Wind Power

Thanks leromero, I'm moving this to environment.

Spoke to Richard L. Rue

He says that they sell the unit with a 'special' inverter/charger and batteries for $11,500.00 USD.

They pilot project in Texas will be completed in two (2) weeks and he'll update the site after that.

Says no large tower is needed, it was made to sit on the top of roofs.

alternate energy

I lived on a floating house on the west coast of Canada for 20 years.
When I moved to the DR, I was shocked people did'nt harness the free energy.
There is a site Southwest Windpower, Energy conservation, Solar Energy, Water pumping, Photovoltaics ,Check out the links.You will be able to find out if your area is good for wind power. (you check out anywhere in the world).
I have used wind turbines and would never mount them on a roof. The harmonic vibrations would drive you mad.
There is a company in Quebec that sells a great wind generator: default ($1000cdn for 30 amp)
The generator uses a delco remy GM altenator and a system that keeps the blades from over reving (ie. do not have to tower down in a storm)
A couple solar panels for $600 cdn (30amp.) and the turbine and you good to go.

If you want to know where in the DR the winds are optimal for wind turbines, check out the wind map we put many months ago on the Green Team blog. There's also an entry about the installation of home units on DR's North Coast...

My hope and my hunch is as consumer demand grows for these types of products the performance and price should come down .. I hope

Keith R said:

If you want to know where in the DR the winds are optimal for wind turbines, check out the wind map we put many months ago on the Green Team blog. There's also an entry about the installation of home units on DR's North Coast...

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I can't find the wind map.

Camden Tom said:

I can't find the wind map.

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http://www.dr1.com/blogs/entry.php?u=environment&e_id=1390

and for the story about the wind turbine installed in Cabrera, see
http://www.dr1.com/blogs/entry.php?u=environment&e_id=1962

Keith R said:

http://www.dr1.com/blogs/entry.php?u=environment&e_id=1390

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Thanks Keith.

Always glad to help if I can, Tom.

Best Regards,
Keith

Hello all, I am an energy consultant with Washington, DC city government and am coming to the North Coast for the weekend. Are there any sites or individuals I could see, to give more of an insight into your work?

I will have limited email access in the morning (surfing!) but can check for PM's and emails. Thanks, and great work!

Wind & SolarPower Combinations

I used a Wind Generator plus 4 Solar Panels on my boats for years with very good results. Never had flat batteries or was without electrical power. Ran a frig, TV, Satillite system, lights, computer, autopilot, GPS,etc. with no problem. Used 4-banks of 2-ea, 6 volt wet-cell, deep cycle United States Marine batteries. Connected each bank with 3- 1,2, all battery selectors with a selectrable LED voltage indicator. Had a 1000 watt inverter for the 110 volt requirements, otherwise, used 12 volt system for lights and frig. Made the fridge box (9 cu/ft) out of 1" Poly sheathing, epoxied together and used a 12 volt compressor system commonly used in boats and RV's. This system was used in 3 different boats that I owned and lived aboard continuously for some 6 years, moving the system from boat to boat. Used a Marine NEC voltage regulater to prevent overcharging by the Wind Generater and Solar Panels. Wind generator was Aeromarine, manufactured in Phoenix AZ and sold by West Marine.
It is my opinion that such a system is viable here in the DR if one can find the materials with which to do all that is required. Wind generation, except along the Coasts is probmatical, however, since most of the DR is "Wind-shadowed" by the extensive mountain ranges that exist. Solar power would be a viable alternative, and if near a fast running stream, use of water powered generation would be a viable addition to the system.

If i ever build in the DR, this is the system I will use andwill convert the entire house to a 12-volt system using # 6 stranded, Marine wiring. More expensive initially, but will last forever since the wire is silvered and sheathed. Also will use soldered connectors instead of the"crimp-type" for better continuity. I would use NiCad batteries if I knew of a facillity here in the DR which could reliably discharge, deep-cycle and re-charge. Since I don't know of any, I'd stick to the6-volt, deep-cycle, Marine variety (US Manufactured), or the commercially available 2-volt variety.

Texas Bill

Alternative resourses

Google RealGoods. A great resource of information.

Texas Bill, would love to hear your sailing stories.

Sollie

sollie said:

Google RealGoods. A great resource of information.

Texas Bill, would love to hear your sailing stories.

Sollie

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Sorry, Sollie, don't have many of those.
Now, if it's "Flying Stories you might want to hear about, then I ahave several that might prove interesting.
Was a Senior Pilot in the USAF, and had my own flight shcool and chaarter service after retirement. Did fairly well in both.

Texas Bil

Texas Bill said:

I used a Wind Generator... ... Wind generator was Aeromarine, manufactured in Phoenix AZ and sold by West Marine.
It is my opinion that such a system is viable here in the DR if one can find the materials with which to do all that is required. Wind generation, except along the Coasts is probmatical, however, since most of the DR is "Wind-shadowed" by the extensive mountain ranges that exist. Solar power would be a viable alternative, and if near a fast running stream, use of water powered generation would be a viable addition to the system.

If i ever build in the DR, this is the system I will use andwill convert the entire house to a 12-volt system using # 6 stranded, Marine wiring. More expensive initially, but will last forever since the wire is silvered and sheathed. Also will use soldered connectors instead of the"crimp-type" for better continuity. I would use NiCad batteries if I knew of a facillity here in the DR which could reliably discharge, deep-cycle and re-charge. Since I don't know of any, I'd stick to the6-volt, deep-cycle, Marine variety (US Manufactured), or the commercially available 2-volt variety.

Texas Bill

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Actually I am toying with the same idea of wiring a future building for 12V DC for light and so forth... so energy stored could be used directly from the batteries without going thru the DC->AC conversion again.
I also think that for a residential use a cheaper version of wind mills should be possible to fabricate right here using automotive alternators and load regulators, basically "chaeap" tech.

... J-D.

J D Sauser said:

Actually I am toying with the same idea of wiring a future building for 12V DC for light and so forth... so energy stored could be used directly from the batteries without going thru the DC->AC conversion again.
I also think that for a residential use a cheaper version of wind mills should be possible to fabricate right here using automotive alternators and load regulators, basically "chaeap" tech.

... J-D.

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JD:

Your idea of adapting a "Wind Mill" of thevariety used to pump water, as used in West Texas, isnot anew innovation. Many of theowners of land there use these for thepurpose of waatering their cattle and forproducing electricity for their homes. Both being in rather isolated areas throughout that area.
Most used a generator off a tractor or abandoned truck to charge a battery bank. Had to use a "reverse current relay" to prevent overcharging. With the introduction of alternators most of those systems were converted. There are a number of "extra-heavy-duty" alternators of the150-300 amp variety available through special manufacturers( ie., any alternator shop worth it's salt will be able to build several of these for you AND incorporate an internal regulator). I would advise using one of those types with a LARGE battery bank of 12-24 deep-cycle batteries with an appropriate inverter to take care of 110 volt usages.
There are a couple ofCanadian Companies thet have pre-fabricated kits for sale which will fit almost any need you can imagine. Be advised, They Ain't Cheap!! You might do better by jury-rigging your own if you can get all the parts together at a lower cost. For wiring, I'd advise you to use Marine-grade silvered and STRANDED wire that is put together like Romex, then solder EVERY SINGLE JOINiING. You'll come out ahead by doing that. Crimped joinings tend to become corroded very quickly and you soon start loosing continuity. Also seperate your circuits extensively and keep theload on a particular circuit below 15 amps. And be particularly careful with your GROUNDING. Failure to do so can prove disasterous.

There a number of companies that manufacture 2-volt, deep-cycle battery cells that can be put together for any combination of battery power you can imagine. You might GOOGLE that reference for the manufacturers. The Canadian Companies sell them, however.

Hell, you know what to do, so why am I saying all this?

If you don't want ot make your own Wind Power generator, check out Aero-marind out of Phoenix AZ for their products. I used ONE, transferred from boat to boat for over 6 years and it was still going strong when I lost the boat to a galley fire.

Texas Bill

Texas Bill said:

JD:

Your idea of adapting a "Wind Mill" of thevariety used to pump water, as used in West Texas, isnot anew innovation. ...

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I was not claiming to have invented anything... I am merely "toying" with the idea. I rather see it's been done successfully before... so I'm on the right path.

Texas Bill said:

... Most used a generator off a tractor or abandoned truck to charge a battery bank. Had to use a "reverse current relay" to prevent overcharging. With the introduction of alternators most of those systems were converted. There are a number of "extra-heavy-duty" alternators of the150-300 amp variety available through special manufacturers( ie., any alternator shop worth it's salt will be able to build several of these for you AND incorporate an internal regulator). I would advise using one of those types with a LARGE battery bank of 12-24 deep-cycle batteries with an appropriate inverter to take care of 110 volt usages...

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Thanks for all that input. I am not surprised they would use systems like that in those regions.

Texas Bill said:

... For wiring, I'd advise you to use Marine-grade silvered and STRANDED wire that is put together like Romex, then solder EVERY SINGLE JOINiING. You'll come out ahead by doing that. Crimped joinings tend to become corroded very quickly and you soon start loosing continuity. Also seperate your circuits extensively and keep theload on a particular circuit below 15 amps. And be particularly careful with your GROUNDING. Failure to do so can prove disasterous...

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You've mentioned the silvered and stranded wire before... what is it and why used that one in particular?
Also could you elaborate about grounding (will I admit I know what grounding is, but do you want to ground the 12 or 24V system, or do you mean the tower (lightning)??

Texas Bill said:

... Hell, you know what to do, so why am I saying all this?

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Just out of curiosity, who was the misguided soul who told you THAT??


Thanks! ... J-D.

12 VDC systems & water pumping

Dc systems for boats do work due to the short lenght of wire runs. Soldering
the joints is also a great way to go. Corrosion from sea water will downgrade
any crimping or screw/clamp connection of wires.

DC systems for buildings are generally not recommended. Long wire runs tend
to cause losses. Additionally, the thick wire gauge required may offset the cost. DC wiring can get really hot, if undersized , causing fire...

For well water pumping a high voltage turbine is used in combination with
the SQflex pump from Grundfos. The turbine feeds the pump directly, no
batteries needed. The major advandage is that the turbine can be installed
at some distance from the well to utilize higher wind conditions. Usually,
the turbine is rated at 800 watts ( open voltage 150-300 VAC). The pump can be operated on AC or DC ( solar panels) or both of them combined. On average, daily water production can vary from 3000 to 5000 gallons.
These systems are well tested & documended. No reason to re-invent the wheel sort of speak.

BTW, I am the installer of the wind turbine at Cabrera. Please do not PM me.
Any comments can be posted on this thread for everyone to read.

Georgios.