American Red Cross FRX3 Hand Turbine NOAA AM/FM Weather Alert Radio with Smartphone Charger – Red (ARCFRX3WXR)
 | The American Red Cross FRX3 is a solar and hand turbine powered AM, FM, weather radio with alarm clock. There is a built-in USB smart phone charger that allows a 30 second emergency phone call with one minute of cranking. To listen to personal tunes, use the AUX-input to play an external MP3 player. You’ll never be left in the dark thanks to the LED flashlight and glow-in-the-dark locater around the rim of the solar panel. | |
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Your Questions About Wind Turbine Generators
Jenny asks…
What are the factors that affect how much electricity a wind turbine generator produces?
What are the factors that affect how much electricity a wind turbine generator produces?
admin answers:
Ignoring the efficiencies of the generator and such….
Wind Speed
Air Density
Turbine Area
Blade Design
Carol asks…
Where can I find investors to build a small wind turbine generator in Canada?
Global Kinetic Technology Canada is a start up clean energy company. It’s first project is to build a commercial small wind turbine generator prototype in the 1.5 -3.5 kW range using the SEMA technology from GKT USA under an exclusive agreement for Canadian market.
I will need $100,000.00 US for 10% of the company.
admin answers:
Give this a shot – you never know… At the very least you would be on a very popular Canadian TV show and get national exposure…
Http://www.cbc.ca/dragonsden/
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Charlie Rose – Tony Blair, aaaFormer British Prime Minister / Ditlev Engel (June 17, 2010)
 | Tony Blair, Former British Prime Minister and current Middle East envoy to the E.U., U.N., U.S. and Russia discusses this crucial time in the Middle East || Ditlev Engel is CEO, Vestas Wind SystemsThis product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply. | |
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Your Questions About Wind Turbines Oklahoma
John asks…
do windmills use electricity? i thought they provided electricity. we have plenty of wind in oklahoma!?
admin answers:
Wind turbines actually do consume in their normal operation. The turbines have complex control systems which control blade pitch, sensors, metering, etc, all of which consume power.
When the turbines are up and running in optimal conditions, they will produce more electricity than they consume. However, in low wind or no wind, they can be consuming more electricity than they produce.
You can think about it the same way as a normal power plant. The plant building has lights, controls, pumps, fans, etc. All of which consume electricity. When the plant is running, the building will be supplied by the plants generators, but if the plant is shutdown, the building still consumes electricity and must get that electricity from the power grid.
Donna asks…
Don’t find it ironic conservation?
Don’t you find it ironic that places with the most unique fauna, had bad conservation efforts and there animals are endagner. For instance china has unique faunayet have only 10% of land remains and that is fragmented, a lot of it species are either endagner or extinct in wild ( south china tiger, giant panda) and India 2 home to half worlds tiger yet there conservation efforts suck. There barely any land left and tiger population has declined 95% in the last 100 years same goes for the rhinos in asia. There barely a 1000 and that was a decline of 99% in as little as 200 years.The only thing they did do right is making the asatic lion population go up. Oh lord and don’t even bring up Africa. There rhino population is bad. BUT not as bad as India. At least they got the space to boast up the species populations. What do you think
admin answers:
The USA has a lot of unique species that the general population is extremely apathetic towards. In the prairie, the Lesser Prairie Chicken. Iowa has maybe 1% of its wetlands and 1% of its native prairie left intact, and it is fragmented and scattered all across the state. People tend to only care about charismatic megafauna.
I agree that there are some major conservation problems around the world. In poor countries, it is largely due to poaching. However, it’s unfair to point a finger squarely at them and deride them for not caring and being destructive. We build suburbs, we drain rivers because we have to water our lawns, etc and so forth. It’s completely under the radar here. There is a river in Oklahoma (The Blue River) that is being heavily pursued by OKCity and TX for water rights. It is truly a gem, a clear, aquifer-fed stream in the middle of an area with house-sized boulders that are 1.4 BILLION years old. Every other river in this area is muddy and a complete contrast.
How can people not stop this? How can people not protect this river that has darters and other beautiful fish? They don’t even know about it. People get so caught up counting carbon and putting wind turbines where they shouldn’t be that they are blind to the issues right under their nose. Don’t get me wrong, carbon-counters and other green folk have their heart in the right place, but the true irony is that there is an environmental catastrophe every other day in their own backyards.
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Your Questions About Wind Generators
Sandy asks…
How do I build a homemade wind generator?
Wondered if anyone knew how to build a simple homemade wind generator to power our home? A homemade wind generator that is not too complicated would be good. Do you know how to build a wind generator? Please help us.Thanks
admin answers:
The first thing you need to do is figure out how big of a wind generator you need. Most wind generators that are over 1000 watts in generating power are quite a bit more difficult to build. You will need to have your wind generator 15 feet above any obstruction within 300 feet. That is a must.
Some great resources exist but probably reading an article or two about building wind generators would help a lot. Try the resource I listed for a very informative article, there is mention of a website in the article where you can find some great wind generator plans too. Hope this helps, we have built 3 wind generators so far with these plans.
Mandy asks…
What are the purpose of the magnets in a wind generator?
In a wind generator there are several trapezoid magnets around the shaft of the prop, what are the purpose of these?
admin answers:
Electricity can be generated by moving a conducting wire so that it cuts through a magnetic field.
In short electricity from magnetism and motion.
Most electricity-generating systems involve rotating coils of wire in a magnetic field.
There are many ways of causing the coils to rotate:
Wind power:- wind generators
Water power:- water hitting a water wheel (turbine) causing it to rotate – hydroelectricity
Nuclear power:- heat generated in a nuclear reaction is used to produce a jet of steam which again hit a turbine causing it to rotate.
Oil, gas and coal could be used as alternatives to produce the jet of steam.
Finally rather than the coils of wire rotating some systems cause the magnets to rotate – as long as there is relative motion between the coils and the magnetic field either will do.
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Wind Power
Wind Power is an interesting concept and design that converts energy from the wind to a more useful form of energy. The use of wind power has roots in the ancient European flour mills and the American water pumps. Wind turbines are the most commonly used tool of conversion and the wind power is most usably converted to electricity.
Dating back to as early as the first century AD, man has been using wind power to generate energy. European flour mills utilized the efforts of windmills, as did the American farming and ranching industries.
Large wind farms help to convert large amounts of wind power into usable energy to help power local areas. Some countries have found ways to utilize this excellent energy source to benefit their growing populations. Today, Denmark uses wind power to accommodate approximately one fifth of its total electricity production. Across the world, wind power generation is increasing exponentially and is beginning to be seen as a great renewable energy resource.
Wind power is environmentally friendly, world-wide, and highly renewable. As far as renewable resources, greenhouse gases, and environmental hazards are concerned, wind power is an excellent alternative to fossil fuel derived electricity. However, wind power does begin to come under fire when the topic is the location of the large and sometimes unsightly wind turbines. Situated in the best wind sites, these modern looking structures tend to devalue the scenery and natural landscape.
Today, there are thousands of modern wind turbines in production all over the world, and as of 2004, wind power was the fasting growing energy resource. With the global community focusing on more environmentally friendly energy options, the use of wind power is becoming more and more prevalent. Although the United States is not the highest converter or user of wind energy, it is adding more of this renewable energy to its power grid than any other nation in the world.
Apart from the international community and large scale use of wind power, more individuals are beginning to see and seek the benefits of small wind generation systems to power their homes and small businesses. On such small scales, wind power is highly cost efficient and clean.
Although wind power has a lot of potential, the logistics of its use are debatable. Wind farms tend to develop at sites in remote locations, which significantly increase the cost of production due to transport costs, and no one can fully be sure of the direct or indirect environmental damage of the proliferation of wind power. Despite the theoretical consequences, wind power conversion is on the rise and will be for years to come.
Wind turbines, Energy, Limoux, Languedoc, France – EU09 PKA2550 – Per Karlsson – Toddler Light-Blue-T-Shirt (4T)
 | Wind turbines, Energy, Limoux, Languedoc, France - EU09 PKA2550 - Per Karlsson T-Shirt is a great way to show off your true style. Adult and youth sizes are a 50/50 blend of cotton and polyester, toddler sizes are 100% cotton. All sizes are available in white, grey, light blue and pale pink and feature a custom printed image. | |
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Your Questions About Wind Turbine Syndrome
Donna asks…
Should environmentally sensitive people have fewer children, or more?
Environmentally sensitive people understand the pressure of burgeoning human population on scarce resources. Water shortages are already a reality that affect billions of people, and the need for more farmland and wood conspire to destroy habitats that are not merely exciting and unique, but that might hold answers to questions we are only beginning to ask.
It seems that environmentally sensitive people should take the lead and have smaller families–or no families at all. If ‘we’ do not start the process, who will?
But then again, such a strategy will reduce the most direct impact environmentally sensitive people can have on the next generation–their own children. Perhaps the most effective strategy for populating the world with more environmentally sensitive people would be for ‘us’ to have more children. Otherwise, the world might be overrun by ‘them.’
What’s a sensitive person to do?
Not a problem for America in the 1960s, Ardi, but the global problem was recognized 150 years earlier by Thomas Malthus.
JackP, Malthus also recognized your ‘solution:’ don’t worry, nature will solve the problem. My concern is that ‘natural solutions’ tend to be extraordinarily violent. Can’t we humans, who understand the problem and can anticipate the natural remedy, do better?
admin answers:
In the US, environmentalism came to the fore with the hippie generation. It was also the hippie generation who promoted Zero Population Grown, and we achieved it with tremendous success, if you can call “success”.
1. There are fewer people to buy American products and services, so our economy is not growing like that of China and India. Even with the “one child” law in China it is growing too fast to keep up and soon it may have to say “No children”.
2. With fewer young people than people who are growing old, the young cannot afford to pay for the entitlements given to them by their own grandparents generation, namely Social Security and Medicare.
A growing population was not a problem for America when the hippies (I was in that generation, but I was more conservative) promoted ZPG. They say right now the entire population of the world could fit into the borders of the US, or into even less space. But those same environmentalists are at odds with each other over how to solve problems. On the west coast where there is oil, they are saying no new oil rigs; in New England where there is wind, they don’t want wind turbines out in the ocean. Obama wants electric cars, but that will only drive up the demand for electricity and we are not building any new power plants. If we built pebble-bed nuclear reactors we wouldn’t have the China-syndrome problems and no spent fuel rods to dispose of, but those safe reactors are against American laws. Http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.09/china.html
Helen asks…
Are Wind Turbines a Greater Health Hazard than Nuclear Power Plants?
Thousands of people living near wind farms are suffering from symptoms collectively know as “Wind Turbine Syndrome“.
http://earth2tech.com/2009/08/03/wind–turbine–syndrome-living-near-wind-farms-may-be-hazardous-to-your-health/
Also wind farms adversely effect property values, reducing many home owners equity by half.
Compare this to nuclear power where no health complaints have been filed, and property values are not effected.
Does this prove that wind farms pose a greater health hazard to people than nuclear power?
Would this be a good reason to develop more nuclear power and less wind power?
admin answers:
Sorry, Doctor, but I’m going have to be sceptical on this one . . .
The article you link to refers to The Independent, the newspaper for the ethically right-on “modern parents” type of middle-class worrier who loves nothing more than an environmental scare with their cornflakes in the morning.
It was The Independent who, the day after the Asian Tsunami struck published an article linking it with global warming. People on BOTH SIDES of the debate should not trust this paper.
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Wind Power Residential
With the rise of awareness and use of wind power, residential areas are beginning to see more wind turbines. The rising cost of energy and the increased environmental awareness around the world is paving the way for the use of wind power residentially. Today, nations are developing aggressive energy policies that better utilize wind energy, and local economies are seeing the benefits of small scale employment of wind power.
Many companies and factories sell wind power residential kits that are easy to use and understand. Although these kits can cost well into the thousands of dollars, builders can significantly save if they buy the wind power residential kits directly from the factory and assemble them themselves.
By using wind power, residential owners can expect to reduce their utility bills between fifty and ninety percent. In cases where the wind turbines are situated in ideal locations, homeowners can even turn a profit on the energy generation. The concept is easy. When the energy generated is more than the energy used, local utility companies automatically purchase the excess energy. Over a long period time, wind power residential use may be significantly less than the wind power generated causing quite a significant profit for the owner.
Basically, a wind power residential kit is installed (either by the company or the owner), and a wind turbine is situated on top of a tall structure (most likely a tower). The tower collects energy from the wind and converts it into a useable energy source that is compatible with the home system. In typical cases, residences are powered by a combination of wind energy and purchased electricity from a local utility company. As long as the wind speeds are conducive to electricity generation, the residence remains powered by the wind power residential kit. When the wind speeds decline and electricity is not produced, the residence is powered by purchased energy. For residences in particularly windy areas, energy production may be significantly higher than the energy produced in less windy regions.
Homeowners interested in purchasing wind power residential kits should consult their local authorities for local regulations and information about wind power generation in the particular area. Builders should also consult the US Department of Energy for efficiency estimates and information about the size of wind turbines that would be necessary for the area.
In the end, many homeowners have found the economical benefits of wind energy production to be profitable. With the rising cost of energy and transportation, the idea of this investment can be both profitable and practical for homeowners with enough time, patience, and knowledge to make it happen.
Your Questions About Wind Turbine Generators Manufacturers
Jenny asks…
what level of efficiency does 2 MW wind turbines run at?
I need to know what level of efficiency a 2 MW wind turbine runs at? So does it only run at 50% efficiency, making it only produce 1 MW an hour?
Thanks everyone!
admin answers:
For the efficiency calculation the formula
Power in wind = (density of air ) x (turbine blade diameter)2 x( velocity of wind)3 x (a constant)
Power in wind = d x D2 x v3 x c
Notice that the power in the wind depends on the density of the air, the diameter of the turbine blades squared (D times D), and the velocity of the wind to the third power (V times V times V). There is also a constant in there which I’ll discuss in the very next paragraph.
What about that constant, C? It’s there because what we are really interested in is the Area swept by the blades of diameter, D. The area is calculated by multiplying the number Pi (approximately 3.14159) times the diameter squared divided by 4. So part of the constant, C, is just the constant number Pi divided by 4 pulled out to show us that the important variable in the area formula is D. The other part of the constant, C, can be whatever unit conversion numbers are needed to make sure the numbers come out right. For now, we won’t go further into that. The point is that the variables that determine the wind power blowing into a wind turbine are air density, blade diameter (resulting in a certain swept area), and wind velocity.
You have probably noted that power (not energy) is dependent on the velocity times itself 3 times (V x V x V). Whoa! In other words, if the wind speed doubles, the power available from the wind increases by a factor of eight. The diameter is significant too. Doubling that increases the power by 4 times. Faster is better, and bigger is better (if you can afford it and can build it strong enough).
Of course, the wind doesn’t blow all the time in most places and when it blows too hard the turbine blades can break or spin so fast they break off (not good when each blade can weigh several tons). In that case, the blades are usually “feathered” to reduce stresses on them and to slow them down. This means we can’t take advantage of really high wind speeds.
Turbine Efficiency
If the turbine could convert all the wind’s power to mechanical power we would say it was 100% efficient. But as you probably know, the real world is never so generous. To even achieve 50% is unlikely, and would be a very efficient machine. A 50% efficient turbine would convert half of the power in the wind to mechanical power.
Hope this will solve your problem
Regards
For other references
Efficiency Varies with Wind Speed
A given wind turbine has a “design point” that generally defines its peak efficiency at the wind speed for which the system is designed. At wind speeds above and below the design speed the efficiency is the same or less – maybe much less. If a turbine’s best efficiency is 40% at a wind velocity of 9 meters per second (about 20 mph), it will be 40% only at that wind speed. At all other wind speeds it will be something worse. That wind turbine will generally operate at lower than its best efficiency, because wind speeds are never constant or average.
The electric power actually produced will be still lower because the generator efficiencies are also less than 100% (generally in the mid- or low-90’s at best), and there are further losses in the conversion electronics and lines. But this is true of all power technologies. When all these losses are figured in, you might, if you are lucky, be getting 35% or so of the wind’s energy actually delivered as useful electrical energy to the end user in the very best conditions. The average might only be in the twenties.
In the formula above, then, we have to add one more number that I don’t show. That number is an efficiency number that would have to supplied by the manufacturer of the wind turbine, or experimentally determined by you if you make it yourself. It will not be one number, but a variable that is a function of wind speed.
Susan asks…
If a permanent magnet motor is used as a generator will it produce ac or dc?
I have a permanent magnet motor that is rated 100v at 2500 rpms. I Would like to know is if I use it as a generator, will it produce altenating current or direct current if I use it in a wind turbine to charge a 12v battery.
admin answers:
It depends. You didn’t say what kind of motor it was. Is it an AC motor? DC?
What configuration is it?
If its armature has a commutator, then it can be configured as a pulsed DC generator and you will need to do the filtering of that waveform. But you may have to make changes depending on the configuration. You need to be more specific. Surely there is model number and manufacturer plate.
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Wind Turbine – Set Of 6 Key Chains
 | Wind Turbine Key Chain is new, measuring 2.25w x 2.25h x 1/8d. Key Chain Tag has a glossy finish and comes with a hole for hardware. Our new key hanger makes an attractive decoration for any household, plus keeps keys organized and easy to find. Picture is printed on both sides of the key chain. Each includes snap-on key chain hardware. | |
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Your Questions About Wind Turbines Oklahoma
Robert asks…
Turbines or ridge line vents when you have a smaller home?
I’ve asked a lot of questions about this and I do apologize, but I had a roofing company guy say that in my state, Oklahoma, where it’s so hot having turbines (whirlibirds) is better than ridge vents because our wind makes the turbines really work and get the heat out, and also the fact that my ridge line isn’t that long (?).
I hope that makes sense?
My house is only 1200 sq feet and I have soffit vents and all the other companies just put ridge line vents (2) in my estimate, but this one guy said he liked turbines better.
Just wanted to get opinions.
admin answers:
In your part of the country ridge vents should be adequate. Do be sure the insulation is pulled back so that your soffit vents are uncovered. Turbines are one more hole in your roof and moving parts that can wear out. If you’re getting shingles be sure they are the architectural type and not the old three tab design. They will stick to the roof much better when the Oklahoma winds are howling.
Daniel asks…
At what point will farmers convert grass lands to….?
I was driving threw Oklahoma and Texas (on I-40) last week and thought… “Hmm, this is a pretty barren place… nothing but cattle and grass and the occasional wind mill… why not farm the sun”. And seriously? Why not throw up a couple acres of solar panels with a power meter that lets you sell it back to the power companies? Do you think this may be a future cash crop? 😛
I’m only halfway serious 😛 But seriously, what are your ideas for our future energy needs?
admin answers:
You are actually on to something. Those long, sweeping plains are also good potential locations for wind turbines. In fact, I once heard someone say that the Dakotas are basically “the Saudi Arabia of wind power”.
To answer your question, these things (solar, wind, etc) will happen when it becomes economically feasible to do so. With oil going up and up and up, that day may not be so far down the road.
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Wind Power Plant
With the rising use of wind energy, we are beginning to see the rise of the wind power plant. A wind power plant, or a wind farm, is a cluster of wind turbines used to generate electricity over a large area. Wind energy generation is growing increasingly important as public awareness of environmental issues grows and panic regarding the depletion of fossil fuels increases. Nonetheless, both the conventional power plant industry and the wind power plant industry are important for the current and foreseeable supply of energy.
While most electric and power plants are owned by utility companies, a typical wind power plant is owned by individuals and small businesses. These small owners generate electricity with the intent to sell to utility companies. These independent power producers can generate a hefty profit if their wind power plant is in a desired location. Typically, a wind power plant generates enough energy to sustain its existence. However, wind turbines in prime locations usually generate a surplus of wind energy. Prime locations are areas where the wind speed is greatest and generally unobstructed, such as mountainsides, open fields, and ocean areas.
The growing public awareness and concern for the environment has caused a huge market for environmentally friendly goods and services. This, in conjunction with the widespread panic regarding fossil fuels and the cost of fossil fuel derived energy, has enabled the proliferation of the wind energy market. Wind power plants are offering the public a green energy alternative at an extremely reasonable rate. People will find wind energy especially enticing when they look into the benefits of small scale energy generation.
Apart from wind power plants, small scale energy generators can be incredibly cost efficient and are a great way to keep utility bills low and generate a small profit. Owners of small scale wind energy generators can enjoy typical savings between fifty and ninety percent on their utility bills. As with large scale wind power plants, the excess energy generated is automatically purchased by local utility companies.
Wind energy generation is a zero emissions energy source. The environmentally friendly and economical energy alternative is a great way to bridge the supply and demand gap in the current energy market. Theoretically, the United States can generate enough energy from wind to fulfill all of the nations energy needs. As the wind energy market grows and develops, it is expected that the public will learn the benefits of the alternative energy and will employ it at home. It is not unexpected to see a sharp increase in the small scale wind energy development, as well as the obvious increase in the wind power plant industry.
Your Questions About Wind Generators For Home Use For Sale
Lisa asks…
Essential Services and the Economic Crisis?
With this economic crisis looming over all of our heads. There have been people from all walks of life finding themselves losing there jobs and income and the flow on effect is they lose therefore there livelihoods.
To avoid this from happening to myself i have come to the conclusion that getting into a job that is part of the essential services such as Fire, Police, Paramedics are the obvious but i am looking more attainable such as Energy, Food, Waste industries.
My question is what sort of jobs out there could one get into that would be in a position to ride out this economic crisis
admin answers:
Internet sales. Supplemental income or full time. Worldwide exposure of your product.
There’s also good money in saving people money. If you can offer a product or service that saves people money, you’re doing well right now.
This is however a double edge answer.
I think the thing to be thinking about is how fragile our livelihoods are. Think about it. If you lost your job today, how long could you live in your current home without any income?
We need to be smarter with our purchases, save our money, invest in items that can help us sustain in any crisis like solar heaters and electric panels, wind generators. Stop living outside our means.
The problem is everyone is flocking to “essential services”, but even the police have suffered budget cuts. We need to be able to maintain in times like this, be better prepared.
We all need to make our own individual financial foundation stronger. A tomato plant with a weak stem won’t be able to produce much fruit…especially in a drought.
Sandy asks…
how do i make electricity at home?
admin answers:
How sunny or windy is the place you live? You can use solar panels if its rarely cloudy where you live and windmills if the breeze is in excess of 3-5m/s.
Its fairly easy and cheap to make wind mills and solar panels at home yourself. Though professionally pre-made plans are usually for sale. If your home windspeeds are at 9-10 m/s you can power the entire place through a 3-10 KiloWatt wind generator. Any other way is usually impractical for home generation.
There are also petrol generators available. Though they are expensive and costly to run as well.
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Wind Power Homemade
The rising cost of energy and increased awareness of environmental issues has led many nations and businesses to search for alternative energy sources. On a smaller scale, residences and small businesses understand the many benefits of wind energy and are searching for ways to enjoy the cost-efficient energy source. For homeowners interested in wind power, homemade wind power kits are readily available. These wind power homemade kits can be surprisingly simple and affordable for those with a little patience and knowledge.
Many states have seen utility deregulation legislation over the past several years. While the benefits may have been plentiful at the time, the economic impact is beginning to hit the pockets of individuals and small businesses. The supply and demand for energy in the United States is alarmingly disproportionate, and is contributing to the escalating prices. The electric industry cannot keep pace with the demand, and many are turning to alternative energy sources to help alleviate the financial impact of the skewed system. In fact, the Department of Energy has continuously announced that the United States has the fastest growing wind power market in the entire world.
Wind power, homemade, may be the best answer to the growing energy crisis. Many companies and factories offer wind power homemade kits for small scale use. Typically, these kits can cost several thousand dollars in the initial investment. However, builders can save a bundle by purchasing the wind power homemade kits directly from the factory. The assembly can be simple and many individuals and venues offer a plethora of help options. Wind energy workshops, websites, and books are proliferating and readily accessible to interested buyers.
Although the initial investment may seem steep, owners can begin to see the economical benefits immediately. It is not uncommon for owners of wind power homemade turbines to receive significantly lower utility bills. Typically, wind power usage in conjunction with purchased power from local utility companies can lower bills by fifty to ninety percent. If the wind power homemade kits are positioned in prime locations, such as open fields or Oceanside, the wind energy can actually generate a profit for owners.
Wind energy is converted to electricity by wind turbines. When winds are high, energy is generated and stored. When energy is low, purchased energy is used. If the energy production is more than the energy used, the utility company will automatically purchase the excess energy, putting money directly in the pocket of the builder.
The rising cost of energy has everyone searching for a clean alternative energy source. Wind power is both an economical and practical option. Although the investment is a bit pricey for individuals, the benefits are quick and profitable.
River City Clocks Miniature Solar-Powered Wind Turbine, 6-Inch Tall
 | When sunlight touches the solar panel on the top of this wind turbine, the motor begins turning, spinning the blades. how does it work? the solar cells generate electricity when the sun or a halogen light shines on them. the electricity is used to drive a small motor that spins the blades. the solar cells in this item is encased within a flexible polymer approved for space applications, making them exceptionally reliable. the solar panel will not generate electricity under fluorescent or neon | |
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Your Questions About Wind Turbine
Lisa asks…
What is the monthly yield on a 60K wind turbine if it’s planted in a wind farm?
I want to purchase a 60K wind turbine and plant it in 29 Palms, CA wind farm. If all the electricity produced is returned to the power company, what would the monthly yield be?
admin answers:
Typically in 29 Palms, you get 8 hours of good wind per day (four hours in the morning, and four hours as the sun begins to set.) The wind speed needs to be around 25 mph to produce sufficient wind to generate at maximum capacity. You’d produce 60 kilowatts of electricity for about 8 hours a day with a 60k wind turbine. That is 8 hours*60 kw, or 480 kw/h. You’d sell that power at about $0.08 per kw/h, so you’d get (480 * $.08=) $38.40 per day from a 60k wind farm. You’ll see soon, as you do the math that it doesn’t justify the cost, unless the wind turbines are HUGE. (Remember the formula for calculating the area of a circle is pi times the radius squared.) The blades need to be large enough to overcome the ratio of the cost of the blades, and that works out to be about 80 to 100 feet long. If the blades aren’t that long, you won’t get the project to pay for itself (without tax subsidies or some other income.)
Now, building even one really big turbine starts paying off spectacularly: but it will be measured in Megawatts, not kilowatts. A GE 1.5MW machine pays for itself (cost is about $2,250,000.00.) There are other manufacturers building at that size and scope too, but GE is a good example.
A GE 1.5MW machine using the same math earns the owner 1500 kw * 8 hours * $0.08 per kw/h = $960.00 per day. In a 365 day year it would generate $350,000.00 per year, and pay off in about 6.5 years. (In actual practice, give it 8 years, because there are Operation and Maintenance cost issues that you must pay for: Someone has to oil the machine!)
Nancy asks…
What is the best design for a small scale wind turbine blade?
I have to design a wind turbine blade for school and it needs to be small scale, no more than two feet long. What is the best design to do this?
admin answers:
The below web site gives the basic design concepts of wind turbine blades
http://www.windmission.dk/workshop/BasicBladeDesign/bladedesignleft.html#anchor674887
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Your Questions About Wind Turbine Generators Australia
Robert asks…
Should Australia increase the use of turbines to generate power rather than relying on fossil fuels?
I would like also like to know if it is possible to run the whole of Australia, or South Australia let alone, only on wind energy, provided that Australia has enough material, money, land and turbines?
admin answers:
We already get our power from turbines, being steam, water and gas turbines. You mean wind turbines I guess. The southern coastline (Great Australian Bight) is a good wind zone I understand, so lets say it will produce 25% of the capacity of the wind turbines over a year. The UK achieves about 23% it is claimed.
Very large turbines are rated at say 5MW and might produce around 1.25MW on average.The size is 65m (each blade) and spaced 5-15 diameters apart, especially considering the row behind receiving the wake. This depends a lot on the land itself, but would look like 120m x 15 = 1.8km spacing which may be best for cost recovery with these very big generators. If the Nullarbor plain is taken as 1000km that only allows a row of 500 along the coast at most, with an average production like 625MW for the whole row. There can be multiple rows, but I have no idea how many are feasible. This whole row is similar to a single large coal fired steam turbine generator (600MW) A steam power station may have several of these. However there are other significant infrastructure issues, like the concrete used amounting to 1300m^3 each, the roads and the electrical distribution needed to cover long distances, how to replace or recycle all this. There is a strong likelihood that the grid needs an on line standby system of the same capacity, as well as a great increase in its carrying capacity in certain areas. This standby can be hydro (there isn’t anything like enough), though pumped storage could be built on some mountains far away (no mountains on the Nullarbor) or a bank of large gas turbines on line using methane or kerosene etc. Steam (coal fired boilers) generally cannot respond to sudden large changes in load if the wind drops.
The Australian production in 2009 was 261 million megawatt hours (second link). One row of generators as above would be around 5.5 million MWh a year, so it needs about 50 rows, stretching 100km inland. I am not sure the wind holds up that far even without 50 generators in the wake of each other.
This is a very rough estimate, but it seems to me it is not a very practical thing at all. Think of wind power as a fuel saver, something that is only useful in specialised areas like the southern coast line. In the tropics with cyclones and little winds otherwise to deal with, forget it, with any current technology. Normal winds are “very moderate”, while cyclones are up to several times the maximum rated speeds, and above the survival speeds. There are certain carefully chosen spots that do have wind generators in the tropics though I suspect these are more about political will than hard economic reality.
In the US estimates are that 20% of energy needs can be met by wind power. Australia could well be less than that. It may be one of the more expensive forms of providing energy, and not so clearly saving anything at all when all things are considered. The first link doesn’t have a positive view on these developments in Wales (UK), where politicians legislated that wind is the in thing. Politicians have law and art degrees. No surprise they make bad decisions about engineering, as they cannot tell who is stringing them along.
The second link might have other info of interest about load variation (change in demand) and aluminium smelters and refineries, and little known facts about the grid which appears to go to about Ceduna at the moment, so only the eastern part of SA is on the grid. WA has its own isolated grids.
The coal stations produce 78% of electricity and 200Mt (megaton) of CO2 a year of the estimated 30-35,000Mt of additional man-made CO2 a year in the world (according to the climate people). Where is the problem, one would ask. We export about 9% of this electricity as refined metals, with stuff like aluminium., and about 3 times as much coal as we use, also used for overseas electrical production in various countries that would be in a difficult position without it.
At present a mix of various energy types seems the best approach, with different situations in different locations. The best argument in favour of alternate energy is sustainability in the long term, but it seems that it will be very expensive compared to coal, close to Australia’s biggest asset. Should we just throw that away? Incidentally the alternative energy to suit Australia might be solar thermal.
Ruth asks…
Can a convection current turn a power turbine?
I’m curious whether a convection current, like heating through a tube, would be strong enough to turn a turbine that would be able to produce power? (In case you’re wondering, yes I do have an idea in mind, but I don’t know if it’s practicle yet.)
How much of a thermal raise do you think would be needed, and how much of a tube for, let’s say a 1kw generator?
admin answers:
Like the others say, it’s possible.
In June 2006, an agreement was reached to develop a 50MW solar tower generator, in which the sun heats air, which drives a turbine in a chimney, in New South Wales in Australia. The idea is not based on radically new technology. Chimneys with ‘smokejacks’ in which a fan in the hot air turned a roasting spit were certainly in use in the UK in the eighteenth century and probably before. It is well known that a tall chimney produces a better draught, presumably because there is a greater temperature difference between bottom and top, wind speeds are greater higher up, inducing more air to be drawn out of the top of the chimney by Bernoulli effects, and a long distance up the chimney should help hot air build up speed and kinetic energy.
But modelling all these effects and producing an optimally efficient design seems to be almost impossible, at least we have so far been unable to find anyone to take the task on.
If you are using a fluid medium, it could be more possible to make. Implied in your question though, is that we are looking at a vertical model for the turbine since you want to draw on the heat differential between a cold medium and a hot one.
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