Coup for UK Turbine Maker in American Market
Gaia-Wind, the UK’s leading small wind turbine manufacturer, was today included in the United State’s first Interstate Turbine Advisory Council (ITAC) Unified List of Small Wind Turbines. The Gaia-Wind 133-11kW turbine is the only non US manufactured product in its class on the list, which will be used by “clean energy” programmes across the United States to confirm turbines’ eligibility for subsidy and incentive schemes.
The List provides these programs with “peer-reviewed, carefully-vetted turbines that have proven safety and reliability records and third-party certified power performance,” and the ITAC determined criteria are designed to:
• increase consumer confidence in small wind technology;
• provide consistency to public clean energy programs; and
• ensure that tax- or rate-payer funding supports the installation of reliable and safe technology.
In addition to requiring certification to the American Wind energy Association (AWEA) 9.1-2009 small wind standard, ITAC reviewed manufacturers’ consumer and dealer services, marketing consistency with third-party testing, turbine operational history, turbine warranty, and manufacturers’ response to technical problems, failures, and customer complaints.
Mark Sinclair, Executive Director of Clean Energy States Alliance said:
“Having individual state lists of eligible wind turbines is inefficient and causes confusion in the marketplace, and managing these lists has proven a challenge for state clean energy funds. It is vital for states to collaborate and share intelligence about past and present product performance, customer and dealer experiences and program challenges, and that’s what ITAC’s Unified List helps them do.”
Six clean energy programs across the U.S. have already signed up to the Unified List: the Energy Trust of Oregon, the New York State Energy Research Development Authority (NYSERDA), the California Energy Commission, the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, the New Jersey Clean Energy Program, and Nevada Energy.
Gaia-Wind CEO Johnnie Andringa said:
“In the United States we are catching the wave of “Distributed Energy”: electricity being generated where it is used. Most often this means individual turbines for people trying to reduce their energy costs and make a contribution against climate change. We welcome the fact that, increasingly, renewables companies have got to be able to back up their sales claims with the facts. The List is based on rigorous scrutiny which is vital to taking the industry forward.”
The accolade comes at a crucial time for Gaia-Wind following a record export order of some 50 turbines to the US. That £1.5m order, which will more than double sales in this market, came after Gaia-Wind swept the board in the annual survey of US small wind turbine industry professionals.
