Chamberlain wind generator quick facts

• Located in Chamberlain, SD
• Generator weight is 154 tons
• Height is 200 feet at the hub
• Each of the 3 blades are 200 feet in diameter and 100 feet long

Guide to the live web cam page

• The web cam shows Chamberlain's wind generation in real time
• Statistics along the side are updated every two minutes.
• The graph that appears below the live video reflects the amount of electricity being produced by the generator every two minutes

Definitions for the live web cam page

Generation: The area on the web cam page that shows "generation" reflects the amount of electricity being generated by the wind turbine every two minutes. Chamberlain's turbine has a maximum capacity of 1.3 megawatts at 33 mph, which is enough to power about 1,300 homes based on an average household monthly energy use of 1,000 kwh.

Wind speed: reflects the speed of wind at the top of the Chamberlain wind generator. An anemometer is used to measure wind speed and transmits data to the machine's controller every two minutes.

Wind Direction: the direction in which the Chamberlain turbine operates. For example an "upwind" turbine operates by facing into the wind. Other turbines are designed to run "downwind," or facing away from the wind. The Chamberlain turbine is a 3-blade, upwind design (Nordex N60) with a rotor speed of 12.7-19 rpm. Its cut-in wind speed is 7-8 mph and the cut-out wind speed is 56 mph.

Temperature: This measurement reflects the temperature at the Chamberlain wind generator site.

Weekly and monthly generation graphs showing the Chamberlain generator's production over time are also available for you to view using the same user name and password (wind, wind).

Take a peek inside a wind generator:

*Illustration source: U.S. Department of Energy