DuoGen in the ARC ‘Hall of Fame’

‘Yachting World’ has published its annual survey of cruising gear, as chosen by participants in the ARC 2005. And the DuoGen has been placed as the ‘star’ piece of equipment on the Atlantic crossing, second only to the Seafresh Watermaker! It was, apparently, ‘the talk of the pontoons’!
The DuoGen was awarded full marks for ease of use, and as ever, users found that, in water mode, they could run all their electrics without having to start the engine.
This is the third ARC that has featured DuoGens, and the number of machines in the event has doubled since 2004. It is worth noting that this is the first year where most of the DuoGens were the Mark 2 model.
You can read the full survey in ‘Yachting World’, July edition, which is in newsagents now.

Australian Yachting

The well known sailing journalist, Andrew ‘Aussie’ Bray, has recently completed an article reviewing the latest in wind turbines for the yachtsman. The article includes the ‘new kids’ on the scene, the DuoGen and the D400.
You can read the article in the June edition of ‘Australian Yachting’. It has also been published in South Africa’s ‘Sailing’ magazine.

D400 – Canal Boat Installation

With Eclectic’s historical bias towards generating systems for cruising yachts, our products have seldom been seen on inland waterways.
Following the introduction of the D400 Wind Turbine, this is changing, as the photograph below shows.
This beautiful aluminium narrow boat uses an electric motor for quiet, pollution-free propulsion. The D400 on a hinged pole (to allow for low bridges!) makes a useful contribution to the energy budget.
Owner Steve reports that the turbine is also commendably quiet, which is important as it is installed above the master bedroom!

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StealthGen Microwind – Domestic Installations

Barratt, one of Britain ’s leading housebuilders, has created the EcoSmart Show Village as part of the Buckshaw development near Chorley in Lancashire.
The village comprises seven special houses, all fully furnished, which incorporate the latest in energy efficient technologies. Each house features a different combination of wind, solar and geothermal power, as well as ‘green’ technologies such as rainwater harvesting. There is also a visitor centre and a communal garden complete with wildlife pond, specially chosen planting, and bird and bat boxes.
Three of the houses have Eclectic’s StealthGen turbines installed.
The ‘grand opening’ took place at the end of May, and the village is now open for visitors 7 days a week, and will be for the next eighteen months.
Barratt is working with staff from Manchester University to monitor all the installed equipment, and visitors will be asked to fill in questionnaires to pass on their impressions and opinions. The site provides an excellent opportunity to collect data and to study the pros (and cons) of such installations.
So, if you are in the area, and interested in experiencing homes with all these environmentally friendly features, the EcoSmart Village is well worth a visit.
For details, visit the website: www.barratthomes.co.uk/ecosmart