Wind power generators

[Egon]

Just getting the wood for the boiler would probably take more energy than you'll produce. Then there's the water treatment and condensers and feed pumps and on and on.

Egon

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I was not thinking it would take a full scale powerhouse.... /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gifI could see it cooling towers/dust collection precipitators/slag ponds/coal pile run off ponds/coal/wood conveyor belts/coal pulverizers/water treatment facilities....I think it would be easier to get about 30 miles of steam hose and hook it up to my local power plant.My wife could get her Stationary engineers license /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif. Not to mention tube leaks and hydro tests.... I will just stick with a pot bellied wood stove..... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Cacinok]

Steel_Wheels,

Your idea of using hot water is very valid, but instead of using wood you could use the sun to heat the water and then run the water through the flooring like these people did here . Half of their roof heats water to be circulated throughout the house and the other half is solar panels.

Check out the Sterling Engine site to see how the differential between cold air and hot air runs a small engine. Dean Kamen (inventor of the Segway among many other things) is attempting to use a sterling engine to generate electricity. I believe his company is in the early stages of testing.

Clint.

P.S. Think outside the box and you never know what you'll end up creating.

 

[Egon]

Unfortunetly to get effieciency from steam It's almost all or nothing.

There are sites where wind powered generator farms have been set up and been in operation for many years. These units are usually quite large and expensive, really not suitable for the backyard.
Wind power tied into a grid system is; to me, very viable as there is no need for all the expensive life limited battery systems required for an independant system.
For an isolated off grid system it will also work but will require a terrific adjustment in energy comsumming lifestyle.
The first few years of my life were spent in a farming community that had no commercial power. Windmills were a common item used to pump water for the animals.

It has also been alledged that some of these wind farms kill many night flying migratory birds.

Egon

 

[Dozernut]

First off I know nothing about wind generators but will relay some information I was told and observed. A local heavy equipment company had shops in two different towns. They put a windmill generator at each shop. These were mounted on towers that I am guessing were between 50-70 ft. tall. Being that they were in small towns, they were quite the conversation piece. The windmills would sit idle the biggest part of the time. I asked one of the employees of said company and he told me the following. The windmills were broke down quite often and the generating head had to be taken down to be worked on. They had to hire a crane to remove these large heads and it cost them $400 every time the head was removed. Along with the crane and the repairs they were a costly money saving device. Again I know nothing about windmill generators so take this with a grain of salt.

 

[TresCrows]

"It has also been alledged that some of these wind farms kill many night flying migratory birds."---yeah, I think that is true, they are also ugly as sin and an environmental nightmare. J

 

[thcri]

I guess I wouldn't know about the migratory birds. If so then not so good. As far as the view, I actually think they look neat on the plains. To see all the props going in unison. And I look at it this way, hey we are saving earth's resources. There is plenty of wind, it is free and if we can use it, then do so. The alternative is to suck some more coal out of the ground, build more coal burning plants or go nuclear. The United States is way short of Power Generating Plants right now. The other thing is some of the plants are very inefficient and put more crap in the air.

my two pennies

murph