Nobodybusiness
Collecting the leftovers of the Great Sky Reactor.
You just described every “Journalist “ and “Media outlet” in the world.
Any good experiences with wind?
- Thread starter Karmagl
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sunshine_eggo
Happy Breffast!
MurphyGuy
It just needs a bigger hammer
- Joined
- May 20, 2020
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- 4,129
This guy's vertical turbine is a piece of junk... way too many moving parts to survive for any length of time. It also wouldn't survive a winter with snow and ice building up on it.
I've been researching wind turbines for about 5 years now. Here in Michigan, our 12kW solar array provides more power than we can use during the summer, but during the winter, its a horror show.. barely enough juice to run the kitchen let alone the entire house. Thing is, it's always windy here in the winter and putting up a wind turbine just for the 4 months we need it has been a dream of mine for a while.
In all my research, I've pretty much learned exactly what's been discussed in this thread.. Any small wind turbine you buy on the internet like Amazon is going to be a complete piece of crap, and if you want one that will actually work, its going to run $30k.
Then I found this on youtube.. The video I posted (below) is the condensed version, click his channel and you can watch every step of the build. This is a heavy duty wind turbine that will last a couple decades, and one that could be repaired if needed.. But as the saying goes, there's no free lunch... this guy put a boat load of work and effort into building this thing.
What I liked about the news reports was once again fusion power is only a few decades away. Though it would not surprise me that soon after I am dead from old age, or an irate woman, they solve all mankind's problems. So if the next generations are going to live in a perfect world good for them. Fat lot of good is does me.
Hogheavenfarm
Regulation Stifles Innovation
- Joined
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- 436
Yes, open circuit, these were during testing of the turbine in march. I have some videos, but cannot upload them here. This was with the 7 blade configuration on a temporary mount. these are snaps from a video. This was at 241 rpm from my notes. The turbine is a modified Fisher and Paykel 42 pole 4x3 wiring for 3 phase.
Attachments
I've got a few, my uncle lit a fart one time when we were out camping that was fantastic
My Mrs on the other hand has had nothing but bad experiences with wind, every night apparently ??
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OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
I'll respectfully offer that I've been watching Harmony for years and to the best I can tell they've yet to produce a working prototype that can make energy. I'm not saying that they are a scam but they check all of the boxes of every VAWT that has crashed and burned taking investors money with them and leaving the early adopters with nothing more than a piece of yard art.
Some of those boxes that can be checked:
-much easier to find information about how to invest than actual data on thier turbine
Outlandish claims such as
-can work in low wind speeds but have yet supplied a power curve in spite of being asked many times
-bird friendly
-doesn't need to be on a tower
-can make power from winds from any direction
-storm proof
-quiet
And they refuse to provide an estimate of both production and cost. They just make generic statements about how cost effective it will be.
Now they've downgraded thier "turbine's" wattage rating from 1000 to 400 and still claim it's going to be useful in a typical suburban backyard. I would assume that's 400 watts at 25+ mph so in reality it might average 20 watts which won't even offset the wifi router in most homes. Others have done the swept area math, etc and clearly demonstrated that they are making power claims that break the laws of physics.
Here's a good watch for those are haven't been around this long enough see the cycle repeat a few times
Back to Future of Wind Energy
"I have noticed for a while that the same few "unusual" wind turbine designs seem to crop up over and over again as a "new" wind technology. This video is a critical look at these new wind products with guest Paul Gipe who has been monitoring the wind industry for over 40 years. I haven't referred to many by name here, but the advice in this video applies to all the ones I get frequently asked about: PowerPod, IceWind, Alpha311, Archimedes Screw, Lantern-type and any ducted, shrouded or vertical axis wind turbines. "
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
RE: Harmony
Because it's a scam. I suspect in the beginning it wasn't, probably just a neat idea but now that they actually have investors they are choosing to double down rather than to fade into the either. They will eventually.
sunshine_eggo
Happy Breffast!
Great vid. Like her stuff.
Samsonite801
Solar Wizard
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2020
- Messages
- 2,994
Yeah that guy James Biggar, I remember his electric motorcycle build, he is quite the craftsman for sure. I wish I had 5 million surplus hours on my hands to design/build such a thing, but I have to finish building out my homestead first before I'd probably even consider building a DIY wind turbine hehe...
For now, the most practical wind turbine I've looked at for the money, is that Istabreeze i-2000w wind turbine, I've actually seen a bunch of You Tube videos where people have shown they do work reasonably well for the cost. Probably one won't be enough. But they are cheap enough, one could buy a few maybe and just manage repairing them when they break. Like the idea of have a redundant array of inexpensive wind generators, makes more sense to me than building a single super expensive 'perfect' wind turbine.
Yes. Devastated. But, I've just come across some great black stuff. "Coal" they call it. Bit smelly, but wow, it gives off some heat!
Nobodybusiness
Collecting the leftovers of the Great Sky Reactor.
So I gather from this thread that Bergey or if you can find an old Jacobs are the only way to go.
Everything else is flim flam..
OzSolar
Whatever you did, that's what you planned.
Hedges may have a different opinion, but I'll offer that even Bergey's probably aren't the way to go either.
I've installed around 10 of the Bergey 10's and about that many of XL1 (now discontinued) and spoken to owners of at least that many more. The common theme was that while they are "well" made they are horrible underperformers, often by as much as 75%. Bottom line is they won't even produce enough energy to pay for a set of replacement blades before it's time to replace them which could be as soon as 5 years but still won't make it past 10 years at most sites.
Are you asking about really old Jacobs (1-3kW battery chargers), circa 1930 -1955 or new old Jacobs (15-20kW grid tie only), circa 1980-1985?
I've only been around a handful of really old Jacobs and even have a few spare parts yet I can't speak with any experience to them other than that they are really cool, and I would love to have one just so I could watch it work. Insanely heavy compared to their power rating., like 500lbs or better.
I was involved in the R&R&R (removal and rebuilding and reinstalling) of a few new old Jacobs about 20 years ago. Very interesting and complex machines but since I was just doing the tower and crane work I can't speak to much more about them.
Sadly, the Jacob's folks that I knew died years ago and took a great deal of the knowledge of those machines with them. One of them died working on old water pumping Aermotor when he knew he shouldn't have been. Crusty old bastard refused to bug me for help that day but he died doing what he loved.
I've installed around 10 of the Bergey 10's and about that many of XL1 (now discontinued) and spoken to owners of at least that many more. The common theme was that while they are "well" made they are horrible underperformers, often by as much as 75%. Bottom line is they won't even produce enough energy to pay for a set of replacement blades before it's time to replace them which could be as soon as 5 years but still won't make it past 10 years at most sites.
Are you asking about really old Jacobs (1-3kW battery chargers), circa 1930 -1955 or new old Jacobs (15-20kW grid tie only), circa 1980-1985?
I've only been around a handful of really old Jacobs and even have a few spare parts yet I can't speak with any experience to them other than that they are really cool, and I would love to have one just so I could watch it work. Insanely heavy compared to their power rating., like 500lbs or better.
I was involved in the R&R&R (removal and rebuilding and reinstalling) of a few new old Jacobs about 20 years ago. Very interesting and complex machines but since I was just doing the tower and crane work I can't speak to much more about them.
Sadly, the Jacob's folks that I knew died years ago and took a great deal of the knowledge of those machines with them. One of them died working on old water pumping Aermotor when he knew he shouldn't have been. Crusty old bastard refused to bug me for help that day but he died doing what he loved.
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sunshine_eggo
Happy Breffast!
IMHO, wind is the money you're willing to throw away purely for the option to have another energy source, i.e., it matters more that you have the source than what you pay for it.
It will never break even. It will always be an ongoing expense.
It will never break even. It will always be an ongoing expense.
Symbioquine
Solar Enthusiast
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2021
- Messages
- 429
the sun seems to have an easy time sustaining net positive fusion ?
"Easy" is maybe a bit of a strong word here... Are you considering the full supply chain? What about all the similar stars that have run out of fuel and/or catastrophically failed taking the surrounding region with them?
curiouscarbon
Science Penguin
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2020
- Messages
- 3,028
exercise for the reader...? ?
there is precedent for fusion producing net energy for many years, albeit using gravity as a primary constraining force.
perhaps we should "simply" build a partial dyson sphere that keeps the earth illuminated and beam the rest home with lasers ?
brandnewb
Going for serious. starting as newb
May I politly suggest that you, in the future, set your phone to record at a higher resolution? I can't make out any details on your multi meter
brandnewb
Going for serious. starting as newb
yes indeed, but I knew this from the get go.
The city I live in has a few dongky turbines and at least one skystream 3.7. Cool eehh? hahah no sad really. They are all inactive for years and both companies behind them have gone belly up years ago.
Then I bought a cheap chinese turbine hoping it would be easy to replace parts if they break down but there were soooo many things wrong with that peice of junk that I knew then and there that the only way forward was to DIY one so that I know how to fix things when things break.
and they will!!
The return on investment is not my concern. All I care about is to prep for armageddon.
Sure I call my turbine "the sickest ® VAWT ever" but that is just marketing to get people to help out because I have absolutely no idea of what I am doing. Hence my username.
Many, if not all, here already know what to expect from it in reality and those results is what I'd be happy with as long as I can trickle charge my battery at most nights of the year and every once in a while, with brutal wind, can maybe power some of the house as well.
This all because there is no more space for extra solar at optimal locations. All locations left are shaded most of the times.
schmism
Solar Addict
These guys have been around a long time. 12+ years
www.otherpower.com
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