December 30, 2009 - The Turbine Is Delivered

Nothing like a line of flatbed trucks carrying mysterious cargo to make your neighbors wonder what's going on at your place. We awoke on the morning of December 30 to find that some Christmas presents had arrived a little late. Understandable that they would have had trouble fitting them in the sleigh.

How do you transport a monopole that will eventually reach 120 feet into the sky? One piece at a time, of course. This is the base section waiting its turn to come up the driveway.

The rest of the monopole. Given how tall it looks lying in the truck, we can't wait to see how everything looks when the tower is assembled.

We're not sure, but we believe we heard an audible groan from our back yard as yet another set of large vehicles made their way over what was once a nice patch of garden. We haven't decided yet whether or not we want the landscapers to keep the tire tracks in their plans for the new gardens.

The nacelle is removed from its transport. The generator within this tear-shaped structure will turn the physical energy from the turbine blades into electrical energy.

Well, too late for this year's Christmas card...maybe next year. Or maybe we'll string Christmas lights all the way up the monopole. The turbine will easily create enough electricity to offset that use.

Not a green energy igloo. That's the nose cone of the nacelle. The cut in the side is where the turbine blade meets the rotor.

Nobody's ever going to ask us how we're fixed for blades any more! The turbine blades are just a bit less than 30 feet long. The longer the blade, the more energy the turbine can capture from the same amount of wind. That's why commercial turbines have blades that are half the tower height or longer. However, longer blades also mean more torque and structural support issues. This length was the right balance for our installation.

The rotors will connect the turbine blades to the nacelle. All the pieces are now in place. Once upon a time, we had a garden back here!

You don't really appreciate the size of a 40-foot tower section until you see the people next to it.

The top section of the monopole is dropped off. We're looking for the crane to return in late January or early February and turn this pile of parts into a wind turbine.

This is what it looks like inside the nacelle. This is how everything will come together once installation is complete. You can see an interactive explanation of the components, as well as complete specs for the turbine, at the product page over at the Endurance Web site. Click here to go there now.