WAGO Corp. has installed a Renewegy small-scale, commercial-grade VP-20 Wind Turbine at its Germantown, Wis. headquarters. Capable of generating 20kW for WAGO’s engineering, manufacturing and sales hub, VP-20 employs WAGO 787 Series Power Supplies, 756 Series Cables/Connectors, 288 Series Fuse Blocks and Back-Up Capacitor Module. Wind power will meet approximately 10 percent of WAGO manufacturing needs.
“Renewegy’s inventive hydraulic-driven Tip-Up function demonstrates Wisconsin ingenuity and manufacturing capabilities,” says Tom Artmann, WAGO Corp. president. “We are proud that our products are supporting VP-20s nationwide, and are looking forward to supplementing our manufacturing facility with renewable energy.”
Tip-Up to Power-Up
Brainchild of Wisconsin-based Renewegy, LLC, the 30M-tall turbine features a unique, monopole Tip-Down Tower with an innovative Tip-Up function, which essentially raises itself. This cost-effectively replaces large cranes and heavy-duty equipment for install/maintenance with the Tip-Up hydraulic cylinder system. Within eight to 10 minutes, the tower and turbine are raised/lowered. WAGO’s VP-20 was raised, spinning at 600+ RPM and generating power within just 25 minutes.
Key to power generation for the American-engineered and -manufactured VP-20 is Renewegy’s segment-exclusive electronic Variable Pitch (VP) feature. Patterned after utility-scale turbines, VP controls pitch for each blade within 1/10 of a degree while pitching at speeds up to 15 degrees/second. A closed-loop, Active Pitch Servo manages blade speeds in wind conditions ranging from 6.7 to 55.9 MPH. An electric Active Yaw Servo ensures optimum power generation by directing the blades’ direction into the wind.
Power supply and signaling reliability are essential for coping with widely varying wind conditions. Renewegy specified WAGO’s IP67-grade 756 Series cables and connectors for the VP-20’s microprocessor-driven control system. Crucial for safety and reliability, the connections resist dust, water and mechanical loosening caused by vibrations.
Anchoring the VP-20 is a control cabinet supported by WAGO’s 288 Series Capacitor Back-Up Module and 787 Series EPSITRON PRO 24VDC Power Supplies. The units were specified because they feature PowerBoost, which provides twice the current at constant voltage for approximately four seconds. Essentially, this “boost” ensures reliable, cold-weather start-ups.
WAGO joins firms such as SCA Tissue (Neenah, Wis.) and North Texas Job Corp Center (McKinney, Texas) in installing VP-20. Scalable VP-20 instills span from 20kw, single-unit installs on farms to 40kW dual-units serving schools and five-unit 100kW wind farms for commercial firms.
