Valentin Battle is an expert in the area of renewable energy. He wrote several articles about renewable energy options and he runs the Wind Power website.
Posts Tagged ‘global warming solutions’
Wind Power And Domestic Wind Turbines At Home
Since the electrical bills are going higher today, folk must be ready to find tactics in order that they can save cash. Now, rather than paying those corporations that provide electrical energy, there are alternative sources that you can choose from. One of them is thru building those homemade wind power generators.
You can definitely research on these systems so you will be ready to expand your knowledge about them and ultimately, you’ll be in a position to adopt the system into your house. Not only can you able to save money but you’ll also be turning your home green as this generator is not harmful to the environment.
These home made wind energy generators will only cost you about 200 dollars and so you will definitely agree that this is an extremely low price as opposed to what you’ve been paying the electric companies all these years now. In a matter of some months, you’ll be ready to get back what you have invested since this system will not require you more maintenances and additional materials.
You can log on and as quickly as you get the instructions, you won’t find it tough to implement them. In addition, you may find the materials for a very cheap price and a number of them will even be free.
The statement that says that you can get free energy is naturally extraordinarily pleasing to hear. This is a reason why you can wish to commence building your own home made wind energy generator so you can start your cash saving campaign.
Domestic wind turbines are growing up everywhere now generally because folk are starting to see discernible advantages of installing them. Houses as well as businesses adopt this technology as an or source of energy that is not just green, but everlasting. With so much uncertainty around us such around us like fluctuating energy costs and financial turmoil, it is mandatory now to look at clean energy sources like domestic wind turbines even for homes.
Benefits of domestic Wind Power turbines
Except for helping businesses and families save on power and water charges each month, the use of wind power reduces our dependance of carbon-based fuels.
Some homes combine the use of wind and solar electricity for a total clean energy solution.
Costs and availability of components
Domestic wind turbines do not costs thousands of greenbacks to be installed. This is possible because lots of the elements required are available now at your local hardware store or on the web. What you really need is a step-by-step guide to help you build your first wind energy system.
If you have land space of an acre or more, it is ideal for such systems where you can install bigger wind blades for increased power generation. But as I discussed, you can still install smaller ones on rooftops.
The availability of wind, glaringly, and wind speed is critical for efficient power generation. You’ll find out the wind speed in your neighborhood by doing a fast search on Google. Generally, a wind speed of 10 miles an hour or more is sufficient.
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Alternative Fuels History – Truth Of How People Began Using Alternative Fuels
Alternative fuels, or at least the concept of them, have been around since the early days of the automobile. The gasoline internal combustion engine changed the face of the planet, but since day 1 people have looked for other fuels to power this engine with.
It wasn’t until the American gas shortages of the 1970’s that research into alternative fuels really began in earnest. Faced with shortages of gasoline, there was no choice but to develop some alternatives to the standard gasoline engine. What they discovered was ethanol.
Ethanol
Alcohol made from corn has been around since mankind first learned to cultivate it, but it wasn’t until the 70’s that scientists realized it could be used in gasoline powered vehicles. Ethanol (denatured with enough methanol that people couldn’t drink it) could power an internal combustion engine as effectively as petrochemicals, but without a lot of the harmful byproducts of petrochemical combustion. It was cheaper to make than gasoline, and would require large amounts of corn, which was good for the farmers at the time.
There were other fuels that were discovered to work as well, with modifications to the engine to accomodate the new fuels. Natural gas, propane, and hydrogen will all power an internal combustion engine just as well as gasoline or ethanol. But there were (and still are) problems with fuel storage and delivery, and the engine must be modified to use these fuels – they won’t work in a standard gasoline engine design.
Why Aren’t We Using Alternative Fuels Then?
There is probably no simple answer as to why we aren’t already using these alternative fuels now – 30 years after research first began. Some cite the political clout of the big oil companies, others cite the expense of changing the infrastructure to a new fuel type (which is made all the more difficult by the millions of gasoline vehicles already on the roads), still others say that the technologies simply are not ready yet. The true answer probably lies with a blending of all these reasons and many more – societal inertia comes to mind. People are simply comfortable with there gas guzzlers, and until a good portion of the population wants this change, it won’t happen. But fortunately, this is occurring today. With gas prices spiraling up out of control at the pump, more and more cities cloaked in a thickening layer of smog, and global envornmental awareness hitting it’s peak, popular demand for alternative fuels that are cheaper and greener is at an all-time high.
Abhishek is an avid Environmentalist and he has got some great Alternative Fuel Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 70 Pages Ebook, “Energy Conservation And Alternative Fuel” from his website http://www.Wonder-Homes.com/643/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.
Hydrogen Fuel Cars – Do They Exist?
Did you know that hydrogen fuel cars are already on the streets of many first world countries? General Motors and Ford already launched hydrogen fuel cars and currently, BMW has created a series of the same type of vehicle. General Motors already have thirteen hydrogen fuel cars roaming the streets of Washington, including 6 minivans.
Ford is still in the process of manufacturing ‘Focus’. Other car manufacturers namely Honda, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler, and Nissan already have vehicles in the Army and even with the public.
With the launching of hydrogen fuel cars, many car owners no longer have to worry about gas mileage. If you want to save money now, yet you can’t afford the hydrogen fuel cars, have your existing car converted. Of course, it can cost a little but the benefits are priceless.
By 2010, General Motors will launch alternative hydrogen fuel cars. Although the cars use alternative hydrogen fuel, the price is just like that of internal combustion vehicles. GM and Shell are now partners; the latter has created stations for hydrogen fuel to meet the demand for the alternative fuel. The two giant companies projected that for every 200,000 hydrogen fuel cars, 300 stations are needed.
If you walk the streets of Europe, you will hardly notice that there are some hydrogen fuel buses roaming their streets. DaimlerChrysler introduced the said buses in 2004. You can find the buses in Barcelona, Amsterdam, London, Hamburg, Madrid, Luxemburg, Reykjavik, Porto, Stuttgart, and Stockholm. The buses function well regardless of the weather.
In fact, the buses provide excellent transportation during hot summers and cold winters; as well as in the hilly regions and flatlands. You can find hydrogen stations in the 7 major cities of Europe and each station is equipped with the necessary equipments like the electrolysis tools. Water is used to create the fuel for the stations.
An ethanol fuel car can also use hydrogen fuel cells. Ethanol has water and this is where the hydrogen is derived. If you use this alternative, you can improve gas mileage and at the same time supply the cells with the needed hydrogen. This type of vehicle is called water power car or hybrid car and it can run using ethanol or hydrogen.
If you want a clean and abundant energy source, choose hydrogen fuel cars. As long as you have a water source, you can use it to power your hydrogen car. At present, the fuel cells are quite large but developers are now trying to make it more efficient and more reliable. Just imagine the very first computers which were large but after several years, small versions were soon invented and launched. It will not be shocking if hydrogen fuel technology will rapidly develop.
One thing’s for sure, hydrogen fuel cars do exist. Some people are still unaware of this fact but in the coming years, these cars will dominate the streets. Here’s good news to everyone, if you want to address the global warming problem, have your cars converted if it is feasible.
Check your locality if you can find a hydrogen station. This is a very important decision that you have to make, so be sure that you will have no regrets. So far, users of hydrogen fuel cars do not have any regrets and with the advanced technology of today, improvements are on their way. So look out for the cars of the future.
Gargi Nath,a Professor in English in a reputed college in kolkata for the last 5 years having done masters and Phd.A keen creative author and have written many articles on numerous topics.Many of the articles are published regularly in newspapers and magazines.Please visit my blog http://fuel-as-hydrogen.blogspot.com for more information on hydrogen fuel cars.
Applied Magnets Introduces the Windmax Line of Hybrid Small Wind Generators
Applied Magnets is pleased to announce it’s low cost lineup of WindMax Hybrid Small Wind & Solar Power Generators.
The new line consists of? the WINDMAX-HY06?? 600W Hybrid Solar-Wind System (generator, hub, 3 blades, tail , controller and one BP Solar 115W solar module) and the WINDMAX-HY11 1115W Hybrid Solar-Wind System (generator, hub, 3 blades, tail, controller and two BP 170w solar modules).
Both Hybrid wind/solar systems are compact & light weight with low start-up & cut-in speeds which begin producing power at 5.2 mph. These new systems are highly efficient, highly reliabile and encorporate state-of-the-art Electromagnetic Speed-Control.
The new WindMax Hybrid Wind & Solar Power Generators are also available as stand alone wind turbines in the WINDMAX-H05 500W Max Power Wind Generators w/controller and Electromagnetic Speed Control, Blade Over-speed Braking with Hybrid Wind/Solar Output Capability,? the WINDMAX-H08 775W Wind Generators w/controller, with Electromagnetic Speed Control, Blade Over-speed Braking with Hybrid Wind/Solar Output Capability, and the WINDMAX-H20 2kW Wind Generators with Electromagnetic Speed Control, Blade Over-speed Braking with Hybrid Wind/Solar Output Capability.
The Windmax H series Wind turbine system is the perfect choice in a smart investment for a renewable energy solution built on advanced technologies. The Windmax H series defines a new level of superior performance and reliability by using:
1. Strong Neodymium magnet PMA, the unique winding and multi pole design reduces the start-up torque of the alternator that assures the WINDMAX-H series can generate electricity at low wind speed.
2. Advanced aerodynamic braking by patent-pending low noise, nylon/reinforced fiber glass blades.
3. Electromagnetic over-speed control, no more problematic mechanical furling.
4. Integrated solar-wind hybrid power generation.
5. Innovative low maintenance two-moving-part system design.
6. Easy to Install, Light Weight and highly reliable.
7. Generator: The generator is built using high-performance rare earth neodymium permanent magnets, so the alternator is compact and light weight with a high power generating efficiency. Generator housing is made using precision cast technology from high strength aluminum to assure a high quality finish. It is designed for various working conditions such as severe climate, sand and salt corrosive environments and marine usage.
8. Rotor Blades: Advanced airfoil design to capture maximum wind energy. Made of mixed nylon and reinforced fiber glass materials using the latest advanced thermoplastic engineering and precision injection molding technology for high strength, flexibility and aerodynamic braking. The blades have exceptional consistency and aerodynamic outline with a mass distribution that ensures the rotors operate with nearly no noise and minimal vibration.
In summary, Windmax H series are the most well built, reliable, most efficient and cost-effective small wind turbines available on the market today.
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The result: greater energy production yield and lowest ownership cost.
Design Features
Advanced over-speed control mechanism vs. old style furling
Problems with old style furling: Old style furling works well in an ideal, wind tunnel test environment. Realistically, wind speed and wind direction changes frequently and mechanical furling doesn?t have instantaneous response to actual changes of wind status. Especially in bad weather conditions, small wind turbine furling components wear out quickly, therefore, increases maintenance costs and shorten wind turbine service life or causes system failure.
Most of old style furling based wind turbines have three moving parts. It is the moving parts for mechanical over-speed protection that wear out and require a lot of maintenance. Operation of furling based wind turbines would lead to mechanical abrasion, cause vibration, malfunction, and failure of the wind turbine and other devastating results in the long run.
The rule of thumb for a reliable wind turbine is that the fewer the moving parts, the more reliable the wind turbine is.
The Windmax Solution: Windmax H series adopted Innovative over-speed control so it improves the reliability by abandoning the moving parts for mechanical over-speed protection and minimizing the moving parts to only two.
Innovative over-speed control design of the Windmax H series: The Windmax H series speed limitation abandoned the traditional failure-prone mechanical furling system and solved safety and reliability problems facing most small wind turbines. Advanced speed limitation of Windmax H series is achieved through advanced electromagnetic speed limitation supplemented by aerodynamic speed limitation by blade deformation. Electromagnetic braking is used in combination with Aerodynamic braking to reduce the rotational speed of the generator.
Combination of Electromagnetic braking and aerodynamic braking maximizes energy capture by extending Windmax H series turbine?s operating speed range into higher speed winds and lower speed winds which are missed by the old style wind turbines.
1. Electromagnetic speed limitation:
Controller will monitor the wind generator rotation through the wind generator output voltage and frequency, and will timely control wind generator rotation by generating reverse reluctance torque if necessary, according to different wind conditions and battery status. Electromagnetic control features quick response, high reliability and therefore ensures the entire control system to be highly reliable.
2. Blade aerodynamic braking:
In high wind speed conditions, patent pending blades will generate a reverse reluctance torque, so that the blade efficiency falls and the blade rotation speed starts to decline. With the continuing reluctance torque, blade rotation speed is limited to a certain range to prevent damage to the wind turbine blades.
Wind-solar hybrid power generation wind turbine system
Problem with single source renewable energy system:
1st Generation single source renewable energy systems such as solar systems or wind turbines don?t use renewable energy efficiently. Wind turbines creates less output during the summer, whereas during the winter the solar panels will produce less output.
Windmax Solution:
Our Windmax hybrid solar-wind turbine integrated wind and solar power sources capture the most energy in all conditions. Since solar and wind energy availability differs by locations, seasons and climates, solar and wind energy can be mutually complementary in that solar and wind hybrid systems make full use of wind and solar energy together to generate as much power as possible compared to a single energy source for power generation. A solar & wind hybrid system is more cost-efficient than wind or solar alone.
Easy-to-install, light weight, compact, reliable and maintenance-free wind turbines, designed for both land-based and marine applications.
Problem with old style wind turbine systems:
Most old style wind turbines are heavy weight with unpredictable reliability, hard to install and require lots of maintenance. Due to the fact that most installations are in very remote and inaccessible locations, the old style systems make regular maintenance costly and sometimes impractical.
Windmax Solution:
Windmax H series maintenance free design has a minimum of moving parts with inherent reliability. Our light weight, compact die-casting aluminum alloy generator design makes installation very easy. Rotor blades built with latest advanced thermoplastic engineering and precision injection molding technology is durable and efficient.
Higher performance at low wind speed
The problem with small wind turbine system on the market today: The most challenging problem facing small wind turbine systems is that power output is very low or close to nothing under low wind condition. The wind speed in most locations don?t stay at rated wind speed all the time, wind turbine actually operates at wind speed lower than rated wind speed at most of the time. In order to have good overall energy output, it is critical for small wind turbine to output as much as power at low wind speed.
The WindMax Solution: Strong Neodymium magnet PMA, unique winding and multi pole design reduces the start-up torque of the alternator that assures the WINDMAX-H series can generate electricity at low wind speed. WindMax system components such as wind generator and blades are designed to output more electricity at low wind speed than other small wind turbines on the market today. WindMax system?s excellent power output under low wind speed results in greater energy production yield and lowest ownership cost.
WindMax H series components are built with advanced technologies
Generator: The generator is built using high-performance rare earth neodymium permanent magnets, so the alternator is compact and light weight with a high power generating efficiency. The unique winding and multi pole design reduces the start-up torque of the alternator that assures the WINDMAX-H series can generate electricity at low wind speed. The generator features class B insulation, IP55 class protection, and is designed with a sufficient cushion of overload to ensure overall wind turbine reliability.
Generator housing is made with precision cast technology from high strength aluminum to assure a high quality finish. It is designed for various working conditions such as severe climate, sand and salt corrosive environments and marine usage. Aluminum die cast alloys can withstand the highest operating temperatures of all die cast alloys. Ideal for demanding environments, it offers high strength and rigidity along with good corrosion resistance and heat dissipation.
Patent pending Rotor Blade design vs. traditional hand made fiber glass blades: Our Blades are made with the latest thermoplastic engineering and injection mold technologies. The blades are made of mixed reinforced fiber glass and nylon materials. These manufacturing technologies ensure the highest strength, flexibility of blades and consistency of the blade shapes. The blades will automatically slow the turbine in strong winds and reduce noise.
A set of 3 Blades designed to capture as much wind energy as possible. Patented aerofoil blade design makes the system run much more efficiently and the rotor blades are made with the latest advanced thermoplastic engineering and precision injection molding technology.
The blades have exceptional consistency and aerodynamic outline with a mass distribution that ensures the rotors operate with nearly no noise and minimal vibration.
The blades feature lower start-up and cut-in speed and begin producing power at 2 m/s or 4.5 mph.
Solar/Wind Hybrid Charge Controller: A 16-bit microprocessor powered Solar/Wind Hybrid Charge Controller delivers electricity generated by both a wind turbine and a solar module into batteries. The controller has over-charge protection, low-voltage protection, pole-confusion protection and automatic dump-load function. The controller adopts the constant voltage charging mode-PWM, and it is reliable and safe with a highly efficient, long service life.
Main Features
1. PWM CV charging function protects the batteries
from being over charged and energy can be fully
utilized.
2.16-bit Microprocessor chip ensures accurate control.
3. Return difference control function in the charging
voltage detector of various circuits to prevent
vibration status of switches
4.Perfect protections: over charge protection, over
discharge protection, reverse connection protection,
solar cell panel reverse connection protection
5.Automatic brake and manual brake ensures that the
wind turbine and the PV & wind hybrid charging
controller operate safely and reliably
Starting at just $665.00 USD the new WindMax line offers great value to small wind turbine feild of entries and can be viewed at www.magnet4less.com
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Allen Wang has been in the magnet and wind energy industry since 2002.