A low-cost, mass-producible, wheeled wind turbine for easy production of renewable energy

Wind turbine farms have many disadvantages: it is hard to identify the best location in terms of wind, permissions are difficult to obtain and the energy needed is produced far away from customers who have network problems. Our idea is to manufacture a large number of very small turbines and install them close to consumers. Mass production would minimize cost. The wind turbine would be self-contained in a wheeled trailer for better transportation and it would require no installation. A "plug & play" approach is employed. If the generator fails to produce a sufficient quantity of energy, the user could easily move the wind turbine to a more suitable position or sell the unit. This paper describes a small 5000 W wind turbine mounted on a wheeled trailer. It is easily transportable, and extremely simple to install. When the system is folded down, the single-blade is contained within the overall dimensions of the retracted column. The electrically powered hydraulic deployment system unfolds and then extends the retractable column (tower) of the windmill. At the end of the column extension the single-blade is released, turning upwards due to gravity imbalance and the system is ready to function