Your Questions About Wind Generators Cost

Steven asks…

Why DFIG wind generators are designed for less number of poles?

Mostly. DFIG wind generators are designed for less number of poles ,but why not multi-pole??
can anyone clarify my doubts….
Thanks a lot

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.

Donna asks…

Can a homeowner purchase a wind generator at what cost and eliminate an electric bill?

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

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