Generator Blog

How cute I am !

    As is known to all, Holand is famous for using wind as a kind of energy. It can provide power which we have a great demand of, otherwises,it doesn’t cause any pollution to environment, so it is the cleannest energy which can be used forever.

    British company Wind Power Limited has unveiled its new offshore wind generator, the 10MW Aerogenerator X, with  twice the power and half the weight of Wind Power’s original Aerogenerator design.
 
    According to the company, it doesn’t have same weight constraints as a normal wind turbine and the blades do not suffer weight induced fatigue. Aerogenerator X is half the height of an equivalent horizontal axis turbine and its weight is concentrated at the base of the structure. The generator is huge; stretching nearly 275 metres from blade tip to tip.
 
   The Guardian reports each 10MW Aerogenerator X turbine has the potential to generate enough electricity to provide 5,000-10,000 homes - the energy equivalent to 2 million barrels of oil over their 25-year lifetime.
 
   Theo Bird of Wind Power Limited says: “Offshore is the ideal place for wind power but is also an extremely tough environment. The US wind researchers who worked on vertical axis projects have always regarded the technology as great to work with at sea because it can be big, tough and easily managed.”
 
    Wind Power’s Aerogenerator project was originally developed in 2005. The first Aerogenerator X units will be constructed  in 2013-14 after two years of testing.
 
    Several companies are in the race to build a 10MW wind powered generator. According to Wikipedia, the world’s largest turbine is currently the Enercon E-126, with a rated capacity of 7.58 MW, an overall height of 198 m and a diameter of 126 m.
   

    Due to the rapid development of wind technology, we will use this kind of clean energy and make it useful for people’s daily life.

Wind turbines are used to generate electricity from the kinetic power of the wind. Historical they were more frequently used as a mechanical device to turn machinery. There are two main kinds of wind generators, those with a vertical axis, and those with a horizontal axis. Wind turbines can be used to generate large amounts of electricity in wind farms both onshore and offshore. So wind energy can be produced form wind through using wind turbine, because of its cleanness and low cost, it is widely used in our daily life.

Wind energy is undoubtedly one of the cleanest forms of producing power from a renewable source. There is no pollution, there is no burning of fossil fuels, and unless something very drastic happens, you don’t run out of wind. But it’s not like you can erect a wind turbine anywhere and it will start generating power for you. There are lots of factors that can make an impact on the amount of energy you can generate out of wind.

l Wind

It being a wind turbine, its output first most depends on the wind. Both the speed and force of the wind can be deciding factors. The more wind speed and force you have got, the greater is the amount of power your wind turbine generates. Different regions have different wind speeds. You can gather the available wind dynamics data and using a model like Webull Distribution you can calculate how effective the wind of a particular region is going to be.

l Height

Places of higher altitudes have more wind due to various atmospheric factors. Besides, at higher places there is less obstruction from the surrounding hills, trees and building. In fact the height is so important that alternative energy scientists and engineers are trying to use kites (due to the heights they can easily reach) to tap the wind power.

l Rotor

The amount of energy produced by your wind turbine is proportional to the size of the rotor used, when all other factors have been taken into consideration. A bigger rotor certainly generates more power. Although it may cost more, in the long run, whenever you are getting a wind turbine erected, go for a big a rotor as possible.

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.

A vaneless ion wind generator is a device that produces electricity directly by using the wind to pump an electrical charge from one electrode to another. It is a type of wind power, although wind energy is usually extracted to make electricity by means of a wind turbine.

Electrostatic wind generators work by spraying water from a nozzle facing a toroidal charged electrode. This induces an opposite charge in the water and when the water flows out of the nozzle, each drop carries a small amount of charge. These water droplets are then blown by the wind, going through the center of the charged toroid without touching it. The droplets then hit a fine mesh, adding to its charge. The other alternative is to use the Earth as the second electrode. The main advantage of this system is that it has no moving parts except the water droplets. The disadvantages are that it needs a constant supply of water, its wind profile can’t be reduced, it requires many small parts, and it has to be well-crafted to reduce corona discharge losses.

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 is a homemade wind generator?

Generally you could say that a wind generator is a machine that uses wind energy to produce electrical energy. It captures wind energy and converts it into mechanical energy that moves the blades of a motor to produce electrical energy. Wind generators help produce thousands of megawatts of electricity. They are also a very popular power solution for individual farms. They are ideal for large areas with good wind speed.

Setting up a home wind generator does not need professional help; individuals can easily set it up with the help of numerous guides available in the market. The components of a wind generator are also easily available in the market.

How does a wind generator differ from a windmill or wind turbine?

Wind generators have been in use for a long time in the form of windmills or wind turbines. Years ago, when electricity was not invented, wind turbines were used to pull boats and pump out water.

Even now, the terms, wind generator, windmill, and wind turbine are used to refer to the same device.

What are the advantages of using a wind generator?

The advantages of a wind generator are many. Let’s look at a few of them.

Environment-friendly: Wind generators prove to be environment-friendly in two ways:

• They do not emit harmful gases in the atmosphere nor do they leave any harmful residual component.
• They do not use any fuel to produce electricity, thereby helping the cause of the environment.

Power-saver: Wind generators are an alternative power solution. They do not use any non-renewable sources of energy, thus helping in times of energy crisis.

Economical: Though the initial cost of setting up a wind generator seems high, the cost of generating electricity in the long run becomes nil. So, you will be getting electricity absolutely free after a few years.

Independent option: Wind generators do away with the dependence on power plants and the government for electricity. With a wind generator in your land, you have your own power plant for life.

24/7 power: With wind generators, you can say bye to power outages forever. You will get continuous, uninterrupted power supply for your entire house and land.

Power storage: A homemade wind generator also allows you to store power for use later. This feature makes it an amazingly lucrative power solution.

If you want to help the world and fight the current energy crisis, invest in a wind generator.

Electrical power generated at the floating Air Rotor is transferred down the tether to ground level equipment. Depending on size of the Air Rotor, power is sent to users ranging from campers to large power grids. Helium (an inert non-flammable lighter-than-air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds. No towers or heavy foundations are necessary and sizes range from small “backpack” models to large megawatt generating devices.

All competing wind generators use bladed two-dimensional disk-like structures and rigid towers. The Magenn Power Air Rotor system is a closed three-dimensional structure (cylinder). It offers high torque, low starting speeds, and superior overall efficiency thanks to its ability to deploy higher. The closed structure allows Magenn Power to produce wind rotors from very small to very large sizes at a fraction of the cost of current wind generators.

This electrical energy is transferred down the tether to a transformer at a ground station and then transferred to the electricity power grid. Helium (an inert non-reactive lighter than air gas) sustains the Air Rotor which ascends to an altitude for best winds and its rotation also causes the Magnus effect. This provides additional lift, keeps the device stabilized, keeps it positioned within a very controlled and restricted location, and causes it to pull up overhead rather than drift downwind on its tether.