Farewell to solar panels at home

Developed in Scotland, the SWIFT Wind Turbine is a quiet structure or pole mountable wind turbine which is capable of providing a cost-effective renewable energy source for residential, community and industrial use. UK-based company, Renewable Devices the original designers of SWIFT, have partnered with Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Cascade Engineering, Inc., to make Cascade the proud manufacturer of the SWIFT Wind Turbine for North America.

A silent wind turbine designed in Scotland

Originally designed by Scotland-based renewable devices, is being marketed in the U.S. by Cascade Engineering of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Dissimilar to many existing small wind turbines, the SWIFT turbine is designed to reduce noise. At seven feet in diameter, it consists of five thin blades encircled by a ring. The ring reduces vibration and diffuses the noise to a level of less than 35 decibels.

According to Cascade, the wind turbine should be positioned at least two feet above the roof line in locations with average wind. Its two fins direct the turbine to face the wind, with the ability to turn 360 degrees. The blades power a generator, which produces about 1.5 kilowatts with a 14-mph wind.

Over a year, the turbine can generate about 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, which is a significant percentage of the 6,500 to 10,000 kilowatt-hours per year that US households typically consume (as has been estimated by the US Energy Information Administration).

Over 250 silent wind turbines installed

Installation costs are estimated to run at around $10,000, state rebates and tax credits could help lower the upfront cost; for example, a renewable energy tax credit gives consumers $1,000 back for residential systems and $4,000 for commercial buildings. Depending on these incentives and performance levels, Cascade estimates that the upfront cost could be made up in as little as three years.

Thus far, Cascade has installed nine SWIFT turbines in the US and has a backlog of 25 orders. Orders come from about half residential and half commercial customers. In Scotland, SWIFT turbines have been installed at 250 sites.

A grid-connected form of embedded power generation

The SWIFT is a grid-connected form of embedded power generation. The emphasis of the design process has
focused on safety, reliability, and ease of operation, alongside the high-performance of this innovative system.
Unique technologies have been developed, which has led to the filing of five international patents, which allow the SWIFT Wind Turbine to offer:

• Universal application
• Quiet, minimal vibration structure-mounted operation
• Simple installation
• Safe, efficient, and autonomous operation
• Visually appealing design, which is zoning compliant
• Sustainable, harm neutral design – allowing the SWIFT to become carbon and energy positive within four years

Mounted at the highest point on a roof

A structure-mounted SWIFT Wind Turbine is installed on an aluminum mast with a minimum blade-roof clearance of approximately two feet. It is optimally mounted at the highest point of a roof, in a position which benefits from maximum prevailing wind, but it will work effectively in almost any location.

The design enables the use of the turbine in urban and suburban settings.

The quiet, mast mounting technology reduces unwanted vibration to the building or home.

Technical specifications

• Type: upwind, horizontal axis, structure or pole mountable wind turbine
• Power output: over 1.5 kW at peak production. 1 kW at 11 m/s (24.6 mph)
• Annual energy production: approximately 1,200 kWh at 5 m/s (11.2 mph) average wind speed, approximately 1,900 kWh at 6 m/s (13.4 mph) average wind speed

SWIFT Wind Turbine is a grid-connected system, which utilizes the electricity generated by the turbine first
and supplementing the rest of your needs with your conventional utility.  The SWIFT Wind Turbine has been designed to be environmentally sustainable. The product produces more energy in its lifetime than is incorporated in the material and processes used to manufacture it, which thus renders the turbine ‘harm neutral.’

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