After installation, it was discovered that the hydraulic oil which operates the tip brakes was not designed for the temperature our summers produce. With the additional temperature, air bubbles and expansion occured causing a tip brake malfunction.

After much back-and-forth with AOC and the company, we have now got the turbine going with a different design of tip brakes. Besides a few minor glitches, the turbine is commissioned and producing power.

AEI is currently (9-18) designing a display system, which will show weather conditions as well as the power output of the turbine. This will be viewable by the public from the rest stop main building.

When we arrived at the site, we discovered that the inverter had also quit working. We then sent in the inverter to Xantrex/Trace and they said that the problem was a defect in their transformers in which the insulating material would conduct under certain conditions. Since then Bergey has redesigned the nosecone to fix their problem and Xantrex/Trace has improved their supplier for the internal transformers.