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In the Field

Installations

From the hills of northern England to the wind-swept south of India, Carter two-blade machines have proven the lightweight, crane-free concept in real operating fleets.

United Kingdom A Carter two-blade turbine on its guyed tower at Great Orton, Cumbria, tilted down to near ground level for service, with the rotor low over the grass
Great Orton · Cumbria, England

Cumbria Wind Farm

Our 10-machine, 3 MW wind farm at Great Orton, near Carlisle in Cumbria, is where the Carter tilt-down system was proven in the UK as a working multiple turbine farm. Installed in 1993 on a former airfield, it was for years Britain’s only wind farm built entirely from Carter two-blade turbines.

Every tilt-down service photo on this site — lowering, ground-level work, and raising — was taken here, demonstrating crane-free maintenance across the whole fleet.

10
Machines
3 MW
Total Capacity
1993
Commissioned
300 kW
Per Turbine
Sources: NREL (Carter Wind Model 300 at Great Orton, 1993), Windpower Monthly.
Tony Marmont in a blue jacket gesturing as he speaks, standing on the muddy ground at Great Orton with a Carter turbine tilted down behind him and another standing in the distance Great Orton, Cumbria
Tony at Orton.
The row of Carter turbines on their guyed towers across a green field at Great Orton, Cumbria, at dusk Great Orton, Cumbria
The Carter fleet at Great Orton, Cumbria.
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build
Orton wind farm build — installing a Carter turbine
Orton Build

Installation Archive — Great Orton & Texas Proving

Period photographs from the original Carter installations: containerised delivery, ground-level assembly, gin-pole tilt-up and the machines running on their guyed towers. Note throughout that every operation — build, wiring, commissioning and service — happens at ground level, with no crane larger than the service truck's own arm.

Nacelle delivery by the Carter Wind Turbines service truck — the Atlas crane offloads a nacelle shell at the Great Orton site.
Nacelle delivery by the Carter Wind Turbines service truck — the Atlas crane offloads a nacelle shell at the Great Orton site.
Rotor blades and nacelle bodies in the laydown area — the complete turbine ships in standard ISO containers and is staged on site.
Rotor blades and nacelle bodies in the laydown area — the complete turbine ships in standard ISO containers and is staged on site.
Commissioning crew at the base of an erected machine — the ground-level controller cabinet means no climb for setup or checks.
Commissioning crew at the base of an erected machine — the ground-level controller cabinet means no climb for setup or checks.
Tilt-up in progress: the gin pole and winch take the tower load — no crane on site, just a forklift and the service vehicle.
Tilt-up in progress: the gin pole and winch take the tower load — no crane on site, just a forklift and the service vehicle.
Rotor and nacelle at head height during tilt-down — full access to the hub, pitch hardware and drivetrain from the ground.
Rotor and nacelle at head height during tilt-down — full access to the hub, pitch hardware and drivetrain from the ground.
Fitting out the yaw head and generator stack before the tower goes up — all heavy assembly done at ground level.
Fitting out the yaw head and generator stack before the tower goes up — all heavy assembly done at ground level.
Gin pole rigged and lifting tackle spread — the tower lies horizontal on its trestle, ready for the pull.
Gin pole rigged and lifting tackle spread — the tower lies horizontal on its trestle, ready for the pull.
The two-blade teetered hub and nacelle just clear of the ground — the tail boom and instrumentation are already fitted.
The two-blade teetered hub and nacelle just clear of the ground — the tail boom and instrumentation are already fitted.
Engineer wiring the nacelle switchgear at standing height — tilt-down turns tower-top work into ground-level work.
Engineer wiring the nacelle switchgear at standing height — tilt-down turns tower-top work into ground-level work.
Looking up the guyed tower with the rotor running — the downwind machine yaws freely on its slender monopole.
Looking up the guyed tower with the rotor running — the downwind machine yaws freely on its slender monopole.
On load at Great Orton — the downwind teetered rotor coning gently under power on the guyed tower.
On load at Great Orton — the downwind teetered rotor coning gently under power on the guyed tower.
The same tilt-up system deployed in Texas sunshine — one man supervises the winch as the complete machine goes vertical.
The same tilt-up system deployed in Texas sunshine — one man supervises the winch as the complete machine goes vertical.
Machine parked nose-down in the meadow for service — rotor, hub and nacelle all reachable without leaving the ground.
Machine parked nose-down in the meadow for service — rotor, hub and nacelle all reachable without leaving the ground.
Fitting the yaw head and drivetrain stack straight from the service truck — ‘Carter Wind Turbines: for the generation to come’. The truck’s own crane is the only lift on site; the row of completed machines at Great Orton stands in the background.
Fitting the yaw head and drivetrain stack straight from the service truck — ‘Carter Wind Turbines: for the generation to come’. The truck’s own crane is the only lift on site; the row of completed machines at Great Orton stands in the background.
Installation

Faccombe Estate, Hampshire

Faccombe Estate · Hampshire, England
A Carter turbine standing beyond a field of yellow oilseed rape and trees at the Faccombe Estate, Hampshire Faccombe, Hampshire
Carter turbine at the Faccombe Estate, Hampshire
Carter turbine at the Faccombe Estate, Hampshire
Carter turbine at the Faccombe Estate, Hampshire
Carter turbine at the Faccombe Estate, Hampshire
Installation

Andy Gibbs Farm, UK

Andy Gibbs Farm · United Kingdom
Carter 300 turbine at Andy Gibbs farm, UK
Carter 300 turbine at Andy Gibbs farm, UK
Carter 300 turbine at Andy Gibbs farm, UK
Carter 300 turbine at Andy Gibbs farm, UK
Carter 300 turbine at Andy Gibbs farm, UK
Carter 300 turbine at Andy Gibbs farm, UK

Carter 300 with anemometer mast. Note the shorter tower — and the gin-pole is downhill, so the tower is winched down into the hill.

A Carter 300 turbine on its guyed tower at the Muppandal site in India, with a substation and a windblown palm in the foreground under a blue sky and palm-dotted plain behind Muppandal, India
First Carter 300 installed in India.

This was a defining moment for our UK business and was made possible through the support and collaboration of our joint venture partners in Coimbatore. I would like to express my special thanks to Mr. Sivasamy. His enthusiasm for wind energy, determination, and long-term vision for India’s renewable energy future provided the inspiration and momentum needed to make this project a success. I am confident that without his leadership and encouragement, this project would not have happened. I had a wonderful time getting to know the folks in the Coimbatore office/factory and the local folks here in Tamil Nadu; they helped enormously with the build and commissioning.

Scooter riders on a highway with rows of wind turbines and mountains behind near Muppandal, Tamil Nadu
Map of the Muppandal area in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, showing thousands of windmill locations over a mean wind-speed surface
Turbines line the Aralvaimozhi wind gap near Muppandal; the map shows the density of windmills across the district.
India
The wind farm Installation. Muppandal, Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, India

Tamil Nadu, India

Tamil Nadu is one of the world’s great wind regions, and the Carter machine found a home there too. A fresh crop of new 300 kW Carter turbines, exported from the UK factory in Leicestershire, each with a newly developed control system, were commissioned at Muppandal — chosen for flexibility, lower cost, and reduced maintenance compared with conventional designs.

The crane-free, lightweight architecture is especially suited to fast-growing wind markets where heavy lifting infrastructure is scarce and turbines must be raised and serviced quickly.

5
Carter Machines
300 kW
Per Turbine
1.5 MW
Combined
Initial phase 1 development (five 300 kW Carter machines commissioned at Muppandal).
Wind power density map of India at 50 m above ground level, with Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Rajasthan showing the highest densities
A Carter turbine tilted down on its guyed tower among three-blade turbines and palms on the red-earth plain at Muppandal, Tamil Nadu
India’s wind resource at 50 m (left); a Carter machine among the Muppandal fleet (right).
A Carter turbine tilted down to ground level among palms and three-blade turbines below a green mountain at Muppandal, Tamil Nadu
Rows of turbines across the plain at the Muppandal wind farm, Tamil Nadu, seen beyond trees
The wind farm installation at Muppandal, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India.

The wind farm installation at Muppandal, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu, India. The third-largest wind farm, at 1,500 MW, features many different turbines from various manufacturers.

Joint venture offices in India — a low-rise building set among landscaped gardens and palms India
Interior atrium of the joint venture offices in India — a double-height lobby with a first-floor balustrade, a framed portrait, a small statue and lawn
Joint Venture Offices in India