Is Wind Energy a Topic allowed here? How about WVO?

[On Da Rez]

I been all over alternative energy since early 2005 starting with solar, wind and wvo conversions. I just bucket listed my own wind turbine and now where to next with the energy? Is this forum open to all energy engineers or just strictly solar?
Just picked up some angle aluminum for my newest lifepo4 batteries bracket or custom power box frame....where to from here?

 

[Frank in Thailand]

lol

2 questions in one post is not uncommon, but normally they are related..

i don't see how the wind turbine poll have anything to do with building DIY box frame..

where to from here?
Measure it, saw it, drill it, screw it, build it

 

[jasonhc73]

What is WVO?

 

[Frank in Thailand]

Google say, in context of energy:

Waste vegetable oils (WVO)

Personally..
That is really far from solar....

Wind en solar are often combined.

 

[boondox]

WVO = waste vegetable oil. I'm new here so I don't know if wind is an approved topic but there is an off topic area. For a place to talk wind, look up otherpower forums. Lots of wind-heads there. I built a couple of small turbines but in my area they just weren't worth the power they produced VS the mechanical maintenance. I had a lot of fun carving blades and liked to watch them spin. When they last one went kaput in a storm I took it down and I use the tower for radio antennas now. Much less maintenance.

 

[nadieselgirl]

WVO isn't as viable as it used to be. Modern diesels don't like it (even full biodiesel voids cummins warranties, 15% requires a more frequent maintenance schedule) so unless your willing to get an old light plant and get really into maintenance I wouldn't recommend it. In fact in a lot of areas people are selling the waste fryer oil to biodiesel companies. I had a 1988 VW Jetta Diesel I converted. Pre-processing involved a lot of filtering and ph balancing, remembering to start up and shutdown on normal diesel, additional filtration system onboard, etc. That said, the system basically ran on anything oily including used motor oil, fish fryer oil, transmission fluid, etc. If you have a big property and don't mind the smell of rancid grease and have some older non-turbo diesel engines and a free source of greasy stuff go for it! But you have to be pretty bored. Oh I ended up giving a friend 400 gallons of WVO when I moved states, he heated his garage with a modified oil furnace for two winters.

 

[Frank in Thailand]

Generators can run on just about anything.
If you can burn it, it's heat=steam
If you can get it moving without steam (wind/water) is great.
Or more efficient WVO engines.
I prefer wind.
I have 4 X 800w wind turbines, but they hardly do anything. (Wrong location, low wind speeds)
I'm working on building MPPT for them so they start at slight Breeze.

It's quite complex to get it integrated with the solar setup.
And require dumpload for when the cells are fully charged.
Besides that, system to stop them during too high wind speeds.
(Gradually brake via step by step short the 3 phase output)
(Probably can use that also to stop the turbines if the charge is too high)

First get the LiFePO4 up and running without issues.

Then the wind and water turbines can be added