The next big thing! – EV powered wind turbine

[kitestrings]

I believe I’ve discovered the next big thing in wind; sure to revolutionize the small wind industry!  Consider these common problems with traditional wind systems:

Poor wind, unpredictable winds
Damage from high winds
Corrosion/deterioration from the natural elements
Personal risk of injury (or worse) from working at tall heights
Noise and neighbor issues
Local height restrictions


Well now you can produce power from your, or your neighbors (just invite them to stop by before they park it for the day) highly efficient EV or plug-in hybrid in the privacy of your own garage.  No need to worry about poor wind sites, damage, corrosion or noisy blades.  With the new (patent-pending) “EV Powered Turbine” (aka ‘EVPT’) all your wind troubles are solved.

Low winds?  Need that toaster today?  No problem, just rev up that EV and give those batteries what they really need.  Local noise or aesthetics ordinances got you down?  Just close the overhead door and leave those hassles behind.

Operators standing by to take you R& D development dollars…

~ks

[DamonHD]

Now now!

[tanner0441]

Hi

HHmmm. Smacks of OU use your electric vehicle to turn a turbine to charge your EV battery.

Brian.

[DamonHD]

I am trusting that KS is deliberately winding us up, else back to elementary science indoctrinationclasses for him!

[SparWeb]

KS,
Beats the socks off my diesel-powered ethanol catalyst tank.

Have you patented this yet?
I want to start producing cheap knock-offs of it in Asia.

[kitestrings]

That must be a dastardly thing to stay on.

Got to keep a sense of humor about this stuff, eh?

So, the story behind this picture is that we needed a way to spin the thing up under semi-controlled conditions.  This looks like it will do the job, and it allowed me to keep the wiring exactly as it was when it was up on the test tower, so as not to introduce anything new to the equation.

Thanks for keeping me honest.  No OU pitches (for now

~ks

[Bruce S]

First thing I thought of was the old log splitter that would attach to the rear wheel in the early 70s!
 

[tanner0441]

Hi

Another thought.... Trade descriptions act in the UK would love him. Wind Turbine??  Wind or is it hot air?

Still no output figures, shaft speeds, cut in RPM, and when the belt jumps off how do you stop it garroting you?

Brian

[kitestrings]

Still no output figures, shaft speeds, cut in RPM, and when the belt jumps off how do you stop it garroting you

This alternator cuts in about 90-95 rpm =~ 60VDC.  So if my math is correct, it cuts-in about the equivalent of 9 mph on the EV, and the upper limit of what we should need is a little over 15 mph.  I'm not sure I want to stand in front of the thing about that point.

Those splitters always looked pretty scary to me.

[kitestrings]

Shortly after I'd originally posted this it occurred to me that I might be quarantined from the board for promoting an over unity project.  Happy 04/01 to all.  ~ks

[dnix71]

How do you trick the EV into going along with this? Most modern cars have some form of traction control. If you spin one wheel and the other one doesn't move, the engine dials back or the brakes kick in. The car would assume you are stuck in a rut and try and apply more power to the stationary wheel.

But it sure does beat strapping the mill to the roof and driving around with it to check its output in different speed winds.
This pic was pulled from the web. Some place in Romania.

[kitestrings]

"Most modern cars have some form of traction control. If you spin one wheel and the other one doesn't move, the engine dials back or the brakes kick in. The car would assume you are stuck in a rut and try and apply more power to the stationary wheel."

We raised the entire front of the car so both wheels were free.  It was all pretty low speed stuff.

Your pic is great.  I remember Dan B had one on the front of a truck.  In my youth we tested turbines on a flood control dam.  It made a nice runway without the complexity of on-coming traffic.

[Jason Wilkinson]

Please don't call it a   " WIND TURBINE"

[mbouwer]

To me it seems a fun activity to secure your mill on the cart and then measure the wattage at various speeds.

[kitestrings]

Please don't call it a   " WIND TURBINE"

A few things, to be clear:

The original post was presented solely in the interest of humor.

I'm not sure if it is recognized around the globe, but where I live April 1st is know as "April Fool's Day", where lighthearted pranks are tremendous fun, especially with those who tend to be too serious (this includes most grown-ups actually).

The turbine is in fact a wind turbine, it just doesn't have blades on.  Motoring the the thing up like this helped us to isolate a rather pesky problem with the charge controllers; or the transition from one to another really.  It's now up and running on an 85' tower.  No car involved.

http://www.fieldlines.com/index.php/topic,149124.0.html


~ks

[eryan76]

This is hilarious.  I've been chuckling for the past hour.

How about a wind turbine mounted to a boat that runs a propeller that pushes the boat through the water?

[kitestrings]

Now we're venturing into the Rube Golberg versions of perpetual motion.  I guess we should stop, but thanks, that was more the reaction I'd expected.

Here's one of the truck tests I'd seen on OP:
http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind_modelAtest.html

[tanner0441]

Hi

Truck testing may have risks but not as many as I took when was starting out..... Against all advice....... I had tested a 2ft diameter 3 blade prop by holding on to a 24V PM motor without any difficulty, so I thought I would just give the next incarnation a quick trial... 4ft 2 blade.

I attached the hub firmly to the shaft, I attached the blade to the hub, I carried the flat test battery to the gap between 2 houses, clipped the crocodile clips to the battery, grabbed the motor firmly in both hands and brought the blades up into the vertical, slowly it started to turn then caught the wind and made a very satisfying swishing sound.

Up to this point it was all going very well just under an amp into the battery. My arms were beginning to ache so I turned out of the wind sometime about now I saw the flash, not inspiration, not the leads shorting out, I had just had a lesson on gyroscopic forces, the flash was when the blade trying to keep facing the same way hit me on the forehead.

Sat in a metal box with nuts and bolts holding the turbine in place some 4ft or more in front of you. The risk is minimal.

Brian

[KreAture]

This is hilarious.  I've been chuckling for the past hour.

How about a wind turbine mounted to a boat that runs a propeller that pushes the boat through the water?

Actually, this exists and works very well!
https://www.google.com/patents/US7775843



The second is called "Revelation II" and yes it is real.

The benefit here is they can not only tack hard against wind, but actually go against it. This works as the drag of the wind on the blades is much lower than the force gathered to turn the blades. When this force is then delivered to the prop it can go against the wind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzGCYaJbf0A

[SparWeb]

I bet even a bonehead land-lubber like me in a Sunfish could sail circles around that thing.