Generator Blog

America’s eyesores are becoming the hot places to install renewable energy for electric power generation. The land is cheap, often abandoned but properly zoned. They’re usually close to necessary infrastructure such as power lines and roads, and no other developers are rushing to erect anything on them. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is evaluating sites for renewable energy potential on behalf of the EPA.

Brownfields could be former industrial sites abandoned when the owners went bankrupt. There might have been paint or fuel spills there, but the exact source of contamination may be unknown. However, superfund sites usually have a responsible party identified. Some brownfields are ready for redevelopment, but others need a lot of work first.

Photographing the sky for its solar potential
Salasovich and other traveling NREL engineers start with a device called a SunEye, which has a fish-eye lens to photograph the sky above the landfill. “We point it south and take a photo,” he says. “It puts out a spherical graph and shows where the shade will be by what time of day and what time of year.” An algorithm built into the device can detect differences between the sky and a tree.

If a site has wind potential, the engineers install a meteorological tower with instruments to read wind speed and direction, according to Joseph Roberts, an engineer with the National Wind Technology Center at NREL. After 12 months of measurements, they can find an average speed and see how it compares with data from nearby airports. Crew members also check the distance to the nearest roads and transmission lines, evaluating the sites’ potential for generating renewable energy and making it work economically.

NREL Engineers select potential plots from the EPA’s list of superfund and brownfield sites, as well as those identified by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). In some cases, the renewable energy apparatus in construction is powering the ongoing clean-up efforts at the sites. In other cases, the wind turbine, solar array, or hydro power is sending power to nearby cities. This is most feasible when the site is close enough to transmission wires to tie into the grid. There are about 11,000 sites in the U.S. with some past or current environmental contamination problem that may hold potential for renewable energy, according to Gail Mosey, senior energy analyst in the Strategic Energy Analysis Center. She says it’s a great opportunity to reuse land for power generation without help from fossil fuels.

Erecting devices without disturbing the contamination
Some sites, particularly superfund sites, are so contaminated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals that the earth should not be disturbed. However, Mosey explains, “There are a lot of others that can endure a slight intrusion. There are workable solutions for installing renewable energy on the surface or outside the contaminated area.” For example, solar arrays fit comfortably on top of the two feet of dirt and liner that typically cover a condemned landfill.
There are even wind turbines (supported by surface-mounted concrete footing) that can generate energy without burrowing into the muck of a superfund site. “These are places where you wouldn’t necessarily want to put a housing development, pour a foundation, or have people plant backyard gardens,” Mosey says, “but they are excellent sites for renewable energy.”

PHOENIX–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The National Renewable Energy Laboratory today released an initial study assessing the operational impacts and economics of increased contributions from wind and solar energy producers on the power grid. The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study examines the benefits and challenges of integrating enough wind and solar energy capacity into the grid to produce 35 percent of its electricity by 2017. The study finds that this target is technically feasible and does not necessitate extensive additional infrastructure, but does require key changes to current operational practice. The results offer a first look at the issue of adding significant amount of variable renewable energy in the West and will help utilities across the region plan how to ramp up their production of renewable energy as they incorporate more wind and solar energy plants into the power grid.

“If key changes can be made to standard operating procedures, our research shows that large amounts of wind and solar can be incorporated onto the grid without a lot of backup generation,” said Dr. Debra Lew, NREL project manager for the study. “When you coordinate the operations between utilities across a large geographic area, you decrease the effect of the variability of wind and solar energy sources, mitigating the unpredictability of Mother Nature.”

The study focuses on the operational impacts of wind, photovoltaics, and concentrating solar power on the power system operated by the WestConnect group of utilities in the mountain and southwest states. WestConnect is a group of transmission providers, which includes Arizona Public Service, El Paso Electric Co., NV Energy, Public Service of New Mexico, Salt River Project, Tri-State Generation and Transmission Cooperative, Tucson Electric Power, Western Area Power Administration, and Xcel Energy. Though wind and solar output vary over time, the technical analysis performed in this study shows that it is operationally possible to accommodate 30 percent wind and 5 percent solar energy penetration. To accomplish such an increase, utilities will have to substantially increase their coordination of operations over wider geographic areas and schedule their generation deliveries, or sales, on a more frequent basis. Currently generators provide a schedule for a specific amount of power they will provide in the next hour. More frequent scheduling would allow generators to adjust that amount of power based on changes in system conditions such as increases or decreases in wind or solar generation.

The study also finds that if utilities generate 27 percent of their electricity from wind and solar energy across the Western Interconnection grid, it would lower carbon emissions by 25 to 45 percent. It would also decrease fuel and emissions costs by 40 percent, depending on the future price of natural gas.

Other key findings from the study include:

• Existing transmission capacity can be more fully utilized to reduce the amount of new transmission that needs to be built.
• To facilitate the integration of wind and solar energy, coordinating the operations of utilities can provide substantial savings by reducing the need for additional back-up generation, such as natural gas-burning plants.
• Use of wind and solar forecasts in utility operations to predict when and where it will be windy and sunny is essential for cost-effectively integrating these renewable energy sources.

The study was undertaken by a team of wind, solar and power systems experts across both the private and public sectors. The study complements the recently released Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study, which examines the feasibility of integrating up to 30 percent wind in the eastern states.

The report released today is an important first step in assessing the impact of solar and wind energy on the electrical grid. Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Department of Energy is investing more than $26 million to further study the Western transmission interconnection, which will help states, utilities, and grid operators prepare for future growth in energy demand, renewable energy resources, and Smart Grid technologies.

Event Horizon Solar & Wind supplies a range of wind generators and wind turbines from manufacturers such as Skystream and Whisper. The Skystream 3.7 wind generator is suitable for residential and small business power applications. An advantage of this model is that it can generate energy even in low wind conditions.

Skystream 3.7 Wind Generator

The Skystream 3.7 wind generator can be installed on towers with heights ranging from 33 feet to 110 feet. As this model can generate about 40 to 90% of the energy needs in a home, any excess is fed directly into the local grid. It has the capability to produce a continuous output of 1.9 kW with a peak output of 2.6kW. The Skystream 3.7 wind generator from Event Horizon Solar & Wind is connected to a 120 to 240 V AC universal inverter that aids in the process of grid feeding. The 3-blade construction of this model is built from fibreglass and rotates clockwise looking upwind.

With a rotor diameter of 12 feet, the Skystream 3.7 residential wind generator has an overall weight of 170 pounds. The rated speed of this model can range from 50 to 325 rotations per minute. The alternator, which is a part of the wind generator, is a slot-less permanent magnet. The maximum tip speed offered by the Skystream 3.7 wind generator from Event Horizon Solar & Wind is 216.5 feet per second.

Composite Technology Corporation manufactures different models of DeWind generators. The DeWind D6 wind generator is available with two rotor diameters of 62 meters and 64 meters. This generator comprises three blades made of GFRP material, and these blades have a swept area of 3,019 square meters. The blade of the DeWind DE wind generator is available in two lengths of 30 meters and 31 meters. The blade with a length of 31 meters has a swept area of 3217 square meters. The metal receptor at the tip of the GFRP blade provides protection against lightning. The wind generator comprises a tower made of tubular steel. The elastomer elements in the drive of the wind turbine function as a sound balancing feature.

DeWind D6 Wind Generators

The DeWind D6 wind generator has a nominal wind speed of 12.5 meters per second, while the survival wind speed of the turbine is 55.3 meters per second. The cut-in and cut-out wind speed of the wind generator from Composite Technology Corporation are 2.8 meters per second and 25 meters per second respectively. It also has survival wind speeds of 48.9 meters per second and 50.5 meters per second. The rotational speed of the DeWind D6 wind turbine can be controlled with the help of active blade adjustment option. The DeWind D6 wind generator produces 1250 kilowatts of power.

The wind generator from Composite Technology Corporation has a three stage planetary spurwheel gearbox with two transmission ratios of 1:50.5 and 1:53.1. Some of the other features incorporated in this wind generator include meteorology sensors, an IGBT inverter, disc brakes and three hydraulic geared drives.

The ring is designed for OEM installation or easy up-tower retrofit.

Electro Static’s shaft grounding ring prevents damage by channeling harmful shaft currents away from bearings.

Mechanic Falls, ME – By safely channeling harmful shaft currents away from bearings to ground, Electro Static Technology’s new AEGIS WTG wind turbine grounding ring prevents bearing damage that could otherwise cause generator failure, unplanned downtime, costly repairs, and lost revenues.

Maintenance-free, effective at any RPM, and available for any size wind turbine generator, the ring is designed for OEM installation or easy up-tower retrofit.

High-frequency currents induced on the shafts of wind turbine generators can reach levels of 60 amps and 1200 volts or greater.
If not diverted, these currents will discharge through the generator’s bearings, causing severe electrical damage that results in bearing failure and catastrophic turbine failure, sometimes in as little as six months or less.

The AEGIS WTG’s patented conductive microfiber technology effectively steers these currents away from the bearings and safely to ground.

The WTG is engineered to safely divert up to 120 amps of continuous shaft current at frequencies as high as 13.5 MHz and discharge up to 3000 volts (peak). Ideal for use as part of a preventive maintenance program to protect against premature bearing failures, it can be installed whenever bearings are replaced.

What can you do if you are out of power and need to charge your cell phone?  There are battery boosters, and fuel cell rechargers and now a new device that cranks energy with a yo-yo-like string.

The YoGen handheld charger for portable electronics was launched at CES and received recognition as a “Best of CES 2010″ item by Gadget-Gurus.

The 100 percent green, fully-sustainable device that creates levels of charge sufficient to ensure sustained use when a battery runs down. YoGen Sells for $39.95 and could come in handy in cases of a disaster or just when you forget to charge you phone. It works with most cell phones including iPhones, USB devices and Bluetooth headsets.

YoGen can echarge any small-to-mid-sized personal electronics device by offering the industry’s leading ratio of energy output to input.

Through repeated pulls on an attached ripcord, similar to the motion of a Yo-Yo, YoGen’s internal alternator generates power in to charge everything from cell phones, iPods, PDAs and MP3s to Gameboys, GPS units, cameras and other devices. The alternator interfaces with an energy-efficient electronic stabilizer and transmission to transfer linear kinetic energy through a patch cord from the compact, ergonomically-designed unit to the electronic device.

An engineer's sketch of the Cyclone Mark V external combustion engine.

An inventor and a generator manufacturer have come up with a new use for used motor oil.

Cyclone Power Technologies signed a deal with Phoenix Power Group on Thursday to develop an external combustion engine that runs on waste oil. The deal signs over waste-oil-related rights to Cyclone’s Mark V external combustion engine to the Phoenix Power, which plans to use the engine in its new Phoenix 5-Series Generator.

“Cyclone still retains rights for the Mark V with other fuels,” a Cyclone representative noted in an e-mail. “Phoenix Power only holds exclusive rights for generators running on waste oil.” The representative noted that the Mark V “runs on all fuels–including biofuels like algae and orange peels.”

Cyclone Power Technologies is the company founded by Harry Schoell, an inventor of an improved version of the steam engine that Popular Science named an “Invention of the Year” in 2008 and also garnered an award from the Society of Automotive Engineers. A description and video of Schoell’s steam engine invention, which can run on “virtually any fuel” can be found in a Popular Science profile on him in 2008. At the time he said he was planning to offer it to lawnmower manufacturers. Now, it seems, a modified version of that original Cyclone Engine, the Cyclone Mark V, will be used in power generators.

“The P5S is expected to be the first power generator capable of utilizing waste oil products, such as used motor/equipment oil, to produce electricity for on-site operational requirements or as a power grid feed, ” Phoenix Power Group said in a statement.

There is a reason why the Phoenix Power Group is so keen on used oil.

The generator designer and manufacturer is a subsidiary of the Atlantic Systems Group, a Harrisonburg, Va.-based company that designs and builds automotive oil change and service stations. That’s obviously a group of people who think a lot about used oil and its problem as a potential contaminate to our water supply. As it’s been noted before in other articles on motor oil, the Environmental Protection Agency contends that dumping the waste oil from just one car’s oil change into the ground can contaminate up to 1 million gallons of fresh water.

Living near B.C. Place has become a big pain in the ears for Ray and Lesley Appel. They used to enjoy living in their downtown apartment, but that was before three huge gas-powered generators appeared outside the downtown stadium that is the site for the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics Feb. 12.

One of the huge, noisy machines began running all night Friday, said Ray Appel.

“They started going 24/7,” he said Sunday. “It’s really, really loud. We have to keep our windows and doors closed. I have to wear earplugs at night. It’s just a loud, constant hum in the background.”

Appel, who lives about a block from the southwest corner of the stadium, chatted up a friendly security guard at the site.

“He said, ‘Only one of the generators is on now; if you think this is loud, wait until all three are running,’” said Appel, who works out of his home on the 29th floor. “He said they could have used baffles to keep the generators quiet, but they didn’t.”

Appel and his wife have filed a noise complaint with the city.

As if that isn’t enough, Appel said, the air pollution from the generators is “pretty potent” and belies the organizers’ promise to put on a green Olympics.

“When you stand near them you can barely breathe,” he said.

All generators operate differently, so please consult the instructions that came with your model.
Powering Up Your Generator

* Check fuel level.
* If you must add fuel, be sure generator is cooled down.
* Do not over fill.
* Check oil level.
* Check filter.
* Check voltage selector to make sure it matches the type of application you are connecting to (CHOOSE BETWEEN ‘120-VOLTS AND ‘120-VOLT/240′).
* Move generator outside to well-ventilated area.
* Place on a firm, level surface.
* Connect a heavy duty, outdoor-rated power cord to generated, or connect appliances directly to generator to generator.
* Turn generator’s circuit breaker off.
* Turn power switch on.
* Pull cord.
* Let generator warm up before turning circuit breaker back on.

Gasoline
Some generators operate on unleaded gasoline. Others use diesel fuel. Five gallons of gas will power a 5,600 watt generator for about eight hours. One gallon of gas will power a 3,000 watt generator for about 3 1/2 hours.

Additional supplies
You will also need multi-gallon, vented containers for storing gasoline (fill before storm comes), engine oil, an outdoors-rated extension cord and a carbon-monoxide detector.

Caring for your generator

* Never over fill gas.
* Don’t use stale or contaminated gas.
* Avoid getting dirt or water in the fuel tank.
* Turn fuel valve off when transporting or storing generator. This keeps fuel from diluting engine oil and damaging engine.
* Run generator at least once a month. This lubricates the engine, recharges the battery and lets fresh gas through the carburetor.
* When storing a generator for more than two months, drain fuel and add fuel conditioner to top it off, following directions on the label.
* Change oil regularly, according to your model’s manual.
* Change filter regularly. according to your model’s manual.

Safety Tips

The risks (if you don’t do it right): carbon-monoxide poisoning, electrocution, fire and explosion.

* Never use wet hands to operate the generator. Never let water come in contact with the generator.
* Never run your generator in a garage because the carbon-moxide exhaust is toxic. Find a well-ventilated space with some cover, but be sure the generator isn’t positioned outside an open window. Use a battery-powered carbon monoxide detector. Always turn the engine off before refueling and let the generator cool.
* Don’t spill fuel. It can ignite.
* Store fuel and generator in a ventilated area and away from natural gas water heaters. Vapors can escape from closed cans and tanks, then travel to the pilot light and ignite.
* Never feed power from a portable generator into a wall outlet. This can kill linemen working to restore power. It also can damage your generator.
* Don’t use power cords that are frayed. This can cause a fire. Be sure all prongs are intact and that the cord is outdoor-rated. The cord’s wattage or amps must not be smaller than the sum of the connected appliance loads.

Shopping Tips

* Ask the dealer how many watts it will put out and for how long and how big a load it can handle.
* You could spend around $350 for a 2,400 watts model, $600 for an industrial-strength model. A television uses 300 watts; a freezer, 330; a water heater 3,000.
* Compare brands and models. Get manufacturer’s toll-free numbers for technical questions.
* Make sure you have the right cords and connectors or the generator will be useless. Consider an auxiliary fuel tank.
* Don’t fill fuel tanks until right before the storm. Stored fuel will grow stale and is unsafe in a hot garage.
* Most starters use rope pulls. If your use a battery, make sure it’s kept charged.
* Buy now, not after the storm. You’ll pay a lot less.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies developed a new product which was presented at CES Las Vegas, Nevada (Consumer Electronics Show).

The Singapore based Horizon fuel cell technologies is showing off the Hydrofill, a fuel cell system
designed for charging electronic gadgets at CES 2010.

The product will be released later this year and allows users to charge up their favourite mobile or small electronics with a hydrogen fuel cell.

The device extracts the hydrogen from water and stores it in special cartridges, which fit into the pocket size minipak. the minipak uses a USB port to charge everything from ipods and cameras to rechargeable batteries and GPS devices.

The process of turning water into hydrogen is very clean too, since its only produces water vapour as a result.

Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies, which first became known to the general public with an exclusive Gizmag story in 2006 about the company’s educational toy solar hydrogen car.
The Horizon toy cars quickly became the world’s largest volume-produced commercial fuel cell products and it is quite an irony that less than half a decade later, the company which launched with a toy car appears set to introduce genuinely disruptive technology into the home, finally enabling the long-touted futuristic vision of a hydrogen station in every home.