DIY wind turbines

[Randen]

I'm thinking of a substantial contribution for my electrical needs. I would like to hear about some success stories or maybe lessons learned when it comes to a DIY or commercial turbines.

We live in an area with a good resource 6.5 m/s winter. Wide open country property. I have the resources to a machine shop and a strong electrical background.

I'm not really interested in rebuilding a turbine every other month. In other words a maintance PITA. I like to build things robust. Anyone with some experience??

I've admired Chris Olsen and his approach and input of which he has explained the pros and cons.

My situation, I do agree with solar as a great way to make power but one would require a grid program of either net meter or feed in tariff. This would bank the summer production to use during the winter. My largest consumption is due to our Geo-thermal Heat-pumps during the winter when the wind is plentiful. It would make sense if the same cold wind that is causing my heat-pump to suck back the amps was used to offset the same.

However my issue: my local distributor of electrical energy is crying no capacity for grid tie if I were to install a solar array. ERRR

With the increased velocity of the cold dense wind and the increased cloud cover that would preclude any solar PV generation.

The wind may provide a sizable reduction of the necessary electrical requirements of geothermal heat-pumps.

Anyone that would have suggestions would be welcomed.

 Thanks randen

[Mary B]

The axial flux design is pretty robust. Many do yearly maintenance and let them run the rest of the time. Look on otherpower.com at their designs to get some ideas or even buy a set of plans.

[gww]

My belief is even in winter you would get more and more consitent power with solar.  Not being able to gridtie would not change this.  If you get wind you will still need lots of batteries and a large inverter to be able to start the geo thurmal heat pump.  I bought my 7200 watt worth of inverters cause a doctor had ten (I bought two 3600 watts each)  and they had trouble starting his geo thurmal.  If you have the batteries and the inverters, they are harder to control with wind.  If you over produce with solar it just shuts down with wind you have to keep a load on the turbine and somewhere for the power to go.

The turbine is cheep enough but towers, wire and controlls is where the cost is.  Solar is cheep for what you get.  If it is dollars and cents go solar. If it is hobby go wind.  My solar out produces my wind all year and batteries need charged all year.  I like my wind but my solar would pay for itself in about 50 years if nothing broke.  My wind would take about 400+ years to come out even on.  I think I am going to build a bigger turbine when I get around to it.
Cheers
gww

Ps Chris O just posted that using a deisel generator makes more economic sense then having wind.

[Randen]

Thanks everyone for weighing in. the head scratching is still going on.
In my local area there are a lot who have a 10 kw solar PV system installed. A number of times I specifically drove to the installations to get an idea of their output on our overcast days many times 300 to 900 watts.
These people are on the Micro-fit program in Ontario Canada. This is a Feed In Tariff program paying a premium for watts delivered to the grid for a 20 year period. I'm unable to connect due to power line constraints. This program would indeed wipe out my annual costs for heating with geo-thermal and then some. This is made possible due to the amount of energy banked during summer.

In a nut shell this is my goal net zero. But lets start with the largest load.

I'm aware of the advantages of solar and the price per watt. No moving parts just sunlight. I've had a price presented to me for panels of a popular manufacture with a 25 yr. warranty for $0.60/watt. But this will only work for my summer air-conditioning bill which is next to nothing.

In my location on the globe 6.5 m/s wind speed seems OK. If I consult the annual power production for a commercial turbine rated at 5KW. the instantaneous production at 7 m/s will produce more than my heat-pump will operate at. In-fact as I write this and can hear the faint purr of the H/P and the wind is 7 gusting 11 m/s.

I guess what I would like to hear is " Yes I had built 5 axial turbine's and they are powering my wood working shop and house." " I lower them 1 time per year for tightening bolts and lubing bearings," "Their high voltage machines and have grid tied well."

Chris O has been very up-front. In not so many words. turbines are unreliable, you can depend on a diesel generator. I believe he had made some very robust axial machines by the photos I've seen and his wind resource is excellent.

I had given some thought to a diesel genset providing both electrical and heat for the in-floor heating systems. But the thought of the volatile fuel prices and additional maintainance keeps that thought a long way from there.

I've been watching Scoraig bought Hughs Recipe book and had a subscription to Homepower. Have made a few CAD drawings ready to machine some nice billet axials with feathering blades.

 It still would be nice to hear "built it and quite happy I Did."

Randen

[gww]

R......
You did see the last sentance of my post didn't you, you know, where I said I plan on building a bigger one.

I am a mph guy and so I don't know without looking up a chart what your wind speeds are.

If the speeds posted are from the gov charts, lots of times they are for about 80,000 feet in the air.

If you build it yourself it makes the understanding better.  Big is better price wise cause one tower does more.

Bigger is harder to keep under controll.  Did you see dans 24 footer he just posted about here?

If you still have grid tie in mind then you probly wan't to buy cause all the intertie agreements I looked at wanted ul aproved componants.

I hope if you do it you will provide picktures as everyone here seems to love pictures, me included.

I wish you the best.
gww