NORTH CAROLINA: Waterfront Community Installs Turbine

Cedar Shores, an upscale waterfront development on North Carolina’s Albemarle Sound installed a Mariah Power Windspire. The Cedar Shores residential development is being promoted as a “sustainable approach to waterfront living”. This new community, currently being developed by Blue Sun Development, is located one hour from the beaches of the Outer Banks and two and a half hours from the state capital of Raleigh. The development has 36 as yet undeveloped home sites, 10 completed cottages, a clubhouse, marina and waterside pavilion. Plans call for multiple Windspire units to be installed at the clubhouse. The Cedar Shores development will also include other sustainable design features, such as energy saving products and construction materials made from renewable sources.

“We are committed to protecting the coastal environment of North Carolina’s Inner Banks, and securing viable renewable energy sources for Cedar Shores has been a major focus of our efforts,” said Jeremy Peang-Meth, Partner and Design Director of Blue Sun Development Group. The company, headquartered in Washington, NC, says it is committed to the responsible development of new homes and livable communities.

Windspire was previously installed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) National Wind Technology Center near Golden, Colorado for independent testing. NREL will evaluate the turbine systems based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards and, to the extent it has been defined, on the upcoming American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) standard for small wind turbines. The testing will evaluate duration, power performance, acoustic noise emissions, safety and function and power quality. Results will be posted on the NREL web site upon project completion in 2009.

Mariah Power has also arranged for independent testing of Windspire at Windward Engineering in Spanish Forks, Utah “The challenge has always been creating a renewable energy option with proven effectiveness that doesn’t throw aesthetics out the window. … As in any emerging industry, there have been product misfires. We are securing third-party validation, a very unusual step, because we want to prove that Windspire is the real deal – efficient, powerful and reliable,” said Mike Hess, CEO of Mariah Power. The Windward Engineering test site offers a class 6 wind zone, and full testing and monitoring equipment. The Windspire will be tested for a full year at this site. Initial test results are available on the Mariah web site.

Source: Mariah Power

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