PacWind to Power Jay Leno's Garage

Wind power usually brings to mind those giant, prop-style turbines in Denmark or their much smaller cousins, like the 900-watt Whisper 100 that our PM’s off-the-grid Energy Family uses in Vermont. As those innovative solutions have proved, wind can be a great compliment to solar power—and the rest of this country is just starting to catch up. So as we move forward with Jay Leno on transforming his Green Garage, you’ll probably see a rooftop solar panel array augmented by wind power to help the shop generate its own energy and become self-sufficient.

Recently, Jay had a chance to meet up with the folks from PacWind, a company that makes vertical-axis wind turbines like the 500-watt Seahawk they brought by the garage. Drag-type vertical turbines such as these move a lot like those three-cup anemometers commonly used for measuring wind speed. But the PacWind design is unique in that its foils utilize the forces of lift, too, making them more efficient.

The Seahawk was just one example of Pacwind’s turbines—and Jay was impressed. But for the 17,000-sq-ft. garage, which uses, um, quite a bit of energy each month, the PacWind team recommended their brand-new, top-of-the-line Delta II turbine. It can produce 10 kw at around 28 mph and has a cut-in wind speed of 6 mph. These turbines don’t need a braking mechanism and can self-start at very low wind speeds—something similar designs in the past could never do. Generating usable wind power can be quite tricky, since wind is fickle and performance can vary from place to place. But according to Pacwind, Jay’s garage looks like a very suitable spot.

A few more neat things about these vertical turbines: They take up very little space, they’re virtually silent, and multiple units can be placed within feet of one another. Delta II units can also be stacked vertically up to 50 kW. We wouldn’t be surprised to see quite a few of these 9-ft., 500-lb. turbines lining the upstairs of the Green Garage very soon. For a full breakdown on wind energy technology in America, click here.