Owner`s manual

C. Nacelle

The nacelle is the fiberglass housing around the main body of the machine. It contains the main structur-

al “backbone” of the turbine (called the mainframe), the rectifier, the slip-ring assembly, the yaw bearings,

and the tower mount. The yaw bearings allow the wind turbine to freely pivot around the top of the tower

so that the rotor will face into the wind.

The slip-ring assembly is the electrical connection between the moving (as it orients with the wind direc-

tion) wind turbine and the fixed tower wiring. The slip-rings and yaw bearings are located just above the

tower mount. The tower mount attaches the EXCEL 1 turbine to the top of the tower.

D. Tail Assembly and AutoFurl



Operation

The tail assembly, composed of a tail boom and the tail fin, keeps the powerhead (and, therefore, the ro-

tor) aligned into the wind at wind speeds below approximately 12.5 m/s (28 mph). At about 12.5 m/s the

AutoFurl



action (see Figure 4) turns the rotor away from the wind to limit its speed. The tail appears to

fold, but in reality the tail stays stationary, as the powerhead turns sideways to the wind. The rotor does

not, however, furl completely sideways. This allows the turbine to continue to produce power in high

winds. When the high winds subside the AutoFurl



system automatically restores the turbine to the nor-

mal straight position.

E. PowerCenter

The PowerCenter, shown in Figure 3, serves as the central connection point for the electrical compo-

nents in the system and it provides a number of necessary and valuable control functions. Not all of the

available functions will be used in all installations. The PowerCenter also provides status lights for the

system and a handy light-bar “fuel gage” for the battery bank.

Note

The EXCEL 1 wind turbine will not per-

form properly, particularly at low wind

speeds, without the PowerCenter con-

troller. The Power Boost circuitry in the

PowerCenter is needed to provide ac-

ceptable performance in wind speeds

below approximately 7.5 m/s (17 mph).

Figure 3: PowerCenter for the BWC EXCEL 1