Invitation to participate in giant DIY wind turbine project

[rcavictim]

I live in 23 acres near the town of Shelburne, Ontario where a large commercial wind farm was erected last year after commercial interests finally discovered what I have known since I moved in here almost 10 years ago. This place has lots of wind! Part of my plan when I located here was to erect a sizeable wind turbine to be able to use the power of the wind to make electric heat and light for my home and shop building. Such use of wind derived electricity sidesteps the need for a cost prohibitive battery banks and inverter system. When the cold wind in the winter is blowing the hardest is when you need the most heat.

Not being financially able to place an order for purchase of a commercial wind turbine in the 20-30 kW class and hire contractors to install it by writing a check for $60,000-$100.000.00, and being a DIY'er of the most diehard kind, I have planned to build such a beast myself, using scrounged materials. After literally years of materials gathering, with the acquisition of the until recently elusive, all critical planetary gear box I am now ready to begin fabrication of my dream.

I have come up with plans for a large wind turbine that will consist of a DIY self supporting steel tower to hold a ton and change of generator and gearbox about 75 feet off the ground. The DIY steel propeller will weigh as much as 1000 lbs and be as large as almost 40 feet in diameter.

The centrifuhal forces at the hub at operating speed (10-12 meter per second winds) will be enormous. To put this in perspective imagine two small block Chevy engines, each on a strong 9 foot long length of aircraft cable wire rope, swinging around an 18+ foot circle at two revolutions per second (120 RPM). At rated turbine speed each blade will be trying to escape with a pull of nearly 20,000 lbs force.

As with most of my numerous DIY projects over my lifetime the design gets close to a complete understanding and at that point construction begins, then the fine details get worked out as construction progresses. This project is no different. There are lots of little details whose solutions will only become apparent as the hardware gets assembled.

This very interesting project represents a unique, hands-on learning experience opportunity unlike anything that most of us will ever have an opportunity to be involved in. I would like to invite the participation of anyone here who might live in my area that possesses the interest and some level of skills needed to be a part of such an undertaking. Numerous engineering disciplines may apply. For example, the electronic control system needs to be worked out yet and there is plenty of welding and machining to to do. This project will proceed all summer long during the work week as well as weekends, so any time you might wish to participate is probably convenient.

Interested parties may contact me via the private mail button.

[tomtt]

seen this?

http://www.homepower.com

[Spasticteapot]

Pay to get me up there, and I can help. I have (extremely limited) welding skill, and I've got some fine metalworking ability.

[rcavictim]

Originally posted by tomtt
seen this?

http://www.homepower.com

Yes thank you. That is really elenentary stuff. I've had my head buried in wind turbine engineering research papers published by Sandia Research Labs and stuff like that for the past few years.

[rcavictim]

Originally posted by Spasticteapot
Pay to get me up there, and I can help. I have (extremely limited) welding skill, and I've got some fine metalworking ability.

Thanx for the offer but unfortunately there is no funding to provide travel asistance for interns.

I'd like the record to reflect that it was an American who first answered this call. Too often it is the Americans that recognize the value of an opportunity when presented whilst Canadians are too busy flipping the remote control looking for a hockey game to watch. You guys and gals as a people are the best. Too bad your government is spoiling this goodwill bigtime with suicidal foreign and self destructive internal policy.

If there is a philanthropist out there who would like to fund the educational aspect of this project I could formally create the student positions under the auspices of the federally incorporated, non-profit research institute over which I preside.

[Wombat2]

Go for it - I lived with a 2KVA 110volt wind generator (DaveyDunlite) for 3 years . My biggest problem was TOO MUCH POWER.

I didn't find out until I sold it that the self feather mechanism wasn't working so it just boiled the batteries

It's amazing how little power you really use. With all lights on and the TV we only pulled 300 watts Bit of overkill with a 2kva inverter. I had a 500watt rotory inverter but it's starter windings burnt out when the kids left the hi fi plugged in the standby current kept trying to start it

Our biggest problem was refrigeration. With nothing else on the inverter coped with the fridge starting but one or two other appliances and it would trip the inverter every time.

At the time the power utility company would not allow excess power to be fed into the grid but now they do which would have solved all our problems.

[Tall Shadow]

Originally posted by rcavictim

Thanx for the offer but unfortunately there is no funding to provide travel asistance for interns.

I'd like the record to reflect that it was an American who first answered this call. Too often it is the Americans that recognize the value of an opportunity when presented whilst Canadians are too busy flipping the remote control looking for a hockey game to watch. You guys and gals as a people are the best. Too bad your government is spoiling this goodwill bigtime with suicidal foreign and self destructive internal policy.

If there is a philanthropist out there who would like to fund the educational aspect of this project I could formally create the student positions under the auspices of the federally incorporated, non-profit research institute over which I preside.

All too willing to accept the help of Us "Pro-active" Yanks, Without shelling out anything to help, yet not too tolerant of Us being "Pro-active" anywhere else......Why doesn't that surprise me?

And no, I'm not just talking out my A**....Most of my family is from Canada (Both sides on Dad's side, and My grandmother on Mom's). I've seen the "Sheeple" lifestyle firsthand..most of my life.......Thank God! I didn't inherit it!


It sounds like you have an ideal location for your mini windfarm there. I would still put in at least a small battery/inverter system, as wind can be a fickle thing sometimes.

Best of luck with it!

Tall Shadow

[SY]

Our no-politics rule is hereby invoked. Cut it out.

[SY]

Sheerly by coincidence, in the past 3 weeks, I've spent time at some factories that are making the blades. Very interesting technology; it's a fiber-reinforced composite, but to reduce mass, the matrix resin is foamed. A solid outer layer skin disproportionately increases rigidity.

[jackinnj]

Originally posted by SY
Sheerly by coincidence, in the past 3 weeks, I've spent time at some factories that are making the blades. Very interesting technology; it's a fiber-reinforced composite, but to reduce mass, the matrix resin is foamed. A solid outer layer skin disproportionately increases rigidity.

sounds like Boeing's 787 -- same principles apply.