Windmills!

shbaz · Mon 27/08/2007 03:58:39

A 1 kW (peak) windmill will run $1500 (US$) on the low end and will not maintain that power unless the wind is constant. They must be designed for the particular average speed of wind. Lower wind speeds don't necessarily mean less power, just larger turbine blades. Because of the aerodynamics a windmill can actually spin about 3 times the speed of the wind or it can be geared to the particular gen-set.

I've read about DIY windmills built by off-grid Colorado (Rocky Mountain) dwellers who couldn't get power to their locations. It's possible to make one in a pretty modestly equipped home shop or garage.

Supposedly wind turbines just started approaching the economics of coal power a couple of years ago, but have yet to surpass it.

I've read, but never seen direct evidence, that people love the idea of windmills until they actually arrive and then they bitch about the noise. I can see how a huge megawatt turbine could woooosh wooossh all night and disturb residents.

Back to my original thought.. supposing you could get a kW pretty regularly and used it to charge a battery set.. $1500 (windmill) + $1000 (electronics systems) + ~$600 (batteries LOW estimate assuming consistent windmill output) = $3100 (US). My electric bill is about $40. I suspect a family household only passes $100 in the summer. Who is going to pony up for a system that they will have to pay to maintain and repair when it's so so much more expensive than just paying a small monthly fee? Even the aforementioned windmillers in Colorado recommended windmills only for people with no other choice or excess cash and social conscience.

I kinda had to post because I've been meaning to build my own for quite a while, but because they need to be in laminar flow wind and I have so many trees I'd need a tower about 20 meters high for excellent yield.

Miez · Mon 27/08/2007 09:57:50

Quote from: Nacho on Sun 26/08/2007 14:46:02
And kills thousand of birds...

True - but the pollution caused by coal and gas based electric plants kills birds as well. Only in different ways.

Nacho · Mon 27/08/2007 10:16:13

Then, why don' t we go to sun panels, which are more ecological and (at least in my country) more reliable than the wind?

Miez · Mon 27/08/2007 12:01:59

Quote from: Nacho on Mon 27/08/2007 10:16:13
Then, why don' t we go to sun panels, which are more ecological and (at least in my country) more reliable than the wind?

I think we should. Solar panels for everyplace sunny, wind & wave parks out on the sea (where they might not bother birds so much) and geothermal wherever we can find it.
Free energy - we'd be mad not to use it...

Phemar · Mon 27/08/2007 12:24:26

Quote from: Haddas on Sun 26/08/2007 16:41:41
Birds are so complicated. What ARE birds? We just don't know.

haha i know where that's from!

Haddas · Mon 27/08/2007 18:05:40

I think we should all pollute as much as inhumanly possible. That way we can get rid of all the pollution at once!

All of it!

It'll work, I swear.

shbaz · Mon 27/08/2007 23:28:41

Quote from: Nacho on Mon 27/08/2007 10:16:13
Then, why don' t we go to sun panels, which are more ecological and (at least in my country) more reliable than the wind?

1. 10 year lifetime, after that they still produce power but they have decreased their output gradually to this time such that you either must buy more or get some kind of additional power from other sources.

2. Most expensive "clean" energy on the market

3. Ecological damage due to manufacture and disposal because of this short lifespan

Windmills, if maintained properly, can last a hundred years. How is a solar panel more ecological? Is it because of birds? I think that argument is really not so well founded.

I favor stirling (hot air) engines for sun power over solar panels, but by all accounts they're just too expensive to build. One of my friends is working on a way to use refrigerants in a closed cycle for power production, I'm not so sure how well it's going to work out though. His method of choice is known as the kalina cycle.

Tuomas · Tue 28/08/2007 00:11:26

Dunno what you're talking about. I just use the socket mounted into the wall. And it works, I don't need any windmills for that.

radiowaves · Tue 28/08/2007 00:59:51

Quote from: miez on Mon 27/08/2007 12:01:59
Free energy - we'd be mad not to use it...

Yes indeed.
I saw a video once where some American Firemen used free energy generator for some electricity and heating stuff. Yes, it was the kind of machine that worked on almost nothing and therefore had bigger outcome from less energy. It looked really simple too, it was just some pipe system with small turbine like thing.

In fact, unused energy is all around us, everywhere. We just have to pick it up.

And we could produce energy from our fecals, then wed never run out!

Stupot · Tue 28/08/2007 06:20:45

Actually... if we all had a tiny windmill mounted to our butts, then every time we farted we would produce wind energy that could be collected in a special pair of electric knickers and used to light your cigarettes or power your dildo.

lo_res_man · Tue 28/08/2007 07:46:20

I think windwmills are a good idea, yes birds die, and yes the landscape looks differant afterwords. I would rather have clean power. On the other hand don't get excited about the 'free energy, man" idea where "we all make our own energy and go off the grid and stick it to the Man, man" I don't these are good arguments to make, for one it makes companies, and people with capitol, less likly to invest. I mean these people want to make money, and I am okay with that. I would rather have people making money THIS waythan say more polluting ways.

Stupot · Tue 28/08/2007 07:57:03

Having your own windmills doesn't have to mean going off the grid. Only supplementing it... or even adding to it for the benefit of the nation. One day in the not too distant future, there will be no coal and oil left... at least this way we'd be helping to prolong the life of fossil fuels.

Although Nuclear will be all the rage way before that happens.

lo_res_man · Tue 28/08/2007 09:07:04

If you really want to go nuclear, lets revive Project Orion and get off this rock.

Scummbuddy · Wed 29/08/2007 22:13:21

I'm sure those windmills will keep those turtles cool.

Haddas · Wed 29/08/2007 22:36:38

Quote from: Scummbuddy on Wed 29/08/2007 22:13:21

I'm sure those windmills will keep those turtles cool.

WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!

arthur.com · Thu 30/08/2007 20:52:33

damn you two
i waned to say WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY!!!

Haddas · Sat 01/09/2007 11:40:40

Quote from: Stupot on Tue 28/08/2007 06:20:45
Actually... if we all had a tiny windmill mounted to our butts, then every time we farted we would produce wind energy that could be collected in a special pair of electric knickers and used to light your cigarettes or power your dildo.

That reminds me of an idea I have. Though it all depends on the invention of the teleport. You see, it's a well known fact that cows produce a lot of gas. Now that gas is all going to waste as it is. If we were to install sort of a gas filter teleport in the butt of the cow it could transfer the gas to large storage containers. This gas would then be used for power. One cow would produce several cubic feet per day. Now think thousands of farms and hundreds of thousands of cows..