Spin off of Low Frequencies thread

[John Pratt]

I didn't want to hijack the other thread regarding low frequencies so I am starting this thread.

After reading the purpose of the other thread it got me wondering. I am looking to put in a wind turbine on my property and wonder if there are going to be the same issues with noise.

I am not going anywhere near the size discussed, but I am thinking about the Skystream 3.7 to offset electrical expenses. Anyone have any experience with these or know someone in your area that has one? The only real information I can get is from the people that sell them and I chaulk a lot of that up to salesmanship not an honest assessment of what it can do for me. I also wonder wheather they save as much energy as advertised.

[Derek Gilmer]

How big are the blades on it? VLF wave lengths get pretty big in a hurry. A 20hz sound wave has a wave length of 56.5 ft, 10hz is 113 ft, 5hz is 226ft etc. I would guess your blades need to be somewhere near that wavelength to start causing trouble in a given frequency range or moving very fast (see a thigpen rotary subwoofer).

[Dennis McGarry]

Rated Capacity 2.4 kW

Rotor Diameter 12 ft (3.72 m)

Weight 170 lb (77 kg)

Swept Area 115.7 ft 2 (10.87 m2)

Type Downwind rotor with stall
regulation control

Direction of Rotation Clockwise looking upwind

Blades (3) Fiberglass reinforced composite

Rated Speed 50 - 330 rpm
Maximum Tip Speed 216.5 ft/s (66 m/s)

That is the specs on the skystream 3.7. I would doubt that it produces anywhere near the low freq as the larger units would. These are starting to pop up around more and more small business as well, and so far the only complaint that I have seen is due to visual appeal of them.

[John Pratt]

There can be a visual draw back to them, but I am on two acres and hopefully can place it far enough from the house to minimize this effect. Solar is another option but the initial costs are outrageous compared to the wind turbine. Wind turbine installed - $16,000, Solar panels (with all the stuff needed with them) - $40,000. Couple that with the fact that Oklahoma is a hail prone area and the wind turbine seems like a locigal choice. Let me add that I am not a save the planet guy, but more doing this for the cost savings in Electricity. If anyone has thoughts or experiences whether these things really work, I would love to hear your experiences.

[Jim Rimmer]

Don't have experience with these. I grew up in Duncan, Oklahoma, so I know you are in a good place to use wind power. ;)