Bergey Windpower announced this week that its BWC Excel 10 wind turbine has now received full “AWEA Small Wind Turbine Performance and Safety Standard” certification. What’s interesting about this? This is the first small wind turbine to get this certification.

“This new standard is the most significant milestone in the history of the small wind industry because it provides, for the first time, third-party verification of real world performance and a highly technical review of a turbine’s strength and safety,” said Mike Bergey, president of Bergey Windpower and the 2011 president of the Distributed Wind Energy Association. “This is huge for consumers because it addresses the ‘hucksters and hype’ problem in the small wind marketplace. We are very proud to be the first to achieve this game-changing certification.”

The BWC EXCEL is a modern 7 meter (23 ft) diameter, 10,000W wind turbine designed for high reliability, low maintenance, and automatic operation in adverse weather conditions. It is available in two configurations: battery charging and grid-connected (the pumping version is not currently available). The BWC Excel is a ruggedly built turbine that comes with the longest warranty (5 years) in the industry.

In October 2008 the Excel-S was upgraded to a more efficient Powersync II inverter. In July 2009 the Excel turbine was upgraded with a more powerful alternator and longer blades. Performance has been improved by an average of 25%. In July 2009 the warranty on the Excel wind turbine was increased to 10 years – the longest in the industry.

Not only is the Mariah Windspire® wind turbine great-looking and affordable, it also enables you to create clean energy from the natural wind just outside your door. At only 30 feet tall and 4 feet wide, the Windspire 1.2 kW wind turbine is distinguished by its sleek propeller-free design and ultra quiet operation. Designed for home use, the Windspire can help power homes, small businesses, and more.

The AIR X Marine is the world’s number one selling small wind turbine for Sailboats. The unit incorporates a new microprocessor based technology that results in increased performance, improved battery charging capability, greater reliability and the reduction of “flutter” noise from the machine. The controller allows for peak-power tracking of the wind by optimizing the alternator’s output on all points of the cubic curve and efficiently delivers the energy to the battery. The turbine’s smart controller allows it to actually control blade rotation speed thus eliminating the buzzing noise commonly found with most small wind turbines.

With the wind industry booming, many owners of wind farms built during California’s wind boom of the 1980s are thinking about upgrading their wind turbines. However, with everyone thinking greener these days, many are finding alternatives to sending their worn-out wind turbines to the junk yard.

An increasing number of new companies are buying up the old turbines on the cheap, overhauling them and reselling them at cheaper prices. Portland-based Nexion DG, for example, offers recycled wind turbines that the company salvaged from California wind farms.

“To go out and build a new turbine of the size we’re working with, it would end up costing twice as much,” said Matt Stein, director of operations for Nexion DG. “And anybody building components for new wind turbines is focusing on the 1 megawatt-plus turbines because that’s where the action is.”

Perks for customers of recycled wind turbines include cheaper prices as well as shorter waiting times, around two months for a rebuilt machine, rather than a year for a new one.

Rural regions of Vermont will see expanded service for cell phones thanks to a new plan from Vermont Telecommunications Authority. The plan involves building 200 home wind turbines around the rural areas of Vermont and then mounting them with cellular antennas.

The Authority has already struck a deal with a wind turbine manufacturer who will be constructing the home wind turbines over the next two years.

Not only will rural residents benefit from the increased cellular range but the power provided by the wind turbines will nearby homeowners with renewable energy.