Skystream 3.7 - Domestic Scale Wind Turbine
 | Segen are very pleased to announce the imminent availability in the UK of the brand new Skystream 3.7 small wind turbine from Southwest Windpower. The Skystream 3.7 is specifically designed for grid-connected homes and small business use. The Skystream 3.7 offers a simple, all-in-one solution to harnessing wind energy on a residential scale. The total cost of a Skystream 3.7 and tower is approximately £9,000 (excluding foundations). |
| If you are new to small wind turbines, please start by reading our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages, as those form a complete guide to wind resource and wind turbine siting. Not all sites are suitable for a wind turbine, so please ensure you read this information carefully in relation to your proposed location. |
Different from all other technologies, Skystream 3.7 is the first all-inclusive wind generator with the controls and inverter built into the turbine.
The Skystream 3.7 has been developed by Southwest Windpower in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and is the newest generation in residential wind technology.
The Skystream 3.7 is a down-wind (wind hits the blades on the downwind side of the tower) direct drive (gearless or no transmission) permanent magnet wind generator. Skystream 3.7 uses an innovative 3.7m rotor and produces approximately 300 kWh per month at a typical UK 5m/s AMWS site.
The initial prototype has been operating at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Colorado for almost two years and has undergone extensive performance, reliability and duration testing in accordance with internationally accepted testing standards.
| In addition to the innovative technology, Southwest Windpower have invested heavily in tooling to reduce component cost. Doing so makes it possible to sell Skystream 3.7 at a very low price. Its full 1.8kW is achieved at around 10m/s with a maximum rotor speed of 325 RPM. Because of the exceptionally low RPM for such a size of turbine, the machine operates nearly silently. The Skystream 3.7 is supplied in the UK with an 10m or 14m free-standing tower which look much like a standard light pole. A visually aesthetic shape played a key role in the design to show that a wind generator is not only a clean source of energy but pleasing to the eye. |
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Independently Tested
Due to the collaboration with NREL, the Skystream is probably the most tested new small wind turbine to ever enter the market. Shown below are the power curve and noise data as measured independently by NREL.
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Optional Remote Monitoring
The optional remote display allows you to observe Skystream’s performance in real time. You can also collect data such as KWh per day, per month and per year. The display wirelessly connects via a 900 MHz frequency and works up to 300m from the tower.
The USB converter allows you to connect the remote display to your computer and monitor Skystream real time. Specialised software allows you to create your own power curves, monitor performance remotely and even download and transmit the latest software directly to your Skystream to maximise performance.
An optional subscription to Fat Spaniel Technology allows Segen to monitor the performance of your Skystream and communicate with us in the event there is a problem.
Installation
| The Skystream 3.7 has been designed for ease of installation, which allows us to keep the total solution cost as low as possible. A complete installation (excluding foundations), can normally be done in a single day by a team of two technicians. The foundation is a standard concrete base measuring 1.8m X 1.8m X 0.9m with the foundation bolts embedded into it. A cable trench, 600mm deep, will need to be dug between the turbine and your electrical connection. This is used to hold the 240V mains cable that brings the power from the turbine to the property. You may arrange to have the foundations and cable trench done yourself, or Segen can take care of it for you to provide a complete turn key solution. With the inverter built in to the turbine, the electrical installation is very straightforward and simply needs a spare connection into your existing fuse box. Please note that the Skystream is not suitable for roof top mounting. |  |
Further Information
To see one in action, view a 1 minute Video Clip (6MB WMV) of the turbine in action or view this 5 minute Article on the Skystream 1.7 on NBC (25MB MP4).
For further information, please download the Skystream Brochure or the Skystream 3.7 Technical Specification document from our web site and you may also find the answers to some of your questions on our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) pages, as those form a complete guide to wind resource and turbine siting.
Southwest Windpower have also produced a number of consumer guides for the Skystream on Siting, Birds, Neighbours and Battery Charging.
The Skystream has been developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and they have published a technical paper on Balancing Performance, Noise and Cost of the Skystream. (Known as the Storm when this paper was published).
Please now use our Wind Speed Checker to find out how much energy an Skystream 3.7 small wind turbine could generate at your site, and register your interest with Segen.
