2025 - Volume #49, Issue #2, Page #25
[ Sample Stories From This Issue | List of All Stories In This Issue | Print this story
| Read this issue]
Wind Turbine Sized For Farms And Small Businesses
![]() |
“Small or personal wind energy systems have had their challenges over the years, often due to poor technology or low-quality construction being imported from China,” says John Mogensen, Eocycle. “Certification, when it came along, was welcomed. It helps reduce that risk.”
Certification verifies product specifications and operations, such as the fact that Eocycle’s S-16 wind turbine is the quietest in the industry. At 12 1/2 mph, it produces less than 35 decibels of sound at 328 ft. (100 meters). That compares to a whisper at 30 decibels or a library at 40.
“The S-16 has a maximum revolution of 53 per min.,” says Mogensen. “It spins slowly with high torque, thanks to its direct drive, gearless motor.”
The S-16 has a 78-ft. tall tower with three 25-ft. blades. The foundation is in a cross shape that extends 15 ft. from the center in two directions, with the third direction buried 3 to 4 ft. below the surface.
“The ground can be tilled right up to the tower,” says Mogensen. “The simplicity of the design means very few moving parts and few maintenance needs.”
Eocycle provides customer prospects with a 20-page plus wind quote that analyzes wind availability at a site. It estimates payback based on electrical usage, rate paid, where the farm’s meter is placed, and how far the turbine would be placed from it. Installation and estimated annual maintenance and inspection fees are included in the payback estimate.
Eocycle crews handle installation and maintenance. Once installed, the company remotely monitors the system 24/7, managing settings updates and more. S-16 owners can also monitor their system productivity 24/7 via a smartphone app.
“If wind speeds are under 10 mph, we bow out,” says Mogensen. “However, at that speed or higher, we make a site visit, refine the quote, verify grid access fees and whether net metering is available.”
Under net metering, energy produced in excess of farm use is fed into the grid automatically. In many cases, such as in Minnesota, it’s priced at retail cost and returned to the turbine owner. Some states offer a credit that expires at the end of 12 months. Net-zero metering in Minnesota is one reason the company has installed 42 S-16s in the state.
Where wind energy works physically and financially, the S-16 works very well. “Past installations have shown our wind quotes are very accurate,” says Mogensen. “With tax credits, accelerated depreciation and other governmental incentives, we see out-of-pocket costs at an all-time low and with a payback of five to eight years on the S-16. Electricity is produced at a cost of between four to six cents per kWh.”
Mogensen notes that the company has installed multiple S-16s on farms with histories of high energy use. It has also developed a larger turbine, the M-26, for larger farms, small businesses and microgrids. The M-26 has a 125-ft. tower with a 41-ft. blade length and a similar foundation but a larger footprint than the S-16.
“The M-26 is a 90-kW turbine that can produce around 260 kWh of electricity per year,” says Mogensen. “While this unit has been available in other parts of the world, we’re actively starting to sell this unit in the U.S. as well. It’s in the process of being certified so that it’ll qualify for grants, tax and other incentives.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Eocycle America Corporation, 463 Black Bear Run, Stowe, Vt. 05672 ( ph 800-269-0924; info@eocycle.com; www.eocycle.com) or Eocycle Technologies, 10361 Rue Renaude-Lapointe, Montréal, Quebec, Canada H1J 2T4 (ph 514-353-1551 or toll-free 800-269-0924; info@eocycle.com; www.eocycle.com).

Click here to download page story appeared in.

Click here to read entire issue
To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.