This is a specification page. Better Generation do not sell this product.
The Westwind 20 is designed for use on large farms, commercial and council premises and larger rural domestic properties.
Originally an Australian-designed machine, that since 2006 has been manufactured in Northern Ireland. It is distrbuted and installed in the UK by Segen Ltd, Shetland Wind Power Ltd and various other installer companies.
Wind turbines
Swept area
The Westwind 20kW has a blade diameter of 10.40 metres. This means it has a swept area, or capture area of 84.95 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.
Westwind 20kW power output curve
The graph below shows the power produced (in watts) for the Westwind 20kW 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 Westwind 20kW is extracting
1750 Watts of power from the wind, which is an efficiency of 26.8%.
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 Westwind 20kW turbine, working out annual power production is more complex.
Promotional video of an installation of the Westwind 20 kW made by installer Segen Ltd.
video credit: robsuch
Power output
Some pretty serious power output if you have the right site. The available output information for the Westwind series is limited to 17m/s so to produce a more complete graph we have extrapolated the last few values.
Cost
Segen are quoting £60000 +VAT for standard installation, excluding ground works. This does not take into account the £2500 grant that may be available.
Blade diameter
10.40 metres
Rated output (W)
20000
UK grants available?
Yes
Warranty
2 year manufacture guarantee. Expected lifespan of 20 years.
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