.
Air X power output curve
The graph below shows the power produced (in watts) for the Air X at different wind speeds, based on
data supplied by the manufacturer.
The green line shows the actual output that the wind turbine achieves at the given wind speed,
according to the manufacturers.The dashed line in the graph shows the theoretical maximum energy that this turbine could extract from the wind,
according to Betz's Law (59.3%). At a typical wind speed of 5 m/s, the Air X is extracting
19.04 Watts of power from the wind, which is an efficiency of 24.27%.
Wind turbines can only convert some of the energy in the wind into electricity. The graph here shows how efficient the
turbine is across the range of wind speeds you might get.
The orange line in the above graph shows the efficiency ranging from 0 to 1. The grey line is the previously mentioned maximum efficiency - The Betz Limit. If this limit is exceeded, the manufacturer's claims are not to be trusted!
While these graphs give an indication of the instantaneous power and efficiencies you might expect from the Air X turbine, working out annual power production is more complex.
Promotional video of the Air X, made by manufacturers South West Windpower.
video credit: swwindpower
Power output
Maximum power output of 400W. Anecdotal reports suggest that it does not perform well at higher wind speeds. There is no verified data on this as yet.
Cost
Around £400 plus shipping from US.
Our view
We have no direct experience of this turbine as yet, so if you have any views or reviews, please feel free to add them below and we will incorporate the information when we update.
I've had them for 12 years (including predecessors). The early ones which were worryingly loud in high winds as they'd flutter their blades to limit their speed. The latest version is completely trouble free and pretty much silent, relying on electronic regulation to slow the blades down. I don't even turn it off in high winds any more. I'm off grid so I rely on it. I find some of the stuff above difficult to believe.
I bought an Air-X last year and installed it about a month later at about 30 feet height on a tower I designed and built. The Air-X started right up and then stopped. Many system checks revealed all was hooked up properly. I called the company I bought it from and tried to return it or get some assistance. I was told I was passed the return date and they could not help me. The Air-X became an expensive and a very high lawn ornament but nothing else. It provided no power to my off-the-grid, battery bank system. It sat on my tower fro months and did not spin. Another wind turbine I bought and installed on my property at a much lower height spins regularly and feeds my battery bank. I am very unhappy with this Air-X product and hope that some day there will be an aftermarket blade assembly and/or aftermarket parts to make this wind turbine of value. Right now it is useless.
+0
... written by R Flett,
January 18, 2010
I have had an air industrial for 5 years. It has survived the Orkney climate ok although I switch it off in high winds(the ability to switch it off without burning it out is a great feature). It does not really deliver the quoted power but is satisfactory. Being light it is easy to lower for inspection. It is better than the Rutland 910 I had before. Recently One of the blades broke. This was cause by corrosion on the hub cracking the blades at the fixing holes. This was my fault as The turbine had not been looked at for 5 years. Overall it has given good service and I would buy another.
+0
... written by phil hayward,
December 18, 2009
Only good in steady strong wind. Noise it makes stalling in gale force winds can be heard a mile away - literaly. Two have failed, several times, by blade screws coming undone, jumping off its tower, breaking its casting. Probably OK if you don't have real violent winds.
... written by Alistair Goodlad,
September 10, 2009
This is piece of junk. I've had one installed in a high wind maritime area for the last year and a half. I don't believe it has functioned for more than two weeks in that time. I have sent it back twice to the for repairs under warranty and once the thing just blew off its slip rings. To be fair the company replaced it - the replacement doesn't work! Definitely a waste of money.
+0
... written by jerrycox,
June 08, 2009
Do NOT buy one of these machines under any circumstances!!!! They produce the most terrifying noise as wind approaches gale force - this is what the Blitzkrieg must have sounded like. They are totally unreliable - regulators, bearings (rotor and yaw), stators and blades constantly failing. The only time I got anywhere near the claimed 400w was in a steady wind of 28mph - lucky to get 100w at 15mph! This is the sort of rubbish product that gives renewables a bad name. I was so happy when I finally threw it away!!!! Only good thing I can think of is that 3-year warranty was honoured.
TrackBack URI for this entry
Only good in steady strong wind. Noise it makes stalling in gale force winds can be heard a mile away - literaly. Two have failed, several times, by blade screws coming undone, jumping off its tower, breaking its casting. Probably OK if you don't have real violent winds.
