I bought back the wind turbine I installed from a guy about 20 years ago, (the same former customer whose inverter I "borrowed") it's a predecessor to my A.R.E and is complete with the controller, dump load, and grid tie inverter. THIS is the way wind turbines that last are built, HEAVY! The alternator head alone, once the mast mount structure is taken off, weighs 155 pounds. It freewheels nicely, and a cogging effect is felt when two of the 3 out wires are shorted, much more strongly when all 3 are, as expected it is AOK electrically. A volt meter jumps when it moves even a little. This is a custom wound alternator made to put out power at very low rotational speeds. The blades are good, as is everything else, it just needs a coat of paint! It was all stored in a barn. I paid $300.00 for it, and if any of you wind zealots want it I'll sell it, for $300.00. The 155 pound brushless alternator head I'd sell alone, but for $300.00 also! I'm not going to bother to list it, the entire turbine setup, in the for sale forum, as the shipping costs (another $300.00 probably) will dissuade most buyers, but for anyone looking for the "guts" of a potential wind/hydro turbine, this alternator is well worth the 300. Otherwise, I'll be forced to start a hydro project (in addition to my existing 900 watt grid tied long time Harris Hydro setup) using the same creek my Pelton wheel setup uses, but lower down, and this time a water wheel.
Though I first thought an overshot wheel was the way to go, an undershot wheel (actually, it's called a Poncelot) offers many advantages in my situation. Relatively high flow, with little head, located right next to my power shack, whereas a overshot wheel would require a lengthy feed pipe to get the head, and a robust structure to keep it all in place/supported against the winter snows. The undershot would be fed by a trench or culvert, laid on the ground. The wheel would be fabbed in my shop, along with it's supporting structure, tested, and then I'd bring my crane up the mountain (rare, I keep it at my crane yard in town) transport it the 1/4 mile down the slope, and reach out and set it from about 60' away, done.
OR...., if I took my wind tower down (giving up on finding a suitable inverter for the A.R.E.) I would then have TWO very low speed alternator heads, only needing one for any hydro project. And an overshot wheel would be a possibility. The 60' steel tapered pipe would be lifted by crane and one end set in the creek, with the other end elevated as high as possible while still allowing water flow, if that wasn't enough head height (I need to take my laser transit down there to get an accurate measurement) I could extend it with more (salvaged/scrap yard prices) steel pipe, until a head of 5' or 6' was attained. At some point the hassle of running more pipe would outweigh the issues of a lower head, a compromise would be made. I have three pairs of antique iron farm implement wheels that were on property I bought last year, all different diameters, (48 to 60") one pair of the right size would form the framework of
an overshot wheel.
Or..., I can leave my fully operational and bulletproof (it's shrugged off the worst Idaho mountain weather can throw at it) A.R.E. up, (except for a way to get it's output power into the grid) and move it's dump load (aptly named) into the shop's large bath and laundry room just a few feet away, and use it as a 2500 air heater, after adding a small fan to it. That would at least make passerby think the mill is still fully operational, and after 40+ years of having wind turbines I feel this is somehow important! Not so good a use of it during the warmer months of course. I may run it's power into the control box of the barn find, though it's of a lesser output it is probably overbuilt enough to handle the extra power
Though I first thought an overshot wheel was the way to go, an undershot wheel (actually, it's called a Poncelot) offers many advantages in my situation. Relatively high flow, with little head, located right next to my power shack, whereas a overshot wheel would require a lengthy feed pipe to get the head, and a robust structure to keep it all in place/supported against the winter snows. The undershot would be fed by a trench or culvert, laid on the ground. The wheel would be fabbed in my shop, along with it's supporting structure, tested, and then I'd bring my crane up the mountain (rare, I keep it at my crane yard in town) transport it the 1/4 mile down the slope, and reach out and set it from about 60' away, done.
OR...., if I took my wind tower down (giving up on finding a suitable inverter for the A.R.E.) I would then have TWO very low speed alternator heads, only needing one for any hydro project. And an overshot wheel would be a possibility. The 60' steel tapered pipe would be lifted by crane and one end set in the creek, with the other end elevated as high as possible while still allowing water flow, if that wasn't enough head height (I need to take my laser transit down there to get an accurate measurement) I could extend it with more (salvaged/scrap yard prices) steel pipe, until a head of 5' or 6' was attained. At some point the hassle of running more pipe would outweigh the issues of a lower head, a compromise would be made. I have three pairs of antique iron farm implement wheels that were on property I bought last year, all different diameters, (48 to 60") one pair of the right size would form the framework of
an overshot wheel.Or..., I can leave my fully operational and bulletproof (it's shrugged off the worst Idaho mountain weather can throw at it) A.R.E. up, (except for a way to get it's output power into the grid) and move it's dump load (aptly named) into the shop's large bath and laundry room just a few feet away, and use it as a 2500 air heater, after adding a small fan to it. That would at least make passerby think the mill is still fully operational, and after 40+ years of having wind turbines I feel this is somehow important! Not so good a use of it during the warmer months of course. I may run it's power into the control box of the barn find, though it's of a lesser output it is probably overbuilt enough to handle the extra power
