AMPAIR 6000 wind turbine system

Ampair 6000

Ampair, a Berkshire, UK based company, has just released details of its sleek new 6000 Watt 18 foot diameter wind turbine, the latest of a long line of reliable, rugged and quiet wind generators. This turbine recently won the prestigious Rushlight Windpower Award 2008 and the company is now accepting orders through its distributors.

The new machine has a rotor diameter of 18 ft and is ideal for supplying power to remote farms or rural houses, telecom systems, public buildings, schools or industrial infrastructure, either offshore or onshore, for 240V 60Hz grid connection or for 48V battery charging.

Like all Ampair turbines, it is manufactured from high quality marine grade materials making it particularly suited to remote, coastal or cold-weather applications and in keeping with the company’s quality ethos is designed to be compliant with the IEC 61400-2 standard for a Class I turbine, which means it can be easily and safely installed worldwide. It is a fully sealed unit that does not require costly annual servicing.

A range of tower options is available. As with all turbines, more height gives greater power because of the increase in wind speed so Ampair can supply towers from 33 ft to 98 ft in a variety of styles including monopole or lattice, guyed or unguyed.

The price for the grid connected 230V system on a 33 ft tower starts at about $20,000. As Ampair’s managing director David Sharman says “We have always worked on an unsubsidized commercial basis and see no reason to charge the high prices that are the norm in the 6kW market. In my opinion, the current government subsidies are propping up this practice and are a distortion of the market and should be withdrawn immediately."

Since 1973 Ampair has been recognized as a leader in small wind turbine technology with over twenty thousand units installed worldwide. There are Ampair turbines from the Antarctic to Alaska, and the Solent to the Sahara including some of the harshest environments known to man. The lessons learned from this continuous history are always incorporated into every generation of the company’s products, ensuring an extremely high “return for investment” level due to reliability and longevity.

The family-owned Ampair is Britain’s oldest wind turbine manufacturer and is proud to be an independent and thriving manufacturer with strong export sales through its network of global distributors. Additionally, the company prides itself on its after sales service and boasts that it can still service and maintain units going back over many years, often by the same experienced technicians who manufactured them decades ago.

The new Ampair 6000 fits neatly into a slot in the market which Ampair has been working to fill for several years to satisfy the rising demand for a turbine of this size made to Ampair’s high standards.

Turbine	240Vac Grid Tie	48Vdc Battery Charging
Reference Power @ 24.6mph	6000 W (into grid)	6000 W (into battery)
Electrical System	240 Vac 60Hz 230 Vac 50Hz	48 Vdc
Reference annual electricity @ 11.2mph	8500 kWh/yr
Starting wind speed	6.7 mph
Cut-in wind speed	7.8 mph
Cut-out wind speed	33-56 mph
Survival wind speed	140 mph
Maximum power	6000 W
Maximum voltage	600 V into inverter
Maximum current	10.9 A into inverter
Rotation	clockwise looking downwind
Rotor swept area	255 sq. ft.
Rotor diameter	18 feet
Rotor speed	70-240 rpm
Generator output	three phase to inverter or regulator
Over speed control	electronic speed control & triple redundant relay brake
Tower top weight	339 lbs body + 79 lbs blades = 418 lbs
Body construction	marine grade powder coated aluminum castings with marine grade stainless steel fittings
Blade Construction	glass filled polypropylene
Generator type	direct drive NeFeBr permanent magnet brushless
Towers	tilt-up monopole and lattice
Noise	54 dBA at 98 feet from turbine in 24.6 mph wind
Longevity	20 year design life
Maintenance	annual visual inspection from ground level
Temperature range	-20C to +40C ambient
Inverter
Rating	6000 W ac
Maximum input voltage	600 Vdc
Maximum power point tracking window	50 to 580 Vdc
Nominal output	240 Vac, 60 Hz single phase
Distortion	less than 2% THD at rated power
Maximum efficiency	97% (96.5% C.E.C.)
Operating temperature	-25C to +60C
Enclosure	NEMA 4X (for indoor or outdoor mounting)
Derate	above 6,600 ft
Dimensions	29"H x 13"W x 8"D
Weight	58 lbs


site installation	close up of tower top	electrical output graphs	specs	drawings	inverter
click on thumbnail image above to enlarge