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How do I buy a SolAir? Use our "Find a Distributor" tool to locate a sales and support office nearest to you. A DyoCore distributors can provide you with pricing, installation estimates and equipment details for your specific alternative energy objectives.
What is SolAir™? SolAir is a light weight surface mounted residential/small commercial solution to create useful energy as an off grid or as a grid tie energy solution. SolAir is the first product designed specifically as a surface mounted application making deployment, permitting and maintenance significantly easier than anything available on the market.
What is DyoCore? A visionary company focused on deploying products that empower its clients with the benefits of low cost, high efficiency alternative energy resources. With SolAir as its primary and first product DyoCore will create a range of products that can be combined in conjunction with a SolAir energy system such as lights, venting, heating, cooling, pumps, remote energy stations and dozens of similar applications that can reduce the dependence of 3rd party energy resources.
How much power can a Turbine generate from the wind? This is a very complex question to answer, several factors are needed to estimate wind power production. Click here to learn more about Wind Energy Production.
Is it true that wind is less along the ground? The weight of the air above an object exerts a force per unit area upon that object and this force is called pressure. Variations in pressure lead to the development of winds, which in turn influence our daily weather. The surface of the Earth exerts a frictional drag on the air blowing just above it. This friction can act to change the wind's direction and slow it down -- keeping it from blowing as fast as the wind aloft. Actually, the difference in terrain conditions directly affects how much friction is exerted. Wind picks up in areas that there are little to no obstructions. Average roof tops are approximately 15 to 20 feet in the air (on average for a single story). Moderate to heavy winds can be experienced at just 20 feet dependant on the surrounding environment. Every install is unique and should be properly evaluated for sufficient winds before an install is advisable. You can be on one street in the same area where winds are prevalent while the next street is calm. Trees, hills and buildings have a lot to do with that factor.
I've been told roof mount turbines do not work, why is SolAir different? This will provide you a bit more detail about the barriers of small wind: http://www.dyocore.com/sphpblog_0511/index.php?entry=entry100827-093616. This is a combination of two barriers outlined below. Though SolAir overcomes both of these problems through design and changes made in our generator, we are still subject to poor conversion efficiency of inverters currently available. We are working with several manufacturers towards these objectives that will benefit all small wind turbines.
- Wind around the surface area of a house is both turbulent and erratic due to ground and other surface obstacles. A old fashioned mill with a long tail cannot adjust quick enough to the rapid changes in wind direction and typically wind just a few feet away from the blades could be blowing a completely different direction. The turbine is unable to capture the most direct and constant wind therefore creating rapid changes in rpm which leads to the second problem.
- Modern inverters can not adjust quick enough to rapid changes in power created by turbines due to gusts and other low wind conditions. If you have a turbine on a 60 foot pole and get changes between 25mph and 20mph not a whole lot of difference in power is being adjusted or managed by the inverter, but if you’re at 20 feet getting changes from 6mph to 20mph gusts, the changes are so rapid inverters can not react.
Is there a problem with vibration/noise? Because SolAir is quieter than a whisper and most ambient noise (wind, birds, traffic) is loader than a whisper It has been difficult to test SolAir for noise levels. Though our course of testing for noise levels the difference between the noise in the area and the noise with the units operational, we could only get differential readings less than 20db… which is quieter than a whisper. For our complete wind report click here.
Vibration is a result of an unbalanced or restricted movement design. SolAir components were specifically designed to be balanced on it's mounting bracket that additionally allows the turbine to spin freely around its axis. There are no vibrations from a roof mounted SolAir.
The turbine alone (no solar) is that an 800 watt unit? SolAir 1 800 – product name only. Does not indicate production. This was established due to a bench test on an original in-house wound motor that produced 800watts at 800rpm during. This in no way reflects the output or production capability of the SolAir. nominal output to be expected on a rooftop between winds of 7 and 14 mph is about 5 and 45 watts. Maximum power from a SolAir is approximatly 2,000 watts but it would take approximately 40mph winds and a good inverter to every expereince this. Trends in industry rateings are typically at 25mph - this would be about 550 watts for a SolAir.
What is the wattage of the solar panel? The SolAir solar panels create up to 15 watts each or 30 watts combined in direct light. In most passive light conditions the solar film will create approximately 15 to 20 watts (30 volts) during daylight hours. About enough to run a light bulb, small DC power devices or charge a battery.
How is the work on the inverters going? Issues pertaining fluctuating power – the more units you have connected the less fluctuating power you create but this is still a fairly significant problem regardless of one or 5 turbines installed together. DyoCore is working with several great companies towards power conversion optimization within the Small Wind Industry. Please see our blog for updates on possible solutions and inverter technology updates.
How does the federal Tax credit apply to SolAir? The federal available tax credit of 30% applies to all qualified wind turbines. This tax credit is paid towards "out of pocket" expenses in buying/setting up a wind energy system. If you qualify for a state incentive or rebate this amount will not be applied to the 30% figure. You will only qualify for a federal rebate on the amount you paid that was not rebated or applied to any other incentive. Our resource page has links to to help you identify potential incentives for your specific location/wind project.
How long does it take to get back the CEC rebate check back? Once installed it should only take 6 to 8 weeks to receive your qualified refund. Currently the California ERP is suspended. For more information about the program and it's intentions towards reinstatement visit the CEC siste; http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/
Will my Electric Meter spin backwards? Yes, if you are creating more power than you are consuming your meter, if capable, will spin backwards.
How do I know if I get good wind in my area? Though most areas get some good winds periodically through the year the indicator of "good wind" is based on your annual winds. A great resource to find annual wind trends in your area is the WunderMap. http://www.wunderground.com/wundermap/. The winds and weather conditions presented are tracked at approximately the same level as the average 1 story home. Use the map to drill down into your local area then click on any numbered fag nearest to your planned installation area. Clicking on the reporting station link, if available, in the upper right corner of the station detail pop-up will pull up the summary conditions page.
Another great tool is a simple wireless or mounted meter that you can install in your preferred turbine location and log data on for a few weeks/months to get a good idea of assessed winds over a period of time. http://www.inspeed.com/ has a lot of great simple devices that might work well and are very affordable.
What to expect from a single unit install? This is a question of "wind". A single unit could work well in almost any conditions for the purpose of charging a 12 volt and possibly 24 volt battery system. If your objective is a grid tie solution in low wind conditions - under 12 mph steady wind, you can expect very little out of a single unit . Inverter technology is not efficient enough to take advantage of low wind power conversion and therefore not recommended in most situations.
For Grid-Tie: We recommend a minimum of 3 units in wind conditions that average less than 12mph and as few as 2 turbines in conditions that average more.
For Off Grid: 48 volt system is recommended with minimum 2 turbines. The number of turbines is based on your power consumption needs and affects how quickly you will drain your batteries vs charge them with the turbines. Drawing too much from a battery system that is unable to maintain its charge will result in damage to the batteries.
What would be the minimum wind conditions a Small Wind Turbine might work? Primarily dependant on the consistency of the wind useful power can be generated in wind conditions as low as 6 mph. Ideal power conversion is around 8 to 11mph.
How do the turbines handle in snow and adverse weather conditions? SolAir is manufactured, installed and tested in one of the most diverse weather environments in the US - Illinois! Installed units endure inches of snow, hail and rain, intense heat and humidity, and mid west wind conditions that hit over 60 mph consistently throughout the year.
What to expect in High Wind Conditions? The primary cause of damage to Small Wind equipment during high winds is flying debris. SolAir's design incorporates a left turning tendency similar to the same condition that affects small planes. The wash of wind passing the blades pushes against the incorporated frame/fin. This causes the SolAir to gradually make corrections out of the wind that help it maintain a constant lower wind speed in high wind conditions. Due to the unsafe nature of excess winds in real installed environments it is difficult to formally test/evaluate all causes of equipment failure during these events. Following any damage to a SolAir during these occurrences we have identified that the generator operated without fault or error. Primary damage when it has occurred has been to the SolAir Blades. Simple blade replacement corrected the problem.
Do tall trees around my home affect the wind? Yes. Any large obstacles that are directly in the path of the wind before it hits your roof would indicate that a wind turbine mounted on or around your roof might not be a good solution for energy production. The purchase of a small wind data meter/logger would be a good investment prior the investment of a alternative energy solution.
Can I use a SolAir on my Boat or RV? Both are great applications but each present installation barriers. On a boat you should have more of a fixed direction turbine. Though SolAir could be setup to locked into a fixed position we feel the current model is both a bit bulky and not easily removed to be practical on a boat. Use of a SolAir on an RV is only restricted to your mounting application. SolAir when completely assembled weighs approximately 60lbs. It typically takes 2 people to setup SolAir when assembling. Both of these areas are part of our short term plans to continue to develop and improve the applications in which SolAir can be applied.
Do I need a Permit to Install and SolAir? This is a question only your community can answer. There are a few areas in which permitting is not a barrier in the install/use of alternative energy equipment but for a majority of the US a permit is required to install a turbine.
I need help getting my local community to Permit my SolAir installation? Permitting for Small Wind equipment is a significant barrier within the industry. The starting point is to get the right information to your building code enforcement office. The SolAir page is a great start. The links provided on that page are the primary documents your community will need to begin assessment of the issuance of a permit. If you need additional support please contact us directly at support@dyocore.com with your request.
Are there available rebates in NV? The WindGenerations program is currently closed due to being fully subscribed. NV will be working with the Public Utilities Commission in regards to future availability for wind rebates. Feel free to check in with NV at 866-786-3823.
How will SolAir handle corrosive outdoor conditions? Unfortunately we have not experienced or designed for these types of conditions yet. Though we feel our product will hold up very well in ocean front conditions we cannot be certain to high corrosion areas due to excessive marine or intense weather related conditions. Are components are the highest grade stainless steel and enclosed/sealed bearings available. Our Frame is power coated (very similar and to the same quality as outdoor furniture), all wires our UL outdoor rated and the generator is completed sealed.
Is SolAir NREL tested? We are working with labs and in the middle of the process in meeting industry standards. All our material is available on our website. http://www.dyocore.com/solair.html
Is the output from the solar film anything more than incidental? It was originally meant that way, but turned out the solar film produces enough power to keep the inverter in “ready” status when 3 or more units are linked together. This allows the turbine to immediately generate useable power in low wind, turbulent and gust conditions. The solar film puts out approximately 30 volts in passive light, this is enough to keep a 24v battery system charging during no wind conditions.