Wind Energy Voice

Image via Wikipedia

Wind energy is form of renewable energy. This ‘new’ source of energy is getting more popular and not without reason. In various parts in the world big wind turbine parks are placed by corporate businesses yielding big quantities of energy that can be sold as environmental friendly or ‘green’ energy. Wind energy is big business. Big companies profit from renewable energy but also invest substantially in this new energy source.

As mentioned before wind energy is very environmental friendly. In the search for alternatives for fossil fuels this energy source turned out to be very lucrative.

This energy source makes us less dependent on traditional fossil fuels. It is important to lessen the dependence on traditional fuels. There are many reasons why here we will inform you with the most important once. The traditional fuels are predominantly in the hands of countries in troublesome areas. Therefore you are not sure if the amount of crude oil you request will be delivered due to instability in the region. Also the price for these old fuels is increasing and the current reserves are diminishing. But most of all these old energy sources pollute our planet. But as always the beautiful story of wind energy has not only positive sides. Let’s look at some of negative points as well.

In the Netherlands a windmill park is located in the north of the country. Although the local people here were in favour of the windmills they changed their minds when the mills were actually placed. The residents were complaining about a constant noise during the night that could be compared to a 747 taking of. These complaints were not taking serious by the corporate business owners. Therefore the residents decided to research their complaints by the local university. The outcome of the research was that the residents were right and their complaints should be taken seriously. It turned out that the windmills produced more noise in the evening and night than during daytime due to a higher turbulence at night caused by very specific changes in the upper air layers. During the day there is less turbulence and the sounds that are produced by the windmills are diminished by the noise of local traffic and wind blowing through the trees. All specifics can be read in this paper: The Sound of High Winds: The Effect of Atmospheric Stability on Wind Turbine Sound and Microphone Noise by Frits van den Berg.

In Germany wind mills where placed in the North Sea. Although the location for this purpose is very good, the park doesn’t seem to produce the calculated amount of energy. The windmills often don’t work properly due to malfunction. Whilst the location is good and wind is blowing almost constantly the windmills often just don’t work. The mills were not moving at all and therefore not producing electricity. This project turned out to be very disappointing, but the project is still running and it is believed that it will function according to plan in the future.

In the United States in Vermont the local residents were opposed by the planning of a new wind turbine park. The locals felt that the wind towers would ruin their beautiful landscape. It is a landscape that many generations have fought to preserve and the current residents our proud of. It is hard to convince people to share their landscape with large wind towers that disturb these beautiful views. The plans for building the windmills in Vermont are of the table.

Although is it a good and economical of energy, wind energy is taking some real blows. The advantages are clear and the disadvantages are becoming clear as well. When placed in a surrounding where the landscape is cherished by the people who live there, one could argue not to place them because it might ruining the beautiful landscape and spoil the beautiful views.

Locals and tourist would find these turbines just plain ugly. Also it should be kept in mind that wind turbines with these sizes can produce a lot of noise during the evening and night. Beside these considerations it has shown that wind energy is not always a big success and there is more progress to be made. Technically there are some steps to be made, but a lot of people are working hard in this. Let’s hope that wind energy is here to stay and we will find proper ways to utilise this form a way that we all can benefit from it.

Bryan Wong

http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/will-wind-energy-be-blown-away-54500.html

Technorati Tags: renewable energy, Wind Power, WIND TURBINE, windmill

Home Wind Turbine systems seam perfect to homeowners because no

major permits are needed,  homeowner or electrician need to pull a basic

electric permit and start getting free power…

You can find links to pictures that published of home wind turbine rooftop system.

Some are featured in newspaper articles.

These guys have invented and filed for patents on a few of the technologies that make

home rooftop wind turbines easy and a great idea.

Our home wind turbine systems are Wind/Solar Hybrid, and are qualified for government tax credits

of 30%. So, for your investment made in these systems the IRS credits you back 30% within one year of purchase.

You get 30% back from the IRS. So, basically the government will pay for almost 1/3 of your investment

made in your new home wind turbine energy system.

This includes all installation costs and expenses and is a real nice start on your investment payback.

Free electricity isn’t all you get from a new home wind turbine, as soon as your system is up…

Technorati Tags: Home, renewable, renewable power, Small wind turbine, turbine, wind, WIND TURBINE

Now a project in France is turning the turbine design on its head for what developers hope will be a low-cost alternative.

French oil and gas engineering company Technip and wind-power startup Nenuphar recently announced Vertiwind, a two-megawatt wind turbine that they plan to float in Mediterranean waters by the end of 2013.

Vertiwind’s design stands 100 meters tall, but places the generator, which weighs 50 tons, inside a sealed tube beneath the turbine’s rotating blades, 20 meters above the sea.

A buoy built by Technip for a 2.3 megawatt horizontal-axis floating turbine prototype, owned by the Norwegian energy company Statoil, extends 100 meters below the surface.

Technip and Nenuphar plan to build two vertical-axis turbines with a power output of two megawatts each, one onshore and one offshore, at a cost of $28 million.

Few large-scale vertical-axis turbines have been built, and all have had a curved-blade design that connects to the turbine’s main shaft at the top and bottom of the blade, thereby evenly distributing the load placed on the structure, Musial says.

Check out the whole article at: A New Twist on Floating Wind Power

Technorati Tags: Nenuphar, Nymphaea alba, Statoil, Technip, turbine design, vertical-axis turbines, Wind Power, WIND TURBINE

Wind Farm NO Turbines Allowed

Windstalk is leading edge technology but after all it’s just a concept right now.

Wind turbines are the very popular way to generate clean energy with large-scale wind farms springing up all over the world.

However, many residents near proposed wind farm sites have raised concerns over the aesthetics and the low frequency vibrations they claim are generated by wind turbines.

An interesting Windstalk concept devised by New York design firm Atelier DNA could overcome both these problems while still allowing a comparable amount of electricity to be generated by the wind.

Devised as a 100% clean energy generation project and tourist attraction for Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, the Windstalk concept consists of 1,203 carbon fiber reinforced resin poles, which stand 55 meters (180 feet) high and are anchored to the ground in concrete bases that range between 10 and 20 meters (33-66 ft) in diameter.  ~Looks pretty too.

.

Read the whole article here: Windstalk concept is a wind farm without the turbines

Technorati Tags: Abu Dhabi, clean energy generation, large-scale wind farms, Masdar City, renewable, wind energy, Wind farm, Wind Power, WIND TURBINE, Windstalk

Small home wind turbines Image via Wikipedia

You may have seen the many different small home wind turbines you are able to purchase in the shops, yet you may be undecided whether one of these small scale wind turbines is for you. Before purchasing a turbine, you should do some research regarding; can your environment make a turbine efficient enough, what alternative energy sources can you harness, and which technology is the best value for money.

Below we shall discuss each of the three points explained above in more detail, outlining the factors relating to each.

Wind turbines only generally work to their full potential in very few areas. To gain an efficient use of a turbine, you should do some in depth research and a site survey into how sustainable your environment is to support a wind turbine. For efficient placement of a wind turbine, you need to look into the average annual wind speed and direction. There are many references available to explain what speed the wind must be for different sized turbines. Wind direction is only a factor which relates to which position your place your turbine in, yet many modern small home turbines are very mobile and you can usually twist them to face the direction you prefer.

It will be well worth your time to browse the market looking for alternative renewable energy sources. This mainly depends on your budget, but solar panels are a very popular choice as either an addition, or a total replacement for a wind turbine. Solar panels generally offer you a greater pound per watt, and are also generally more efficient for home power production.

Deciding which technology is the best value for money, also ties in with the environment factor. You need to do research and decide which of the renewable energy sources is most in abundant in your region, for example if you live on a small island off the coast of northern Scotland, then you would more than likely choose a home wind turbine as you are exposed to strong winds, but if you live in the center of England (where wind speeds are usually quite low), you may opt for a solar panel.

So, as we can see here, many factors will decide on the right natural energy source for you. If you can afford to integrate renewable energy production methods into your home, it is strongly suggested, considering the current situation with global warming, that you make an attempt to install these more environmentally friendly appliances.

James Bratley

Technorati Tags: Energy development, small home wind turbines, Wind Power, WIND TURBINE

Peek at the Workshop from Guemes Island, WA.,

hosted by Ian Woofenden of Solar Energy International (SEI)

and taught by the guru of homemade small-scale wind turbines, Hugh Piggott.

Helping out were Brian Faley, Andy Gladish, BJ Daniels, Michael McGuinness,

Dan Bartmann and Dan Fink (the Dans of Otherpower.com). From blueEnergy,

Mathias Craig, Lâl Marandin, and Darin Bird in attendance.

Technorati Tags: blueEnergy, homemade small-scale wind turbines, Hugh Piggott, solar, Solar Energy, Solar Energy International, turbine, wind, wind energy, WIND TURBINE, Wind Turbine Workshop, Workshop

There are basically two major area’s of information required to have an essential knowledge of domestic wind turbines. The first is understanding energy yield and energy consumption. The second is choosing which type of turbine wind generator best suites your needs and situation.

Understanding Energy Yeild and Energy Consumption A simple way of putting things is

• An average modern homes requires 4,500kWh. per year.
• A domestic wind turbine with a 5 meter rotar diameter provides 4000 – 4,500 kWh, per year in good wind conditions.
• A domestic wind turbine with a 2 meter rotar diameter provides 500 kWh, per year in good wind conditions.

Which type of Turbine Wind Generator? Lets begin with a quick overview of the different types of turbine wind generators available and some of the pros and cons with each.

Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT)
These are far and away the most common type of domestic wind turbines. HAWT’s also have a long history, being the principle behind the famous Dutch Windmills. Advantages: An obvious key advantage is that they are easily available. In addition the blades of HAWT’s can be changed in pitch so as to more fully catch the wind. Secondly they are easiy mounted on high towers which maximizes their access to wind shear. Lastly HAWT’s have had the most research and development backing and use in the field. In simple terms at the low end they are easy to build and at the high end there is some pretty complex wind turbine management systems build in. Disadvantages: HAWT’s don’t operate well at ground level. All other disadvantage relate to large installation HAWT’s – such as difficulty with installation of the towers, signal clutter if installed near radar installations, and cost of shipping and the tower system. For use as domestic wind tubines we only recommend micro-HAWT installation. For micro-HAWT installation and how easy it is an advantage, details on easy building and installation of turbine wind generators can be found here.

Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT)
There are a few subcategories of (VAWT)’s.

They are:

• Darrieus (or eggbeater) wind turbine
• Giromill
• Savonius wind turbine
• “H” vertical wind turbine

Although many would argue long and hard about the various merits of each design (and the do have them) fundamentaly the advantages of VAWT’s are the same regardless of design.

Advantages: They can be built on the ground making installation and maintenance easier, they generate power at a lower RPM rate than HAWT’s , they integrate better into an urban environment and some claim they are quieter and easier for birds to avoid.

Disadvantages: They generally produce power at 50% of the efficency of HAWT’s. A great deal more stress is placed on the tower structure reducing relaibility and maintenance costs can be high. This is due to the whole structure being under it’s own weight, so to change a component at the bottom of the structure may require you to dismantle almost all of it.

Large vs Small Turbine Wind Generators

Both HAWT’s and VAWT’s com in large configurations. A very simple way of understanding the whole arguement regarding large and small turbine wind generators is to simple say “The larger they are the more efficently they generate electricity but the less flexible they are to manage.”. Almost all of advantages and disadvantages related to the size of a wind turbine fall into this area. Since we have already summed up our view on them, here are a few advantages and disadvantages that don;t fall under the above mentioned umbrella.

Advantages & Disadvantages: Large wind turbines have been blames for bird deaths, they cost much more to build and require much more approval than micro-wind. They are also much more noticable in the immediate environment. Small turbines are have more moving parts and are less efficent. However they are easy and cost effective to build at home and are more fleixble, being accessable enough to move or upgrade.
Basically electricity provided by micro-turbine wind generators will be more expensive on a per kWh. basis, however you will be in control and able to manage your supply and use of energy.

Building Integrated Wind Turbines.

Lastly a word on a recent innovation on integrating wind turbines. New plans are underway for the Bahrain World Trade Center to include wind turbines in its superstructure. These turbines will provide 11-15% of the buildings needs.

So if you build a new home in future, considering engaging an architect who can offer integrated wind turbines. Like with all alternative energy solutions, look into the return on investment (ROI). Will these integrated wind turbines pay for themselves in energy savings…? Will it take 2 years or 10?

However if you just want advice on how to best integrated you domestic wind turbines into your current housing structure then “Wind Energy Basics” is a good place to begin.

In Conclusion. Turbine wind generators come in many variations, with many advantages and disadvantages for each. The fact that domestic wind turbines are overwhelmingly HAWT configurations suggests they must be working. However a wind only approach to homemade electricity generation is not an effective strategy. Any attempt at energy independence must include multiple energy sources.

Dr Self Help

The most common are solar and wind. Excellent information on running your own successful energy independence project can be found here

Technorati Tags: Electricity generation, Savonius wind turbine, turbine, Vertical axis wind turbine, wind generator, WIND TURBINE, wind turbines

You can make this wind turbine all yourself from a BRUTE trash can, no kidding

Cut two flaps on the side of the trashcan and bent them inwards

to make two airfoils (one facing each direction) using a high speed rotary blade

and cutting out the foil to bend it back…

Also used thrust bearings on the bottom of the shaft and

a regular bearing around the shaft which was attached to the mast just below the turbine

Technorati Tags: DIY wind power, diy wind turbine, do it yourself wind energy, trash can wind power, trash can wind turbine, Wind Power, WIND TURBINE

If you are like many Americans, you are probably scared to receive the utility bills at the end of the month. This is normal in this uncertain economy.

Did you know that you can save more than 70% on your utility bill by switching to alternative sources of power?

If you want, you can choose to live off the grid and say goodbye to your energy bills for good. Thousands of people are already doing it, and you can to by creating their own homemade wind generators.

How can you create alternative energy and save money?

You can create alternative energy by using the power of three natural elements.

1. Sun power

2. Wind power

3. Hydro power
wind power article, we are going to talk abouhomemade wind generatorreate electricity. To make your own energy with wind power, you are going to create your own homemade wind generators.

Before you consider building your own wind generators, make sure that there is enough wind in your area. If there is not enough wind, you will not be able to produce the amount of kinetic energy you need to convert the wind into electricity.

Once you installed your own windmill, you will not have many things to do since they don’t require a lot of maintenance. The only problems I can see would be when a bird is is made prisoner by your windmill, or a major storm in your area. In this case, your tower will probably suffer.

Be aware that installing your own home made wind generators can cost you from a few hundreds dollars to a few thousands. You need to conduct your project seriously and learn about all the option available to you before you start. If you really want to do it yourself, you may want to invest in a good guide like Earth4energy manual for example. You will save a lot of money.

The benefits of installing your own windmill generator beside saving money is that you will contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide reducing emissions.

Franck Silvestre

http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/how-to-generate-electricity-from-wind-756466.html

Technorati Tags: Alternative energy, Electrical generator, Electricity From Wind, energy power, Wind Power, WIND TURBINE, windmill

Before we get into the technicalities of building a wind turbine, something you should know about DIY wind power is that although it has become a realistic and reasonable source of energy, it is really not efficient enough on a small scale size to compete with more traditional electricity sources. It can be rather strenuous and expensive to construct, but if it is something you really wawind powerinvolved in, make sure you know what you are doing, especially when dealing with wires in your home.

There are several things you have to look out for when you are considering building a wind power turbine, the first being that most residential areas are not windy enough for wind power. The trees and other obstructions diffuse the force of the wind and don’t serve as good surroundings for a turbine. An alternative to this would be to build your wind power turbine on an extremely tall tower, but one would have to consider how his neighbors felt about it first.

Another thing that is important is the equipment you want to use in your turbine.

Primarily, what size you want to make your turbine. And because your blades need to be large in proportion to the energy it is going to put out, the blades need to be about 5 meters long in order to power a modern sized home in a good site (windy enough for the turbine to be efficient). Luckily, you can build these blades by carving wood, or if you aren’t into the labor intensive route, you could easily buy the blades as well. Now, to harness this energy, you need a generator. And for DIY wind power, the best choice would probably be a car alternator.

It obviously will have to be tweaked or modified slightly to up the RPM, 2,000 is about enough, but it will probably be the hardest part of the project. The generator is the core part of building wind power turbines and it can be the thing that separates you from success and failure.

The last thing you have to do is to go out and build it. But a last bit of advice would be to be careful in what you do, and make sure you always know what you are doing. Don’t only put have your energy into this, if you put a lot of effort into it, it will yield great possibilities.

Technorati Tags: Building Your Own Wind Turbine, diy wind turbine, energy, renewable, Wind Power, WIND TURBINE