Swept area
The Superwind 350 has a blade diameter of 1.20 metres. This means it has a swept area, or capture area of 1.13 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.
Superwind 350 power output curve
The graph below shows the power produced (in watts) for the Superwind 350 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 Superwind 350 is extracting
8 Watts of power from the wind, which is an efficiency of
9.2%.
How efficient is the Superwind 350?
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
Superwind 350 turbine, working out annual power production is more complex.
Read more about the
Power Predictor
Although the Superwind is a small turbine for general use, it gives efficient generation at higher windspeeds. However the turbine has a maximum output wind speed of 12.5 m/s.
The core cost of the turbine minus attachments or installation is £1100. The mast set for yachts is an extra £270.
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