Gaia 133 - Serious Power Generation
Contents
Installations : Overview : Reliability : Generation : Specification : Noise : Safety : Cost : Images : Planning : More
Installations
 | New: Download a map of England showing the location and actual recorded energy generated by the Gaia 133 turbines installed in England and a comparison of the Gaia 133 with the Proven WT15000. After 10 years of reliable performance in Denmark and Scotland, the Gaia 133 is now generating energy at a number of sites in England. This map show some basic data for four turbines in England and it’s already clear that the Gaia 133’s excellent low wind-speed performance is producing impressive outputs on sites where it’s competitors, like the Proven WT15000, would be struggling. |  |
| Further real life data has been recorded by the independent National Renewable Energy Labs (NREL) in the USA, further demonstrating the proven performance of the Gaia 133 turbine. | ||
| There are a growing number of installations of the Gaia in the UK and many with more than a full year now since the installation date. Select the images to the right to view some recently published case studies of some established UK Gaia Wind installations. The first is an Eco House in Lanarkshire which has generated an average of 80kW per day since it was installed 18 months ago. The second is a Farm in Ayrshire which has generated an average of 100kW per day since installation a year ago. |  |  |
Overview
 |  Segen offers the Gaia 133 Danish small wind turbine throughout the UK.The Gaia 133 turbine has a very large blade with a diameter of some 13m. This gives it exceptional low wind speed performance at sites typically of the majority of lowland areas of the UK. With 200 wind turbines already installed, Gaia-Wind has more than 1,000 years of operational turbine experience. Gaia have also created cutting edge control software for the control of large turbines. They are equipped with numerous sensors which could assess the performance of the turbine where, through an Internet connection, it can be monitored on line. Where, with each Internet ready PC or PDA, you can keep abreast of how much energy is being produced and how well the Gaia Wind wind turbine is running. |
Reliability of an established design
| The Gaia turbine has been developed according to ‘Danish design’; the design basis for most of the large wind turbines on the market. The product is based on a modular design using components that have been carefully selected to provide high quality, maximum reliability and low maintenance requirements. The turbine has been approved according to the official HB-standards laid down by the Danish Government. Gaia-Wind is the only manufacturer of small wind turbines to have achieved this approval, which ensures top product quality. |  |
Energy Generation
It seems easiest to compare wind turbines by their rated power, which is normally specified by the manufacturer as the maximum power the turbine will produce. This however if often not the best comparison, as what really matters to the owner of a grid connected small wind turbine is the energy that the wind turbine will generate each year, which is a factor of many different things, and not just the rated power.
Paul Gipe, the well respected small wind "guru" from the USA, says;
"Rotor diameter and swept area are better measures of a wind turbine's capability than its generator rating because it is the area swept by the rotor and not the generator's size that captures the wind and converts it to a useful form."
In essence, the larger the diameter, and therefore the larger the area of the rotor, the more wind energy the turbine will have access to, and therefore the more electrical energy it will be capable of generating each year.
The Gaia has a rotor diameter of 13m and therefore a total swept area of 133m2, which is twice that of a turbine with a rotor diameter of 9m, and so a swept area of only 63m2. This is what gives the Gaia its exceptional energy generation capabilities, even at low to modest wind speeds.
See our comparison of the Proven WT15000 with the Gaia 133 for more information.
Technical Specifications
Important Note: The Gaia 133 turbine needs to be connected to your own electricity supply which must be a three phase (400V) connection. Often it is possible to upgrade an existing single phase supply to three phase, but the costs can vary considerably depending on the distance to your nearest three phase transmission line. Segen will be able to advise you on this, but your local electricity company will need to provide a full quotation.
Summarised below are the technical specifications of the Gaia 133 turbine.
| Gaia 133 | ||
| Rating | 11 kW @ 9.5m/s | |
| Blades | 2 | |
| Diameter | 13m | |
| Tower Height | 18m Lattice or Free Standing | |
| Grid Connection | Three phase only | |
| Foundations: | 5m X 5m X 400mm Concrete | |
| AMWS (m/s) | Annual MWh
| Daily kWh |
4.0 | 18.9 25.1 31.3 37.0 42.4 47.0 51.2 | 51 |
Low Noise Design
As with all rotating machinery, noise will be produced, and minimising this effect is a key objective for Gaia-Wind’s engineers. The principal source of noise originates from the turbine blades, and this ‘aerodynamic noise’ increases exponentially with the rotational speed of the blades. The constant and low rotational speed of the Gaia-Wind turbine makes it among the quietest in its class. In practice the turbine noise is often masked by background noises such as wind or traffic.
Safety Features
Safety features are a vitally important aspect of any turbine design. The Gaia 133 turbine has a number of safety features that ensure that rotor speed and power generation are kept under control. There are three distinct levels of protection;
- Base Level Passive The design of the blades introduces a gradual stalling effect as wind speeds rise above 9 m/s, which limit power output from the turbine.
- Secondary Level Controller Initiated (Active) At wind speeds above 25 m/s the turbine controller automatically activates the mechanical brake. This stops the turbine running. The brake is automatically released when the wind speed drops below an average of 18 m/s over a period of 10 minutes. The mechanical brake is also activated in case of a fault in the electrical grid, excessive vibrations, or over speeding of the rotor or generator.
- Tertiary Level Passive In the extremely unlikely event that neither the base nor secondary level safety mechanisms stop the turbine, centripetally activated aerodynamic brakes, concealed in the rotor tip, are released. The effect of this is to spoil the aerodynamic lift of the rotor and hence stop it rotating.
In addition there exists an emergency stop function on the turbine controller. At any time the user can override of the turbine control system and stop the turbine.
Cost and Funding
Depending on the type of the tower and who does the foundations, the Gaia 133 turbine will cost between £45,000 and £50,000 fully installed, excluding foundations.
Image Gallery
Click on any image below for a full screen sized version.
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Installed and Operating | Installation Process |
Site Survey and Planning
| The site specific requirements for turbines of this size need detailed investigation and a comprehensive planning application submitted. A member of Segen staff will visit your site and using a number of different techniques assess the best location for a Gaia wind turbine and a detailed report will be generated and sent to you. You will be sent the report and a full project estimate of costs within a few weeks of the visit and then we will submit the planning application to your local authority. Segen make a modest charge of £1,750 + VAT (+ local authority fees) for this combined site survey and planning package. Please contact Segen should you wish to arrange a visit. |  |
Further Information
For further information, please download the Gaia 133 Technical Specification and Farming Case Study documents 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.
Please then use our Wind Speed Checker to find out how much energy an Gaia 133 wind turbine could generate at your site and compare with other products, and to register your interest with Segen.