Carla McDonald's posts

Harbor Freight Tools sells one, probably for shallow wells. This message board posts links to their sale items and discount coupons every week.

http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=1276399

The Blackhawk makes a lot of sense, but they don't give any data for wattage output at various mph over time, other than producing energy when the wind speed is greater than 7mph....and producing as much as 1.5kw (per hour? at what wind speed?) up to a wind speed of 30mph.

What happens at winds over 30mph? Does the turbine peak in output and stay at that level, or does it shut down to protect itself?

The website states it will be priced "less than the standard economy car", so I'm guessing it will cost less than a $8,000 Kia? Or would that be a $14,000 Chevy/Dodge/Ford?

The life of the turbine is estimated to be "two decades at least", but the few vertical axis turbines I've found that have made it into production and whose developers WILL QUOTE PRICES all take 15-20 years for purchase costs payback at average wind speeds of 10-15mph. I have to assume those who won't quote prices (like the Finnish Windside) are so *outrageously* expensive they're embarrassed/ashamed to tell anyone.

How much do these turbines ACTUALLY COST to produce, and how much of the retail prices are attempts to funnel profits back to investors ASAP? I don't think the wind market is ever going to take off until prices are drastically reduced through mass production. Tax credits for both manufacturers and buyers wouldn't hurt, either.