admin answers:

The mass and velocity of the air give it KE
The wind turbine blades convert the KE to ME (mechanical energy; the one you left out of your list of ‘all’ the forms of energy…!)
The generator converts the ME to electrical energy, the most useful grade of energy.

At each conversion point, some of the input energy is not used, causing the output energy to be less than the input. For ex: The wind downstream of the blades is slowed, but not stopped. Ergo, it still has some of its KE and the blades have picked up the rest as ME. As I recall, the maximum efficiency of any blade system is about 36%. The ME to EE step is about 90% efficient. Of course, all the efficiencies multiply, so you come out with less than 36%, but considering that the original wind energy is created directly from solar heating of land masses (ie, free), things don’t look so gloomy…….

admin answers:

You know, with all of the conditions you’ve placed in this question, you could have asked, “If a generator spins at 700 RPM, how much electricity will it produce?”

A particular generator spinning at a constant 700 RPM will generate a certain amount of power, but a different generator spinning at the same speed would generate a different amount. Add back in all of the wind turbine stuff, and you get the same answer – “it depends.”

admin answers:

1) You have to figure it out. If it’s in Hawaii, you probably don’t need heat, and can get by without A/C, too. In other places, more would be typical.

2) Your choice!

3) Since utilities are allowed, just to be minimized, I’d go with grid-tied solar electricity. The panels can generate 100% of average usage over time (unless this is Alaska or something). The grid is assumed to be reliable, but if there are doubts, I would go with a gas-powered generator for emergencies before I went with batteries to store electricity. The cost and upkeep of batteries would not be worth it unless they were going to be used all the time – typically, and off-grid arrangement.

Our house is 1900 square feet, single story. You can look at my profile and find out web page, with details on how much our system cost, which provides essentially 100% of our electrical needs. The link is called “Our Solar Panel Project” on that page. But we have gas heat. And prices have come down since we had ours installed, so you need to research current pricing.

admin answers:

I helped my Bro-Inlaw build a VERY nice 8 x 8 8-10 years go.

It had a window, TV, full-size hollow-core door. 2 fold down beds that folded down from the wall, 6 holes and we could barely move it! (lol) We named it the “Fish Tank” because it weighed 2 tons, (we actually BROKE a 2 ton jack trying to get it on a trailer!).

Since that experience I’ve had a variety of ideas:

#1. Do you know what a “quonset hut” is? My Dad used to build them in Alaska when he was stationed there in the ’50’s.

I had this idea that I would use hollow-core aluminum piping as the frame- bolted together. The floor would be 3/4′ pressure treated with skids, (typical to most shanty’s).

Here’s the “tricked-out” part- use thick canvas as the walls. And then FIBERGLASS the canvas using resin- thus the walls would be rigid. To make the walls more “rigid” you would use wire to secure the frame.

This would be an extremely light weight rig that could (theoretically) be moved by a single person on the ice! You would then have a permanent shanty that could easily be transported/moved around like a portable! You could also have your permanent house on the ice before anyone else! (I ran this idea by my Dad, who is an engineer, and he thought it would work well.)

Why go super-light?

After lugging the “Fish Tank” around a couple seasons it ended up sitting and starting to rot. Neither I nor my Bro-Inlaw wanted to hassle with getting it on and off the ice. It was a MAJOR pain in the @ss- and dangerous!

I EVEN thought about using heavy-duty PVC for the frame- (we used 2 x 2’s and 2 x 4’s at the 4 ends on the FT and it was HEAVY). But, here in MN where the possibility of -25 for weeks at a time made me rethink- (You don’t want the frame to “crack”!)

If I ever build another one It’s going to be a super-light.

I like your idea.

I suggest you build 2 benches on either ends. FULLY enclosed benches with hatches- so you can store expensive equipment in them when your not at the shanty- (like your buddy heater, rods and reels, ETC)- locked and secured.

Have one bench that is fully enclosed, (with lid and latches) and the other have a feature where the bench folds out DOUBLE to make a small bed. Build a small table that folds out from the wall so you have something to eat and play cards on- then it can be folded back into the wall if you have guests over and need space- (or the fishing gets good!).

Get rattle reels and think about adding a wind generator OR solar generator to keep your batterys trickle charging when your away. They are really inexpensive now- (like $150)- and it’s nice to not have to lug a 60 LB battery and hook it up every time.

Hope this helps ?

admin answers:

A wind turbine maintenance technician is a good job. It pays well and only requires a two year degree.

admin answers:

Found your question twice so I’ll paste my response here too. I am in the air-streams wind technician program right now and I regret it. I don’t think that I am getting what I paid for and it seems that most of this course is about Safety BullS*!T and not about how to do the job. The instructors are experienced but not good at teaching and if I could get a refund I would do that because its NOT worth $5,000…maybe half that. If I had known this before I came to this program I would have chose a different program or just done the safety certifications and applied/volunteered around until someone hired me. In my opinion save your money, Airstreams Renewables Inc 🙁

admin answers:

It is the velocity of the wind, rather than barometric pressure which drives the turbine. Design of the turbine set (generator and turbine) which determine the wind speed necessary for operation.

Google WIND TURBINE DESIGN for a lot of information. On different types of wind turbines.

admin answers:

My guess would be no. Aside from having to be in phase you would also have to have some type of service disconnect between the wind turbine generator and the outlet. If you didn’t there would be nothing to protect anything else on that line from an overload.

admin answers:

Your hybrid system would have to depend on the location where you are building your cabin. If sun is abundant all year around, solar powered system is advisable. Solar cells are not so expensive now as before. If the wind in the area is normal, there are inexpensive designs for a wind powered system. Both system has to store the power in battery banks.

Both system may easily be used in tandem storing energy to a single battery bank provided that your storage (battery banks) has enough capacity. Too much capacity would also mean higher cost. So the battery bank should just be enough to last until the next charging time (or cycle) normally every day.

Check your planned power requirement and match it with the system you might need.

For emergency cases, you must have a small engine driven generator set for lights and whatever emergency equipment you might have, just in case your batteries run out of power.

For suppliers of these system(s), you should check first for any local distributors and manufacturers closest to your cabin. It would make a difference at maintenance ( or other after sales services).

admin answers:

None of the above.

Obama released his stimulus plan, and they mostly are tax credits for buying things that will stimulate the economy. That means you will pay the government less in income taxes if you purchase certain items. For example, if you are buying your first house, you will pay $8,000 less in income tax for 2009. If you install a solar system or wind generator on your house, you will pay $3,500 dollar less in taxes, depending on how much your wind / solar system cost you. Buy a brand new car off of the show room floor, and you will pay less income tax equal to the amount of state sales tax you paid on the new car.

So on almost all of the tax breaks, you must first purchase something to stimulate the economy. If you don’t purchase anything, you don’t get the tax break. So Obama’s plan basically benefits only those wealthy enough to purchase expensive things.

The amount of with holding ( taxes taken out of your pay check ) was reduced. But the tax schedules were not lowered, so you will have to pay taxes on the money not with held from your pay check at the end of the tax year. That gives you a few dollars more to spend, but you should be saving those few dollars to pay back at the end of the tax year.

Most people don’t realize that with less money being with held out of their pay check, at the end of the year, the may have to pay money to the government to meet the taxes owed. They won’t get a refund because less money was taken out of their pay checks.

admin answers:

To answer your huge question, I ask it to you back: How have other’s done this? About money, which I know about…real estate investing is the usual path. You cannot ever get “rich” from any kind of job. The smallest commercial real estate deal is over $1 million, buy typically in the 10’s of millions. (See the loopnet link) To buy this small old office building is $4.5 million. But look at the rents! It brings in over $300,000 a year net, and that rent will grow at over 3% a year. In 10 years, you would have gotten enough rent to pay for this project, and your rental income will have grown to $450,000 a year. And this is just from one little typical example I found for you. You could do this deal, if you had about 30% of the price.

You then use this rental income, and the equity from your owned office building, and then buy another….do this for about 25 years, and you will be RICH. It really works.

Others start out with residential homes. It is easier to get into your first deal with a house. But residential is more difficult to keep growing…every new rental house is just as much trouble as the last one. I suggest that you begin moving to the commercial side as soon as your bank will let you get a commercial loan. You can grow to ever larger commercial projects. You will also meet and get to know very interesting people in this business.

Now, your other question, about “making a difference”. Again, what do other very rich philantropist do? Bill Gates is the richest man in America, and does he give away windmills? No. He is much more concerned with disease and arts. Warren Buffet is another of the worlds richest men, and he is teaming up with Bill Gates! Isn’t that amazing. No free windmills or solar panels from either of these very rich men.

To try and give you an idea of how “rich” rich is….lets look at Wikipedia. Warren Buffet is worth over $50,000,000,000. Yes, that is a tremendous number. IF he only bought bonds with that, he would make tax free about 5% a year, or $250 million a year, just in interest! Of course, he can and does much better than 5 % a year….so he is really making even more than that, which means he could buy a windmill with ONE day’s income. But he doesn’t. I wonder why?

The last link for you is an interesting article about the fraud in the “windfarm business”. As an engineer, I can also tell you that wind turbines are a poor source of “free” power. The “payback” time is almost infinity. You add up how much total energy you used to build and install and maintain the windmill, and then divide by how much real useful power you get out of it….and you get large numbers….which means it is a terrible investment.

Solar panels are worse! They dont usually pay back for themselves. Yes, the best new types, in perfect conditions will, see link.

I am sorry to bring you this bad news. But there are real reasons the richest men of the world are not rushing into this whole “green energy” myth.

admin answers:

Bankruptcy attorneys

Clean-up crews for foreclosed properties

Blight Control Officers for cities

Loss Mitigation people at banks..

admin answers:

This is a question with several differant answers…..

Depending on consuption if its going on a consuming structure co-generating

or a stand alone generation station. The most cost effective would be a hybrid

thermal/photovoltaic

the thermal would heat a closed contained liquid and make steam to turn large turbine.

$150,000US will get u quite the little generator. $1,000,000US u have a major player

my general rule is $15us per sq ft of heating/cooling space.

I am presently puting together the single largest solar project of its kind. Entire subdivisions of low cost modular homes with the entire roof as the mini-generating station. So if u put up say 400 units. When this hole subdivision comes on line u have a major Generating Station.

Maitaining a plant with no moving parts to wear-out, well except to send some one to clean the panels off once every 6 months wound not be much up-keep……

The panels have 20 to 25yr warrenties and 30yr life

some put up in the late 60’s r still generating.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_it_cost_to_build_and_maintain_a_power_plant_for_generating_electricity_with_solar_energy#ixzz1eVJOFNPl

admin answers:

Yes, and New York has installed them on the bottom of the Hudson River.

In this case they are using the in flow and out flow of the tide to generate electricity. The installation was shown on the Discovery Channel and the first one installed was bent because they didn’t plan on the force being so great.

There are wave generators and have been for a while they use up and down motion of the water to move a piston harnessed to a wheel that turns a generator making electrical energy.

Since the waves always move you won’t have to worry about not having enough windy days or not. The problem is that if you are not careful with the design ti will break too easily. This is using wave motion not tidal energy.

If you wanted to create a tide generator then you should go to the Bay of Fundy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Fundy), which has over 12′ tides each day.

The tides themselves are not that strong, they are only dependent on the gravitational energy of the moon and the sun. The heat of the sun drives the motion of waves and the winds that energy is more consistent and reliable. A more efficient conversion is to take the energy from the original source (the sun) in the first place. Solar panels are a good example of this and recent work in carbon fibers have increased the efficiency of them, once the price of making carbon nanofibers drops (or the price of energy continues to rise) it will become worthy of mass scale production.

There is an idea to use electrical generators on the bottom of the ocean just off the Eastern shore of North America in the middle of the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream is a reliable current that constantly runs and the turbines can be made large enough so that they would move slowly so as to not harm fish. It would be just like putting windmills on the floor of the ocean. The only problem of course is making sure to not let the water get in and salt water is very corrosive. A magnetic induction system could solve that problem though.

admin answers:

Here’s how to figure that out:

Take the reciprocal of your MPG in the small car. Lets say you get 1/30 gallons per mile. Now multiply that by your average speed, lets say 60 mph (it’s usually lower but overestimating is the safe side, leading to more power consumption calculated).

Do that and you get 2 gallons per hour. Now one gallon of gas contains 36.6 kwh of energy, so your using about 73 killo watt hours per hour, which is just 73 kw.

Now factor the efficiency of your internal combustion engine, .22, and you have 16 kw. That’s the power consumption of the car, with wind and rolling resistance, and your drive train.

Divide by the efficiency of your electric drive system, combining batteries, motor, controller and other small losses, which is about .7, and you get 23 kw.

So your average power consumption in that car would be about 23 kw. Now you can easily calculate your run time and your range. If your battery back is 16 kwh, like the chevy volt, you get a 40 mile range at 60 mph, which is what GM engineers claim on electric power alone.

That also shows you how powerful your generator needs to be, if you plan on making a series hybrid.

So these numbers are a good rough starting point.

admin answers:

“It won’t work, no matter what” is absolutely correct. You need magnet wire like this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-AWG-Gauge-Magnet-Wire-Natural-100-200C-Enameled-Copper-Coil-Winding-/261075430233?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc94eeb59
or this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/28-AWG-Gauge-Enameled-Copper-Magnet-Wire-2oz-155C-248ft-Magnetic-Coil-Winding-/251047316335?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a73960b6f

Larger gauge numbers mean smaller wire. You will need to wind a lot of turns. The turns will touch each other, so the wire needs to be insulated so the current will go from one end of the coil to the other without taking a short cut from turn to turn. You will need to scrape off a little insulation at each end to connect to the power source

admin answers:

Mines? I think you mean wind farms, which are comprised of multiple wind mills or turbines.

No source of energy is without some type of negative impact. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it the “best source of energy” but the fuel (wind) is free.

The problems with wind farms are that they kill birds, are noisy, ugly (NIMB syndrome), and the fuel is not dependable.

admin answers:

Astrology
Tarot
Numerology
Young Earth creationism
Predictions of the rapture by making calculations on Bible verse numbers or numbers mentioned somewhere in the Bible
Predictions of the end of the world by old Nosty or ancient calendars or the same method as for the rapture
Claims there are signs of the end of the world
Ear candling
Bush essences
Aromatherapy
Homeopathy
Dowsing / divining for water, oil, metals whatever.
Atlantis
Lemuria
Bermuda triangle
Chem trails
Claims about HAARP
Chiropractic
Anti-vaccination
Anti-fluoride in water
Steiner education
Scientology
Faith healing
Bee venom therapy
Home water filters in towns with already filtered water supplies
Bottled water
Colloidal silver therapy
Fruitarianism
Crystal therapy
Vegan diets
Detox diets
Pyramidology
Just about every diet in every women’s magazine ever published
High dose vitamins
Reflexology
Iridology
Magnet therapy
Wind turbine syndrome
Chelation therapy

Hundreds more. All fraud or delusion.

admin answers:

Because the liberals are massively uniformed and the true news is hidden from them by their one-sided reporting lame stream bias` media ! ***GE To Make BILLIONS From Obama Cap and Trade Scheme***
Breaking: General Electric in the position to make billions from Obama’s Cap and Trade scheme and is lobbying heavily for it’s passage. Not only are they the largest wind turbine generator maker, they are going to profit heavily from the “cap and trade” credits as possibly the sole “secondary market’ trader of these credits. Now do you understand the main stream NBC, MSNBC, CNBC fully supporting the Obama agenda, and the hate-filled, anti-conservative spew from their networks.
GE is embroiled in what perhaps could be the largest scandal in the history of this nation. Currently, GE and CEO Jeffery Immelt have spend millions in lobbying efforts to assure the passage of this dasturdly “cap and trade” proposal. And, as evidenced from the Shareholders meeting in Orlando, Immelt wasn’t in the mood for the boo’s and the questions that exposed the media bias from NBC and MSNBC (and CNBC) and their total shift from objective reporting to nothing but pure bias toward the Obama administration and their “cap and trade” scheme.

Then Janeine Garafalo did her “hit shtick” on Olberman’s show earlier in the week, it was obvious that his entire lack of response to her diatribe was in full support of GE corporate policy and Olberman was being the compliant little prick he is and following the company line. It is OBVIOUS as the nose on anyone’s face that the NBC networks, that includes MSNBC and CNBC are totally pro-Obama agenda driven, and are using the bully pulpit to promote his legislative proposals. In the back of my mind, I knew deep down that General Electric, as owner of the NBC network, was fully supporting Obama, was instrumental in his election, and had something to gain. However, I never quiet made the connection as reported tonight.
Under the Obama plan, the “cap and trade” credits will be issued to all producers of energy. GE is the largest manufacturer of wind turbines as well as other electical generation turbines used in coal, gas, atomic, and hydroelectic electricity generation facilities. With the Obama plan, those cap and trade credits would be issued by the Federal Government, and ultimately, traded just like any stock or bond. GE has apparently, created and entire unit with the Corporation that would deal in the Secondary Market trading these credits. First, they are going to take in billions of dollars from government contracts in wind energy. Second, they perhaps are going to have exclusive control over the secondary market for these cap and trade credits. That, in effect, puts GE in the catbirds seat for all energy produced in this nation as ALL “carbon emission” energy sourced are going to be subject to these carbon schemes. This includes ANY oil related, natural gas related, gasoline, diesel, and any other manufacturer that uses any petro-based component. That means every single plastic container, every car, every chemical fertilizer, every pesticide, every single thing you use will be subject to this scheme as it too, is made from a carbon based material.
(“We’re in an area right now that makes Watergate look like a Shirley Temple movie.”) illustrate, the best that can be said about General Electric is that it is hip deep in conflict of interest. It’s running TV networks that prop up liberalism, the global warming issue and Obama, while privately lobbying hard for cap-and-trade, from which it intends to profit heavily.
There can be no doubt that GE is up to it’s neck in this scandal. It is further evidence that WE THE PEOPLE of this nation are going to have to quit sitting still and allowing this huge, overblown government from dealing with GE for any contracts awarded to them for anything. Face some realities- GE is one of the governments largest contractors and they are going to get billions and billions more under the Obama plans should they become law. This, with no words minced, is an OUTRAGE to the foundation of this nations Constitutional government. Additionally, GE employees contributed to Obama’s campaign, close to $98,000 while NBC employees contributed close to $194,000. (For reference, the McCain camp only received donations close to $55,000 from GE/NBC employees according to OpenSecrets.org) They heavily invested in his election and the desire for his climate change initiatives to become law for a very selfish reason- massive profits.
There can be no doubt that the very reason NBC, MSNBC, and the MSM is fully supporting the “settled science” on climate change is GE profit driven. They stand to make BILLIONS from the promotion of the scam on the American people and the world.

admin answers:

.
Turbines come in many sizes and power ratings.

AND: If it were running at full, rated power, for 250KW (which is a very big one) it would have to have an input of over 342 HP.
AND: 342 HP equals 188 K ft.lbs per second or 11.3 M ft.lbs per minute.
SO: It is the energy that must go into it from the wind forces that turn the propeller of the turbine.
HOWEVER: The rotational speed is depending on the design of the coils inside the generator, the number of blades, their length and the rotational speed they can support. Please refer to the wikipedia site above for a discussion on these matters.
IF: We assume a rotational speed of 120 rpm or some such figure (you can get specifications from the manufacturers web pages) you can compute the torque by trial and error using the nifty little calculator or go to a site regarding formulas.
(The torque must be guessed at until you reach the right HP as given above – 342).
It turns out to be around 180,000 ft.lbs (180K ft.lbs) or torque.
Think those numbers are reasonable for a 250KW generator.
PS: If the speed slows down to 50 rpm, the torque must increase to 450K ft.lbs in order to keep producing the 250KW power output!

admin answers:

I definetly would need a years collection of books, including all the Jane Austen/Charlotte Bronte classics to keep me going 🙂

I would also basically need a full stock of food and water , some proteins, some carboyhydrates, some fats, and some minerals, so I was getting all the right nutrients so I wouldn’t die of scurvy, lol.

A trowel, to dig holes for the treasure 🙂
Veg seeds, I’m a practical person!
A hat, that sun is bad for you you know
MP3 player with head phones and wind up charger thing (do they exist for MP3’s?!)

A book on “Surviving on a desert Island for dummies” 🙂 Guess that is kind of cheating.

A manual on how to build boats.

Zac Efron to build the boat. (Aha =] )

X

admin answers:

HEY READ THIS ARTICLE … I have attached the link too … I like the question … Wanted to learn … So i looked up 🙂

Solar Power 101
Batteries

By Jeffrey Yago, P.E., CEM

This article is the first in a series of what will be a beginner’s course in solar electricty. Simultaneously we have instituted a Home Energy Information (www.homeenergy.info) section on our website where you can ask questions of Jeff Yago, the author of this series. Yago is a licensed professional engineer and certified energy manager who has writtten many energy articles for BHM. He has extensive solar thermal and solar photovoltaic system design experience, and is author of Achieving Energy Independence — One Step At A Time, which includes many solar system wiring examples. It is available from the Backwoods Home Bookstore or by calling 804-457-9566. Those interested in solar electricity will want to save these articles for future review when planning your solar system.

I am getting numerous requests from readers wanting very specific guidance on how to install their own solar electric systems. Many have already found that this process is a little like trying to build an automobile by purchasing parts from a NAPA dealer. For example, you can buy a brake drum, wheel bearing, and oil filter, but since your car does not yet exist, how do you know what parts you need, what parts will fit with other parts, and how should these parts be wired together.

During the next few issues, I will take you through the “basics” of solar system design and installation, and answer your specific questions as we go along. This course will continue on the Backwoods Home Magazine website (www.backwoodshome.com) under their new Home Energy Information (www.homeenergy.info) section. You will be able to e-mail your installation questions and offer suggestions for future home energy saving articles.

Before I can help you design your own solar power system, you have to understand that there are actually many different types of solar power systems, for many different applications.

System types
Some solar power systems are 12-volt DC due to the many low voltage RV and boating lighting and appliances available, and do not have a utility line connection. These DC only systems can be used to power several DC lights in a remote cabin, or a DC well pump in a field for watering cattle. Some solar power systems have an inverter to convert a 12, 24, or 48-volt DC battery voltage into 120-volt AC power to operate standard household appliances. Some grid connected solar power systems are designed for direct connection to your utility line and do not use any batteries at all.

Hybrid solar power systems can include a battery bank, a solar array, a generator, and even a wind turbine to provide power at all times with the utility grid serving only as backup. Inverters and solar arrays are available in many different styles, voltages, and wiring configurations. Some solar arrays are mounted on the roof, some on the top of a pole, and some are ground mounted, with each having different wiring rules.

If you visit a solar home that has a well designed and properly installed solar power system, you will find the concept is actually fairly simple. The hard part is knowing what wiring layout was best for this specific home, what size and quantity of each system component was required, and what wire size and fuses were needed to keep from burning down the house.

Batteries
One of the most misunderstood parts of a solar power system is the battery or battery bank, and that is where our class begins. Some solar battery banks use wet cells, like golf cart batteries, while others use sealed or gel cell batteries, and each have different temperature, mounting, and ventilation requirements.

Every battery is designed for a specific type of charge and discharge cycle. Car batteries have thin plates to keep their weight down and are designed for a heavy discharge lasting a few seconds, followed by a long period of slow re-charge. A 6-volt golf cart battery (size T-105) is the minimum battery I recommend for a residential solar application. You will need to buy these in “pairs” to make 12 volts. Golf cart batteries have very thick plates and are designed for hours of heavy discharge each day, followed by a fast recharge in only a few hours each night. This is similar to the duty cycle of a residential solar application, only in reverse. A solar battery must be able to provide long periods of deep discharge each evening and night, followed by a full recharge in only a few hours of sunlight each afternoon. Very few batteries can take a deep discharge-recharge cycle every day, and the 6-volt golf cart battery is the least expensive and easiest to find locally that can.

For some reason, everyone wants to use a sealed marine battery for their homegrown solar system. I strongly recommend that you do not. Included is a photo showing a sealed marine battery that “exploded” after being connected to a small solar charger for several months.

Even though this was a small 12-volt DC 5-amp solar charge controller powered from a single 50-watt solar photovoltaic module, this was enough energy to gradually overcharge the battery and evaporate all of the electrolyte even though this battery was “sealed.” A low electrolyte level can expose the plates which will gradually warp or “grow” in thickness as they oxidize. This can cause an internal short circuit and ignition of the hydrogen gas.

Plate damage can also occur when there is a large buildup of sediment after the upper plate areas become exposed from reduced water levels and begin to “flake” off. Most liquid acid batteries do not vent gasses while discharging. However, near the end of a typical charging cycle, when the battery is almost “full,” the sulfuric acid and water electrolyte will begin to break down into hydrogen and oxygen—a very explosive combination.

When ignited by a nearby spark or flame, an “explosion” can result, but this flash lasts only a fraction of a second, which is usually too fast to ignite nearby walls. However, this is still a very explosive reaction, with plastic battery parts becoming acid-covered shrapnel. While using a hand grinder one day in a shop, I accidentally directed the sparks towards several car batteries being charged about 30 feet away. There was a very loud explosive sound with acid and plastic hitting every wall of the large shop, yet I did not see a flame and there was no fire. Regardless, it was not a pleasant experience.

Always wear eye protection and acid proof gloves when working around batteries, and have lots of water and baking soda nearby. This will neutralize any acid spills from battery refilling and prevent further corrosive damage.

A typical 6-volt golf cart battery will store about 1 kilowatt-hour of useful energy (6 volt X 220 amp-hr X 80% discharge = 1056 watt-hours). Since this would only power two 50-watt incandescent lamps for 10 hours (2 X 50 X 10 = 1000 watt-hours), your alternative energy system will most likely require wiring several batteries together to create a battery bank. Since each golf cart battery weighs almost 65 pounds, there are weight considerations as well as battery gas venting issues to think about.

An area of a garage or storage building having a concrete floor is the most common location for a battery bank, although some large systems have their own specially designed battery room. I am going to assume you are installing a much smaller system and will only require four to eight batteries.

If you need more than the 220 amp-hr capacity contained in each golf cart battery, I suggest switching to the larger “L-16” size traction battery, having a 350 amp-hour rating, which may allow using fewer batteries. This battery is the same length and width as a golf cart battery, but is much taller and twice as heavy. This is an excellent battery for solar applications and can take very heavy charge-discharge cycling. This industrial rated battery may be more difficult to find, as it is only available from battery wholesale distributors.

Batteries can lose over half of their charge when exposed to extreme temperature swings, so be sure your proposed battery location stays in a 50° to 80° F range, or you will need to insulate the battery box. Since liquid batteries require refilling and battery terminal cleaning to remove corrosion several times each year, the floor area selected should be able to take an occasional acid spill and water wash down.

Battery venting is very important as discussed earlier, and if you build an enclosure around your batteries, it should be designed to direct all vented gasses to the outside. A 2-inch PVC pipe makes a good vent, but be sure it is located at the highest point in your battery enclosure where the lighter hydrogen gas will accumulate. Be sure it also includes a screened vent cap to keep out rain and insects. Do not locate your battery bank near a gas water heater or other open flame appliance that could ignite any accidental hydrogen accumulation.

A battery box can be built using standard 2 x 4 framing construction, with pressure treated plywood lining the interior surfaces. A hinged top door is needed for periodic battery maintenance, and should include a gasket to prevent gases from entering the room. Note how the top of the site-built battery box shown in these photos slopes up to a high rear area where two PVC vent pipes are located. The interior plywood surfaces of this wood frame construction were painted with several coats of fire and acid resistant paint. Since batteries lose capacity with lower temperatures, your batteries should not rest directly on a cold uninsulated concrete floor.

Pressure treated 2 x 4s on edge, spaced every 6 inches and covered by a fiberglass laminated concrete board, makes an excellent base for your battery box. This heavy sheet material is sold in most building supply outlets as a backing behind ceramic tile work in wet shower stalls, and is usually available in smaller 2-foot by 4-foot sizes. By careful planning, you may be able to use the entire sheet without cutting or splicing.

If you can afford to invest in the more expensive gel or absorbed glass matte (AGM) batteries, you will have more flexibility in locating your battery bank, since these batteries do not need to be refilled and do not normally generate explosive gasses. The photo shows a large battery bank with the batteries mounted close together in a vertical steel rack. You do not need a vapor proof enclosure or vent pipe when using these batteries, however they cost almost 30 percent more without providing any additional life or storage capacity.

admin answers:

I hope so, but with the senate republicans plan to stall during kagan’s confirmation and the need for immigration reform (thanks AZ for forcing that to the top of the list- aholes) there is a lot to get done, and with republicans unprecedented obstruction its a tall order to get all that done.

I notice your first responder, Mr Bong, brings up the fake climate change denial report from Spain funded by america’s larger polluter. Not a real credible report Mr Bong.

admin answers:

The best way would be to try to get a job with the company that will be operating them (power company). To get a job with them, you will need some skills either mechanical or electrical. An engineering degree would be best but if you have knowledge of industrial equipment (coupling alignment, stretching bolts, mechanical seals) that could also get you in the door.

The alternative route would be to go through the construction company installing the units. If you could get a job with them as either an electrician or millwright, that could be your foot in the door.

admin answers:

One way of saving money is saving on electricity. Buy energy saving bulbs, turn off lighting that is not in use and minimizing the use of some of your electrical appliances. But the latter is just so hard to give up especially television. Just imagine all the shows that you will miss. Well, no need to worry as there is an alternative way in order for you to save on electricity.

Some homeowners are now switching to alternative ways to generate electricity!
Generating your own Wind Power at home is the answer. Wind Mills or Wind Turbines, however you may call it, are machines designed to generate electrical energy by utilizing the Power of the Wind. It is usually made of 3 steel blades that are mounted horizontally on top of a tower. The blades start to rotate when the Wind blows by it. As soon as the blades rotate, it will then generate a certain amount of electrical energy. The current will then flow to the Generator which is connected to a dry cell. The dry cell will then supply the household with electricity.

admin answers:

Hey Chris, this might dissapoint you, but they don’t need kick starting, at least the modern ones don’t. Generally the blades are, “feathered,” or turned so they are at a knife edge to the wind until the wind speed is several mph faster than the turbines cut in speed for a predetermined amount of time. This is done so the generation of power is not right at the starting speed cusp, so any slight change in wind causes the torque to be produced intermittently. Once this speed / time requirement is met, the blades are unfeathered and set at some starting pitch initially until the rotor almost reaches design speed. After that they are set according to the computers program for the wind speed and rpm. The equipement that feathers and unfeathers the blades of course needs a small amount of power when it is being used. It can be turned on and off at the control facility with the click of a mouse. Mechanical brakes were all but done away with in the 70’s, when most turbines began using induction braking. This is nothing more than taking the different windings of the generator and connecting them together to short out the current flow. This causes the magnetic drag on the rotor to go up astronomically, stopping the blade. Most of the really large latest units today don’t even have that, they just feather the blades instead and use aerodynamic braking.

We have a home sized turbine in our yard, and it does not require a kick start either. If the brake is off, then it starts to rotate in very light wind, but not fast enough to produce power. Once it blows harder than 9mph consistently, then the rpm causes the generator to exceed the battery voltage and current begins to flow into the battery as long as the rotor speed is above cut in rpm. If it falls below this, or the wind stops entirely, current stops flowing, the blades may coast to a stop, but it is not “using” any power during this time, and does not need any for starting, just the wind. Our unit uses an induction brake as well, no mechanical brakes are installed. Take care Chris, Rudydoo

admin answers:

It is not mechanically feasible to make a DFIG with a sufficient number of poles to match the synchronous speed to the optimum speed of a wind turbine. The space required for numerous stator windings would make the machine too large and heavy for mounting in the nacelle of the turbine. Since the speed increasing gear can not be eliminated entirely, the DFIG speed and the gear ratio are selected to optimize the cost, size and weight of the combination.

A PMSG using rare-earth magnets can be designed for a speed that allows the gear to be eliminated. The resulting machine has a larger diameter than a DFIG of the same power rating, but the cost and weight of the PMSG without a gear make it competitive with the DFIG package. The complete package comparison includes the cost and complexity comparisons of the electronic power conversion units and the expected reliability comparison of the two packages.

This is the basic outline of the design considerations. The complete analysis must be rather complex and contain assessments that are not viewed in the same way by everyone who undertakes such designs.

admin answers:

The only cost effective installation I’ve seen is at a home where connection to commercial AC power was very expensive. The home owner was quoted about $15000 to run a line to the house, and this became the alternate energy budget. Several solar panels, both for electricity and water heating were installed on the roof. A wind generator was installed on a 80 foot pole to supplement the solar panels. Battery banks, inverters, etc were installed inside to power the house. All appliances were selected to be very energy efficient, lighting was minimized, but remained adequate. The total price was less than quoted for commercial power, and comes with the added benefit of no further electric bills other than routine maintenance and repair of the system.

I think that if there is commercial electricity available you will be hard pressed to justify the expense financially. I’m installing a wind system to supplement the electric use in the house. Payback looks like it could take 10-12 years, but I’m not doing it as a money saving project, but rather as something to experiment with and learn. Instead of wasting money on cigarettes and beer every week, I’ve stashed money aside to finance my project.

I have pictures, electric diagrams, structural drawings, etc on my web page.
Http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html

admin answers:

Here is an article that might answer your question from Ben Ford… He has been around for a while and is an experienced inventor and author on green energy .He showed me how cheap it is to build wind and solar… That will be me out there repairing my fence this summer and building solar and wind power!
Author Ben Ford
How would you react if your neighbor told you she was going to build wind turbines? Pretty impressed? The truth is that it is not difficult to build wind turbines and many homeowners are taking the challenge to build their own wind turbines as a cost-effective means to utilizing renewable energies. It isn’t exactly snap-your-fingers easy to build wind turbines either, but with the proper plans and a motivated builder you can be building wind turbines in no time.

It is definitely your best bet, before setting out to build wind turbines, to purchase an instruction manual or guide to follow. Remember that you get what you pay for when it comes to instructions. Make sure you find a manual that is easy to read with detailed instructions. There are also many online resources and forums to help guide you through your wind turbine building process.

To familiarize yourself with the basics, before you get started on your project to build wind turbines, there are four basic components to wind turbines. To build wind turbines you must be familiar with the towers, the batteries, the turbines and the tail and propeller assembly. The tools generally required to build wind turbines are simple as well, you will need wrenches, a saw and a drill. There may also be a need for additional tools depending on how of the wind turbine you will be building yourself.

One part that you will probably be ordering when you decide to build wind turbines is the motor. The motors on wind turbines do require regular maintenance and oiling for continued efficiency, but this is a small price to pay for the excellent energy these systems provide. In addition to the motor, you are definitely going to need a good-sized workspace. Depending on your target energy output, your propellers or blades could get up to 8 feet in diameter (4 ft blades).

It takes a little work to build wind turbines, but there is really nothing overly complicated about the process and generally the process can be fairly inexpensive once you are operational and your electric bills are dropping each month. Building wind turbines is also a fast growing occupation worldwide as technicians are tough to find. So learn how to build wind turbines for yourself and take advantage of the opportunities free electricity and know how can provide.

admin answers:

Hi Lara. We have been powering our home for 11 years now with the wind and sun. There are also solar water preheaters, rainwater collection tanks and a wood stove in the living room and shop. For the past 6 years or so, I’ve been going to the local schools and teaching seminars on solar power, and in some cases, the schools have run bus loads of kids out to our place to see a home like this first hand. One thing I’ve learned over the years is almost everyone asks questions about wind turbines first. There is something about them, the way they move, the noise people imagine when they see even a picture of one that draws their attention.

Wind power is actually a bit of work. The machines are mounted in very inaccessible places, they have moving parts that break down, they can make unwanted noise, and anyone within a quarter mile has to see the thing, yet everyone wants to learn more. Pictures of solar panels are cool, but they never move or even change color when they run. Pictures of a biomass operation sound absolutely ugly. Probably the wood stove would be the best of them. If it were me, and you wanted to draw attention with your poster, go with wind. Look online for interesting pictures of turbines, particularly in unusual places, like a remote artic weather station, next to a camping tent, on a sailboat or a mountain. A really good eye catcher is a big one with a technician hanging on the side of the tower in a harness working on the turbine. That really gives you a great idea how large the units can be. I’ll list some places you can look for photos, and information you can add to the poster. Good luck Lara, and take care, Rudydoo

admin answers:

I think with any system if energy is removed then the ‘natural’ state of the system must be disrupted somehow. With wind we must consider how much we are taking out of the overall system. The first thing to note is that the winds are largely driven by solar heating – causing high and low pressures to form through air density differences which act to even out by transporting air between them. The sheer scale of the energy and the vertical distribution of the wind means that even with our best efforts we can currently only harvest a small amount of the wind energy at surface level, let alone for the whole 10km of the troposphere. The effect that this will have is for the wind farm to be ‘seen’ by the lower winds as an area of increased surface friction, in a similar way to a large tree might be seen. This might lead to local effects close to the turbines but I don’t think it would be noticeable without high-tech equipment. As for global effects like El Nino then we would have to be seriously affecting the upper controlling winds (like the jet stream) and global circulation cells.
I would say that if the entire globe was covered in wind turbines then I would expect some dampening of the atmospheric circulation system, but since this is unlikely and we currently (key word!) extract a tiny percentage of the available energy then it is not of concern.

According to Greenpeace, we currently extract 6.0xE4 MW per year in the world. The total energy in the global wind is estimated at 3.6xE9 MW. With five orders of magnitude difference we have a long way to go before we impact on the wind in the atmosphere. Also there is a limit of 59% (called Betz limit) on how much we could extract.

To be green I think we should reduce our energy consumption, be efficient, and use the whole set of renewable available to “play with a full set of clubs”. In addition, I think we should return to this issue if wind power begins to extract a more significant amount of energy from the atmosphere.

admin answers:

Tidal power is a means of electricity generation achieved by capturing the energy contained in moving water mass due to tides. Two types of tidal energy can be extracted: kinetic energy of currents due the tides and potential energy from the difference in height (or head) between high and low tides.
The extraction of potential energy involves building a barrage. The barrage traps a water level inside a basin. Head is created when the water level outside of the basin changes relative to the water level inside. The head is used to drive turbines. In any design this leads to a decrease of tidal range inside the basin, implying a reduced transfer of water between the basin and the sea. This reduced transfer of water accounts for the energy produced by the scheme.

Tidal power is classified as a renewable energy source, because tides are caused by the orbital mechanics of the solar system and are considered inexhaustible within a human timeframe. The root source of the energy comes from the slow deceleration orbit of the moon around the Earth, and the deceleration of the Earth’s rotation. Tidal power has great potential for future power and electricity generation because of the total amount of energy contained in this rotation. Tidal power is reliably predictable (unlike wind energy and solar power).

The efficiency of tidal power generation largely depends on the amplitude of the tidal swell, which can be up to 10 m (33 ft) where the periodic tidal waves funnel into rivers and fjords. Amplitudes of up to 17 m (56 ft) occur for example in the Bay of Fundy, where tidal resonance amplifies the tidal waves.

As with wind power, selection of location is critical for a tidal power generator. The potential energy contained in a volume of water is

E = xMg
where x is the height of the tide, M is the mass of water and g is the acceleration due to gravity. Therefore, a tidal energy generator must be placed in a location with very high-amplitude tides. Suitable locations are found in the former USSR, USA, Canada, Australia, Korea, the UK and other countries (see below).
Several smaller tidal power plants have recently started generating electricity in Norway. They all exploit the strong periodic tidal currents in narrow fjords using sub-surface water turbines.____For more information go to the site below.

admin answers:

Homebuilt wind power generators can be built with just a few parts that you probably already have laying around your home.

If you want to power household items like TVs, washing machine etc then you will need an inverter. These are quite cheap though.

I got my instructions on homebuilt wind power generators from http://www.earth4energy.com and it made life HEAPS easier for me.

admin answers:

You are to be commended for pursuing alternative energy sources. Try one or all of the links bellow. I hope this helps.

Http://www.cetsolar.com/windpower.htm

Home

http://www.absak.com

http://www.solardyne.com

http://www.wind-works.org/books/wind_power2004_contents.html

admin answers:

About 6 MW is the largest. That size is many US$M.

Here is one list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wind_turbine_manufacturers

you can get others by searching for “wind turbine manufacturer”

admin answers:

Hey Chelsea. Wind turbines produce what is called wild AC initially, and not usable in most homes and buildings. Normally, the wild AC is converted to DC power, like a car battery by the wind tubines own control box so that it can be used to charge a battery bank of some sort. We have a home that is powered by the wind and sun, our wind turbine was built by Southwest Windpower of Flagstaff, AZ. There are other manufacturers around.

There are 2 primary ways to get the wind power into your home. One is a stand alone system like ours. The wind turbine and solar panels feed into a large battery bank whenever the wind or sun is available. Then a device called an inverter converts the battery power to normal household AC power and feeds it into the home. The other type which is fast becoming the desired approach is a grid tied system. You take the windpower and feed it directly into a grid tied inverter that converts it straight to the electrical grid, no battery. If you are producing more than you can use, the excess feeds out into the grid and is used by your neighbors, and your electrical meter spins backwards. If you are using more than you are producing, the shortage is made up from the grid and your meter spins forward. At the end of the month the meter is read, and you are billed for the difference. These are less expensive and simpler, no battery or charge controllers to buy or replace. The only problem is if the grid loses power, your wind turbine has to shut down, you can’t balance your turbiner directly to the needs of one home, the excess has to go someplace all the time. Hope this helps, take care, Rudydoo

admin answers:

Hey Jesse, you’re timing is perfect. Solar actually might be the best environmental way to produce electricity, but many of your anwers here are correct that it will never produce the power we need, not because solar isn’t powerful enough, but because the way we harness it is quite inefficient. Solar electric, or, “photovoltiac,” panels only convert about 12% of the incoming sun into electricity, the rest just heats up the panel. Arguments such as Erins that they offset agricultural production are baseless since most of these devices are on the roof tops of homes and businesses, or in the desert. Our home has been powered by the wind and sun for 11 years now, my panels sit on the garage roof, I don’t grow tomatoes up there, and they run the entire home. We have a wind turbine in the field behind our home, and in 11 years, I’ve never found a single dead bird under the turbine. The flower bed in front of our homes picture window is another story though. In the first days of the Altamont Pass wind project in California, there was a problem of dead birds, specifically Golden Eagles, which are rare raptors. Turns out the particular type of blade they used there mimmicked the mating call of these birds. Since then turbine blades have been redesigned, and the problem of bird kills has been pretty much eliminated. Solar electric panels are still very useful, but the real answer is actually in the desert.

The Germans are working on a project right now to use the sun and heat in the desert to make electricity which will be more like 60% efficient. How it works is they use large concentrators to focus the hot sun on collectors that heat oil to several hundred degrees. The oil is circulated into a huge insulated tank, then an oil to water heat exchanger is used to take sea water, boil it into steam and run a steam turbine. The turbine turns a generator and makes electricity. As a by product, the recondensed steam becomes fresh water, the salt is naturally extracted in the boiling process and seperated out, and the fresh water is then used to irrigate crops that will grow alongside the solar concentrators. So we can take a patch of desert, devoid of life, make electricity and grow food all at the same time with just the power of the sun. They will produce enough power to run all of Europe with just the northwest corner of the Sahara. No wildlife will be displaced, but the crops, partial shade and water will attract new wildlife to the area. Another benefit of this system is with all the oil heated and stored in an insulated tank, it can continue to boil water even when passing clouds shade the concentrators, or well into the night. So now we have access to solar power at night too. And the oil is continually recirculated, none of it gets burned or used up. Once it’s operating, it can continue to produce electricity and fresh water for decades without any emissions. It is very promising, and if it works as well there as they hope, I’m sure in another 10 years you’ll see them on all continents, including ours.

Stick with your choice for solar Jesse, we did 11 years ago, and our array puts out the same amount of power today as it did then. I’ve never turned a screw on my solar array or had to add a drop of oil, and our home has not been without power for even a minute in all those years. Hard to put a price on that. In your research you will undoubtedly hear the argument that, “Solar panels never produce as much power as was used to produce them.” This is blatently false, tons of research has been done to prove that the, “Embodied Energy,” in a solar panel is earned back in just a few years. But even if it weren’t, it wouldn’t matter. Coal, oil and natural gas electric plants never earn back their embodied energy because no matter how efficient they might be, once you build one, it then has to be fed more fuel to make electricity, so it never does get even environmentally. It always amazes me how we’ve been burning coal and oil for years, but as soon as someone comes up with something as clever as a photovoltiac panel, the world is always trying to discredit it. Keep that in mind when you are doing research and answering questions about this subject.

You can see articles and pictures of the project by clicking on the links below, or try venturing out on your own by googling phrases like, “Desertec Project,” or, “Northwest Sahara Solar Project.” You will probably find some great photos to use too. Take care Jesse, Rudydoo

admin answers:

The only vertical axis wind turbines I’m familiar with are the Maglev generators. You can find them at
www.greenstrides.com/2007/11/27

admin answers:

Here is a web site for you to start with

http://www.shop.solar-wind.co.uk/acatalog/marine_wind_generators_wind_turbines_aerogen.html

they supply small wind generators for boats, in both 12v and 24v application, capable of charging up to 3 banks of batteries. The web site will describe each system.

There is also much more info on line if you do a google search.

Http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&rlz=1T4GGLL_enUS344US344&q=small+boat+marine+wind+turbines+in+europe&btnG=Search&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=

hope this helps

admin answers:

The more exact distance is 2,140 miles, still it will take you at least 15 days if weather & winds work in your favor.

You will need at least a 36 footer minimum – 46 footer if you need to be a bit more comfortable.

Your problem will be not enough space for stuff, the kind of food you take, fuel, and fresh water. Not one sailboat I know of in the under 50′ range will carry enough fuel to run your motor continually for more than a few days. So, you won’t be able to carry enouth fuel to continually run your engine or generator – therefore, you will have to get food that does not require refrigeration.

The Pacific crossing in that area is not friendly.

Without all of you having experience on a sailboat on the open seas – you would be much better off buying 24 first class tickets on a cruise ship and taking more friends. It would be much more fun, and much less cheaper.