Wind Generator
(Page 4 of 6)
Energy storage is, according to Price, the weak link in his
system. "There's absolutely no problem at all in
making the power . . . that's the easy part. But
decent storage-something that's affordable and can still
take the abuse of constant charge and discharge—is
darned hard to come by."
RELATED CONTENT
Rock Port, Mo., took advantage of the power generated from the nearby Loess Hills Wind Farm in a bi...
More than 100 schools in 30 states have installed wind generators, and many more are doing the rese...
This 1975 article on wind generators includes notes on firsthand experiences, thoughts on finding u...
Build a bicycle generator with a bicycle, a battery, and an automobile alternator, and you can prod...
Learn how to generate power with a bicycle, just like actor and environmentalist Ed Begley, Jr. doe...
Marshall wanted [1] a system that would allow him to be
somewhat independent of the power companies, and [2] one
that would be working even when the wind wasn't. As his
setup stands now, the outsized alternator generates
alternating current, which is rectified to direct current
through diodes, then stored in a mixed grill of batteries
composed of 2- and 6-volt cell blocks. That bank is wired
in a series-parallel circuit to achieve 12 volts total, and
that power is fed through a stand-alone inverter that
converts the storable DC back into AC, for use throughout
most of the house.
Mr. Price doesn't use a voltage regulator on his system,
because the batteries—when they're
depleted—require a good three days of steady wind to
even approach the overcharging point. In fact, he simply
uses his appliances as indicators of his storage bank's
state of charge: "I can tell by the way the lights bum. If
they're too bright, I know I'm getting more than 13 volts
instead of my usual 12.5, so I have to shut down the plant.
On the other hand, if the batteries are low, the picture on
my color TV gets distorted-in the upper right-hand corner,
and that tells me it's time to crank the tail out straight
again. A few years back, we had a nine-day spell without
any appreciable breeze, and the cells were able to handle
that, so I'm not too worried about my storage capacity."
Of course, batteries do lose their effectiveness.
But Price stresses the importance of maintaining a
cost-effective approach to these essential pieces of
equipment. He cites as an example an offer that was made to
him some time ago: "A fellow had three huge Pullman car
batteries that he wanted $3,700 for. Now if I'd invested
that amount of money at 10% interest, it would have paid my
power bill for quite a few years to come, so those Pullman
units weren't a good buy. It's better to get a number of
smaller batteries, pay maybe $25 apiece for them, and use
them to the bitter end. They might not last as long, but at
that price I could afford to replace them."
Page:
<< Previous 1 |
2 |
3 | 4 |
5 |
6 |
Next >>
