Swept area

The Turby has a blade diameter of 2.89 metres. This means it has a swept area, or capture area of 6.56 square metres. The swept area is all important when comparing wind turbines, since it directly relates to the amount of passing wind energy the turbine blades can intercept.

Turby power output curve

The graph below shows the power produced (in watts) for the Turby at different wind speeds, based on data supplied by the manufacturer.

Whilst the above graph gives an indication of the instantaneous power you might expect from the Turby turbine, working out annual power production is more complex. The only way to know for sure is by measuring your wind speeds using an anemometer for a period of time and then working out what a generator like this would produce. Luckily, we've invented something that makes this easy, called the Power Predictor!

The Turby wind turbine in action

Short piece about the Turby wind turbine broadcast on the Science Channel, featuring interview with Martijn Sidler from Turby B.V.

At wind speeds above 14 metres per second, the Turby shuts down to protect from damage, and produces no power.

There's a great deal of innovation going on in the vertical axis wind turbine market at the moment, with lots of claims about their improved suitability for urban environments. The Turby, designed and built in the Netherlands, is one of the more serious contenders, having been around for a number of years. However like most VAWTs it still is really in test phase - no large numbers have been produced as far as we can tell.

2.89 metres

2500

240 Volt AC

Turby B.V.

Noise levels are meant to be lower with vertical axis turbines like the Turby.