Q:  Are the Hummer Inverters UL 1741 Certified?

A:  Yes.  Hummer wind turbines use SMA America WINDY BOY UL1741/IEEE1547 certified 5000US and 7000US series inverters for Grid Connect applications in the Hummer 3kW, 5kW, 10kW and 20kW small wind turbines.  The UL1741/IEEE1547 certification for the Hummer 30kW and 50kW Grid Connect small wind turbines is currently underway and being manufactured by another inverter company other than SMA America.  Completion is expected in 2012.

 

Q:  How long was the prototype tested, who did the testing and how many beta versions were sent to the field for feedback?

A:  The outsourcing research group of our company dealt with the testing in our test base for two years.  Hummer Wind Power itself tests every turbine we offer prior to releasing the product for sale in North America.

 

Q:  How frequently is your turbine technology seen design changes or updates and what are the changes?

A:  We always keep our products up to date, including the figure design, the inside structure and material of the products, etc.  For example, we found that the main bearing on older products was not strong enough so we have upgraded to an imported SKF bearing to ensure longevity.

 

Q:  Do your small wind turbines meet the proposed AWEA small wind turbine performance and safety standards?

A:  Yes.

 

Q:  Is there a performance guarantee for turbine output?

A:  No.  There are too many variables involved in the basic installation and site evaluation to guarantee performance output.  Things such as tower height, surrounding terrain and average wind speeds surrounding the installation of any wind turbine will affect performance.

 

Q:  What rate of warranty work has the turbines required?

A:  3%.

 

Q:  How can one shutdown the turbine in the event of an emergency or high winds?  Is the shutdown mechanism reliable at any speed?

A:  Hummer wind turbines have electrical over speed protection, where the CPU monitors real time wind speed. The wind turbine will yaw out of the wind at 20m/s to regulate RPM's and PMG temperature with a complete shutdown wind speed of 25m /s. There is also a switch on the Hummer wind controller module to make the two output wires short circuit, which will stop the wind turbine blades manually.

 

Q:  What type of generator does Hummer manufacture?

A:  All generators are single-phase, permanent-magnetic, synchronous, brushless alternators.

 

Q:  What is the inverter phase configuration?

A:  Single phase: one live wire and one neutral.  Three phase: three live wires and one neutral (standard), and we can customize according to your requirements.

 

Q:  Can you explain the high power yields and efficiency of your turbines versus your competitors?

A:  Hummer small wind turbines are permanent magnetic generators located in the hub of the turbine, forward of the blades.  Our turbines have large wind swept areas and are direct drive, not gear driven.  Our turbine generators operate at 80% to 85% efficiency and the engineering and design of our turbine technology is state of the art.  For an independent kWh assessment, please visit the site below and input the following information regarding the Hummer small wind turbine you are interested in.  Rotor diameter, mean wind speed, cut-in wind speed, turbine efficiency(the site goes to 59% efficiency) and Weibull shape parameter(use 2 if your unsure).  http://www.reuk.co.uk/Calculate-kWh-Generated-by-Wind-Turbine.htm

 

Q:  How quite are the Hummer wind turbines?

A:  Hummer wind turbines are very quiet.  The Noise db(A) range from the 500 Watt to the 20kW is 29 db(A) to 34 db(A).  To get an idea of what that means, please visit:  http://www.makeitlouder.com/Decibel%20Level%20Chart.txt

 

Q:  What type of Warranty comes with a Hummer wind turbine?

A:  All Hummer wind turbines come with a standard 5 Year Limited Warranty.

 

Q:  Who provides the annual service and maintenance on the Hummer turbines and after the Warranty period, is there a service and maintenance fee?

A:  All warranty issues will be handled by your Authorized Hummer Dealer and annual service and maintenance can be handled by either the owner or the dealer.  After the warranty period is over there is a fee for ongoing service and maintenance.  Check with your Hummer Dealer for the costs associated with continued service and maintenance.

 

Q:  What benefits do your Permanent Magnetic Generators provide and how does that differentiate your turbine technology from others?

A:  Our Permanent Magnetic Generator 'in-the-hub' technology requires zero maintenance, yields higher power output and is lightweight.  PMG technology is state of the art and differentiates itself to expensive gear driven generators that once they break down, have to be rebuilt and require a more strict maintenance regime. 

 

Q:  Do the Hummer wind turbines use any type of braking system?

A:  Yes.  When the wind turbine needs to shut down manually for maintenance or the controller senses a problem (such as extreme wind speed ), the wind turbine is rotated parallel to the wind to bring the blades to a very slow spin.  The controller then causes an automatic circuit override which uses the permanent magnets within the generator to bring the blades to a complete stop.

 

Q:  Do your wind turbines require cable untwisting?

A:  No.  Hummer turbines come equipped with a slip ring yaw (500W, 1kW & 2kW) and active yaw control system (3kW, 5kW, 10kW & 20kW) that requires no cable untwisting.

 

Q:  Can your small wind turbines be remotely monitored?

A:  Yes.  Our turbines come with SMA Webbox systems that allow for remote monitoring as long as there is an internet connection.

 

Q:  Can your turbines be manually overridden?

A:  Yes.

 

Q:  What is the life span of a Hummer turbine?

A:  Projected life span is 25 years.

 

Q:  What type of maintenance do you recommend on your turbines?

A:  Our turbines require little to no annual maintenance.  We recommend on all models to check the connection bolts freestanding(monopole) and  lattice towers once a year to make sure they remain tight.

 

Q:  Do your Permanent Magnetic Generators require any maintenance?

A:  No, they are factory sealed.

 

Q:  What is the typical return on investment of your turbines?

A:  That depends on the size of the turbine and the local, State and Federal Grant/Tax Credits that are available in your area.  On average in the United States you can expect a realistic payback of 7 to 12 years depending on the price of electricity and the average wind speed in your state.

 

Q:  Do you sell direct to the public?

A:  No.  To insure proper installation and continued operation of all Hummer small wind turbines we utilize our certified and trained North American Hummer Dealer Network for all consumer sales.  Our Dealer Network will help ensure that you purchase the right turbine for your needs and will help you with everything from evaluating the site of your turbine to grants and permitting as well as ongoing maintenance and any warranty work if it should arise.

 

Q:  On your Grid Tied system, if the power grid goes down, do you have any protection built into your system?

A:  Yes, we have a built in unloading system that cuts off power to the grid and is fully automated.

 

Q:  What types and sizes of tower's do you offer?

A:  Hummer currently manufacturers a 30m and 40m Monopole-climbable.  We also have relationships with other tower manufacturers that provide freestanding lattice towers as well as mechanical towers.  We will soon be offering a mechanical tilting tower in an 18m height for those areas that have extremely high wind that don't need a high tower height and find a need to bring the turbine down for protection (coastal areas for example).

 

Q:  What type of training and certification are Hummer Dealers required to do before becoming Dealers?

A:  All Hummer Network Dealers are required to attend product and installation training and certification prior to installing any of our products.  They are also required to have industry experience and the personnel on staff to meet state and federal industry requirements as well as carry adequate Liability and Workman's comp insurance.

 

Q:  What type of protection do your wind turbines have for high wind speed?

A:  When the Anemometer measures a wind speed in excess of 65 mph, the controls will turn the wind turbine 30° out of the wind to regulate speed.  If the blades are still rotating too fast the controls will turn the wind turbine a full 90° and shut down.  It will then monitor wind speed every 10 minutes and decide if it is ok to start back up or stay shut down.

 

Q:  What phase are your wind turbines?

A:  All Hummer turbines from 20kW and down are single phase.  The Hummer inverters can be configured for either single or three phase.

 

Q:  If you are installing more than one wind turbine can you wire the inverters in tandem on the same meter?

A:  Yes.

 

Q:  What colors do your turbines come in?

A:  White.

 

Q:  Are your turbines harmful to the environment and birds or other wild life?

A:  Our turbines are not harmful to the environment, in fact they greatly help to reduce dependence on other forms of energy that are harmful to the environment such as fossil fuels.  There is less of a chance of a bird being harmed by a wind turbine than that of a fossil fuel burning jet liner taking off on a runway.

 

If you have a specific question that you would like answered in this forum please direct the question to:  questions@hummerwind.com