The Gaia 133 wind turbine

Sol-vent Energy Ltd 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.

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. We 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

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.

See comparison of Gaia 133 and Proven 15 (to be published shortly)

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 approximately £50,000 fully installed, excluding foundations, cable & planning.