Geek, you'll have to check with your power company to get their connection "standards". The book has a copy of general standards for a company using detent metering.
We've gotten a pretty mixed bag of reports back from people who have contacted their local power companies. It seems like the larger the power company the more positive the response. Some of the smaller companies do not have a clue as to what asynchronous generation is or how it works. One company required that the generator complied with a UL code that was for an inverter, saying that if it didn't have that particular code stamped on the controller it wouldn't be accepted for connection to their circuits. They must have took the matter up to higher management and at some point later stated that have to test the generator to make sure that it was an asynchronous generator and that it wouldn't degrade the quality of the power in their circuits.
Most states have a renewable energy policy and have mandated that a certain percent of all power come from green energy. I think when local (power co) management is pressured by a customer to place a wind generator in service and have to go to upper management for approval or guidance. Higher management who are more aware of government rules, regulations, and new policy are then instructing locals to be more receptive of requests. I must say that all contacts that I have personally had with my power company have gone smoothly. One other thing on power companies, I have not heard any reports back from anyone saying that a power company has outright refused to allow one of these generators on their grid.
Local building codes? Now that's another mater all together. The set I hear the most are: maximum height 100', must be 200' from residence, and must be set back from property line 2 times the height of the tallest point on the turbine. There are places that have no building codes at all concerning generator and structures. Check locally.
Until Breezy 5.5 there just was not much out there on homebuilt induction generators. We spent 3 years getting it right or very close. The prototype which is pictured on our website is our original generator. I will tell it has been through hell. In the final configuration it has run about a year and a half. It has been through several storms, which produced straight-line winds in excess of 70mph in which it remained on-line and generating.
The structure, yaw assembly, and frame of this generator are heavier than the 25Kw Carter, which sits to the west at the same site as the prototype. We used the big Carter for a platform in which to design Breezy and made is stronger and more reliable.
Tim
