Wind Turbines

[daydreamer]

any of you fine fellows had any experience with these? I'm looking at putting one on the roof. I already have a PV solar system and I'm happy with that. I'm leaning towards a VAWT (vertical axis wind turbine) at the moment.

I want to make the most of the feed in tarrifs the government has put in place.

Andy

[Furtz]

One of the drawbacks of tube amps is that they draw lots of power, so you'll want lots of sun or wind when you're rockin' out.

[daydreamer]

good point! I'll limit my rocking for the planets sake! Great excuse to cancel a jam, 'sorry guys, acoustic or nothing, you do love the planet don't you? '

Plenty of info out there, but like anything, experience is king... and I know there is a bunch of EE's out there that need a break from discussing 'note flipping'!

Andy

[KT66]

I don't have actual experience with this, but have done some reading on the subject and I think that the general consensus by those who really know and are not trying to sell something is that rooftop wind power generation is not practical for a number of reasons including : too much turbulence near buildings to get much wind and too much vibration of the structure it is attached to. If you poke around this guys site : http://www.scoraigwind.com/ you can find some more specific info on this as well as lots of good info on how to do it right ( although his site has a kind of homespun organization to it that can be kind of annoying).

If you do get one going don't forget to have 5V, 6.3V, and 330-0-330 taps on it .

[daydreamer]

cheers mate,
you know, that's what I'm afraid of, it just not getting enough wind, even though we get pretty good breezes, turbulence and all that kills it.

Maybe I could put in an extra gain stage...

It's annoying to hear the wind going by and not being able to do anything about it. I'm addicted to the solar, coming home and seeing what it has done for the day, it nearly covers the power bill!, was hoping to tip it over into the black...I'll just get more panels I guess.

I'm thinking I'll get one of those wind meters and get some data first.
...Data, yeah right, I'll probably just get a turbine and hope for the best ... i won't be DIYing that's for sure, I got an amp to build!!!

Andy

[billyz]

I have a friend in Alaska that installs wind generators and he says the biggest mistake is not getting them up high enough. Like 80 -100' otherwise too much ground turbulence, you loose more half the available energy.
They need to be a least 20' taller than anything with in a 250' radius.

[Structo]

Nah, just put generators on exercise bicycles.
That way if you want to watch the tele, you get some exercise at the same time.

[img:534:396]http://www.c-realevents.demon.co.uk/inp ... ngen19.jpg[/img]

[daydreamer]

I've ordered a weather station to start getting the data, and if it doesn't turn out then yeah, I'll put the kids on exercise bikes when they watch TV, i.e. it only turns on when they are pedaling!! (good idea Tom!)

Maybe I should put pedals under the computer table as well, keep the wife doing something constructive while on facebook...

There are so many turbine options, but for high turbulence apparently the Vertical Axis ones are best. I'm going to get it as high as possible, but I don't want to have to go through council approval, so it's sort of a balancing act, but I hear what you are saying billyz.

It's actually a good exercise for my electrical knowledge as well, I really had no idea how much I didn't know. Though, If I read another water analogy I'll go crazy! One of my books has 3 paragraphs on what voltage is 'like' and not a word on what is meant by 'charge carrier'??!! Still not clear to me how static can be 000's of 'volts'...is it that a large number of atoms have gained a small number of electrons each, or a vis versa?


I guess I'll keep googling...

Andy

[daydreamer]

So I've got a month's worth of data (it's summer over here) and the figures are marginal. I've got the station mounted on the crest of the roof and for around 8 hours a day it is over 2.5m/s which seems to be the cut in for most turbines. It would break even over the inverter losses at the moment, but not much else.

Oh, and I've worked out that voltage, current, and resistance can't be defined without reference to each other. Yay for me

Andy

[Buschman]

I drive by the port of Beaumont daily and there is always loads of big wind turbine parts going somewhere on trains and ships. I have honestly been tempted to see if there is a job waiting there for me as I think they are beautiful, like sailplanes strapped to the ground or something. The problem is me and heights just don't get along. I guess I could sell them but....nah. I hope they help save the world. Where can I find out more about the PV solar system?

[daydreamer]

Where can I find out more about the PV solar system?

I was lucky, a mate of mine runs his own little company so he sorted it out for me. The biggest reason I could even get it at all was the government rebate was $8K and they have these things called RECS (Renewable Energy certificates) which are worth money under the federal gov scheme as well, they calculate what it will produce in MW over the first 15 years and pay you up front.

I heard California does something similar, perhaps Texas has got a scheme as well?

the best panels in the world are 'Sunpower' ones. 19% efficient last I checked.

Made in USA ( they are based in California. ) though I ended up with chinese Suntech panels because my mate had a falling out with Sunpower over a massive installation for the Perth Zoo!.

i like the way you put it regarding the wind turbines "like sailplanes strapped to the ground" I'm guessing you have written some good lyrics in your time...



Andy

[XgamerGt03]

I actually had a class on renewable energy last semester in which we looked into the cost of different forms of renewable energy in different places in the world. We got pretty in depth as far as how we calculated things, the teacher has been involved in the renewable energy field for years.

One of the areas we used was Perth, and came to find that solar panels would be the most effective in Perth. Sun Power cells are good, but much more expensive than some from Sharp or First Solar. I've also heard good things about Suntech which you mentioned.

[daydreamer]

We get a massive amount of sun that's for sure. Though the weather does strange things these days, not as predictable as when I was younger.

I'm pretty keen to get more solar regardless, but this federal government makes me nervous, they keep cutting 'green' initiatives.

I think the basic conclusion with the wind side of things is it is more of a hobby, not something that will make a big return on investment, though for a modest outlay It may be OK as a small DC system to supplement the studio/workshop lighting. It is helping with the electrical knowledge if nothing else...

cheers
Andy

[TheGimp]

I think I have some links at home on a 600W unit that is completely DIY.

When I get home out of ICU (Chest Pain Center) I'll try to find it.

[daydreamer]

woah, chest pain unit?? Geez, I hope you are going to be OK?

Good to see TAG is providing you some light reading....

Who enabled your addiction?! Did you flat out demand, 'bring me my laptop, I need my dose of TAG', or do you carry a medi-alert bracelet like me that says 'In case of emergency, apply TAG'?

I hope you are OK mate.

Andy