info@truenorthpower.com
A Publication of the FREE Wind Press - May be re-printed for personal use only
Copyright (C) 2007 TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
For commercial or non-profit publication contact TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
Lion's Head ON N0H 1W0 - (519) 793-3290
A Publication of the FREE Wind Press - May be re-printed for personal use only
Copyright (C) 2007 TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
For commercial or non-profit publication contact TRUE-NORTH Power Systems
Lion's Head ON N0H 1W0 - (519) 793-3290
Issue 2:5 Headlines: August 2004
The Value of Small Wind? - A LAKOTA Customer in Cyprus
Everyone agonizes over the payback period of a small wind system and equates each kilowatt they make to those produced by big wind turbines for commercial sale of power. They suggest the "economies of scale" are just not there for small wind but ignore the fact that personal energy value is not derived from "commercial energy prices" but from "Consumer energy prices" and there's a big difference. We'll discuss that in the next story but first here's an account from Joseph Terza who owns TERZA SOLAR POWER LTD in Larnaca Cyprus. He sent me this email of a local customer of his who is very happy with the "value" of his new hybrid wind and PV solar system recently installed. Here is his story.
Hi David,
Yes, really we have installed a Hybrid system consisting of 700W PVmodules mounted on an ETATRACKER 720 of LORENTZ GERMANY which we represent here in CYPRUS and one Lokota 900W Land 48V . The system consists also with a Studer Hybrid inverter HPC7048, 7KW-48V and a battery bank of 12pcs of 12V 200Ah Valve Regulated Sealed Lead Acid Batteries.
The system was installed on a 300m hill about 15 kilometers from our town Larnaca. The hill is about one mile from the sea. According to the wind statistics for coastal stations in Cyprus issued by the Meteorological Service of Cyprus the annual cycle of monthly wind speed normalized at 10m height for Larnaca is 5.2 m/s in April and 5 m/s in May. In June is 5.3 and in July 5.8 m/s. The House was builded two years ago and is the permanent residence of six people. For the last two years the customer was using diesel generators12KVA for the electification of the house.
Since April 1st 2004(first time he visited us) he told me that he was using the fourth generator since the other three have been destroyed and that the last one started making problems. Also he told me that he was working the gen for 10 hours a day and that he was using about one cubic meter (1000 lt) every month. i.e. 360 pounds (about $750).This was done on the 13th day of each month.
We installed the system on April 7 2004 i.e. six days before the 13th of April and on May 20 when I visited him he told me the following: I am working the gen only 3 hours a day, I have electricity for 24 hours and I have not filled the tank yet. I save more than 400 pounds every month. Really I am very happy with the system. Regarding the electricity consumption from what I saw from the inverter board they consume 20% of the 7kw i.e.1.4KW continuasly and some hours it goes to 60%.(about 30 KWh/day)
As far as the Lakota conserns he told me that it works for at least 20 hours a day. At that time I visited him the ammeter was showing for an hour 10 to 12 A of charging i.e. the Lakota was charging the batteries 12x48=576W x 20hours=11.52KWh/day Assuming that the PVmodules are charging also 700Wx8hours=5.6KWh/day we have a total of 17.12KWh/day from the system. But the point that I want mainly to mention is the following: The Turbine was installed near the small house he builted for the generator. The small house is about 40m from the main house. The space between them is a beauitiful garden with a big kiosk in the middle and palm trees around a swimming pool. During the afternoons the customer which is a bussiness man uses the kiosk for resting and enjoying the sight from the hill which is really very beauitiful.
With the generator he couldn't as he told me enjoy the garden and the sight due to the noisy generator.Now he is enjoing it for hours without any problem. When I told him if he hears the Turbine working he told me that he realizes that it is running only when he look at the blades. He also told me that he heard about Wind Turbines making noise but this one is so silent that you have to look on it in order to find out that is working. Another fact that I have to mention is that he has persuated another two neighbours to install such system. This is the whole story
Best Regards
Joseph Terzis
TERZA SOLAR POWER LTD
G. SEFERE 12A
6017 LARNACA, CYPRUS
Everyone agonizes over the payback period of a small wind system and equates each kilowatt they make to those produced by big wind turbines for commercial sale of power. They suggest the "economies of scale" are just not there for small wind but ignore the fact that personal energy value is not derived from "commercial energy prices" but from "Consumer energy prices" and there's a big difference. We'll discuss that in the next story but first here's an account from Joseph Terza who owns TERZA SOLAR POWER LTD in Larnaca Cyprus. He sent me this email of a local customer of his who is very happy with the "value" of his new hybrid wind and PV solar system recently installed. Here is his story.
Hi David,
Yes, really we have installed a Hybrid system consisting of 700W PVmodules mounted on an ETATRACKER 720 of LORENTZ GERMANY which we represent here in CYPRUS and one Lokota 900W Land 48V . The system consists also with a Studer Hybrid inverter HPC7048, 7KW-48V and a battery bank of 12pcs of 12V 200Ah Valve Regulated Sealed Lead Acid Batteries.
The system was installed on a 300m hill about 15 kilometers from our town Larnaca. The hill is about one mile from the sea. According to the wind statistics for coastal stations in Cyprus issued by the Meteorological Service of Cyprus the annual cycle of monthly wind speed normalized at 10m height for Larnaca is 5.2 m/s in April and 5 m/s in May. In June is 5.3 and in July 5.8 m/s. The House was builded two years ago and is the permanent residence of six people. For the last two years the customer was using diesel generators12KVA for the electification of the house.
Since April 1st 2004(first time he visited us) he told me that he was using the fourth generator since the other three have been destroyed and that the last one started making problems. Also he told me that he was working the gen for 10 hours a day and that he was using about one cubic meter (1000 lt) every month. i.e. 360 pounds (about $750).This was done on the 13th day of each month.
We installed the system on April 7 2004 i.e. six days before the 13th of April and on May 20 when I visited him he told me the following: I am working the gen only 3 hours a day, I have electricity for 24 hours and I have not filled the tank yet. I save more than 400 pounds every month. Really I am very happy with the system. Regarding the electricity consumption from what I saw from the inverter board they consume 20% of the 7kw i.e.1.4KW continuasly and some hours it goes to 60%.(about 30 KWh/day)
As far as the Lakota conserns he told me that it works for at least 20 hours a day. At that time I visited him the ammeter was showing for an hour 10 to 12 A of charging i.e. the Lakota was charging the batteries 12x48=576W x 20hours=11.52KWh/day Assuming that the PVmodules are charging also 700Wx8hours=5.6KWh/day we have a total of 17.12KWh/day from the system. But the point that I want mainly to mention is the following: The Turbine was installed near the small house he builted for the generator. The small house is about 40m from the main house. The space between them is a beauitiful garden with a big kiosk in the middle and palm trees around a swimming pool. During the afternoons the customer which is a bussiness man uses the kiosk for resting and enjoying the sight from the hill which is really very beauitiful.
With the generator he couldn't as he told me enjoy the garden and the sight due to the noisy generator.Now he is enjoing it for hours without any problem. When I told him if he hears the Turbine working he told me that he realizes that it is running only when he look at the blades. He also told me that he heard about Wind Turbines making noise but this one is so silent that you have to look on it in order to find out that is working. Another fact that I have to mention is that he has persuated another two neighbours to install such system. This is the whole story
Best Regards
Joseph Terzis
TERZA SOLAR POWER LTD
G. SEFERE 12A
6017 LARNACA, CYPRUS
What's the Payback Period?
Generally, the press and others who work in the Renewable Energy Business are quick to point out that there are "Economies of Scale" in creating electricity from the wind and if you are going to justify the investment economically then you've got to go BIG. Hence, all the news reporters and public interest become focused on wind farms operating bigger and bigger machines that produce megawatts of power. They talk about the cost of producing electricity in relation to the market price and justify their focus by suggesting that small machines just can't compete with on a cost per watt basis. This could only be true if small wind generators were competing for commercial production but they are not. Small wind production is competing for energy reliability, convenience and accessibility at the much higher "RETAIL MARKET" price that includes the connection charges, taxes, debt and losses associated with distribution..
When you compete for commercial electricity production the IMO (Independent Electricity Market Operator) or local utility will buy it from you at an average of less than 4-5 cents per kilowatt hour because that's what they charge you. You may also get a 1 cent federal subsidy if it is renewable energy. When you produce it yourself, for personal consumption, you avoid paying the retail price of 12-14 cents. Individuals like the homeowner in Cypus may save some foscil fuel cost and that's good but more importantly they improve their quality of life by being able to enjoy their pool and the quiet surroundings. When you have control of your own energy supply there is a pride of ownership and independence that has no dollar equivalent. But what if you just want to save money? If you simply value the system for the cost per watt even at full retail you are missing a lot of value over the life of the system.
Remember the Blackout last summer. Did you lose a freezer full of food? What did that cost and by the way, did you include the cost of the freezer operation and the lost energy, actually "wasted energy" you already purchased to keep the unused food frozen? What did it cost you for a generator, that cost even more in fuel to run and produce convenient power? Did your insurance cover the other losses caused by the power failure? It wasn't an "Act of God" so likely not, unless you paid a premium for it. How much time did you loose in your work trying to recover backups, if you had them, because your computers were down or your power tools did not work, or your workers were idle but you still had to pay them. . . . More than that, forget the BIGONE. Have you ever lost data or files from a power glitch that lasted only a few seconds or minutes? Did the utility ever overcharge you and cause you to spend hours and days chasing them on the phone or writing letters before they gave your account a credit? Did they send you a cheque for the interest in the same way they charged you when you were late paying that one time? Now, don't get down on the utilities, they are in business to make money and they have to cover their cost too. . . but you don't HAVE to be involved in that system of energy/money transfer if you value your time and your money differently. A small wind or solar system provides that freedom, flexibility and value, and that needs to be part of the payback equation. . . . You don't have to be "off grid" to gain many of those benefits.
When you consider the life of the system, don't think 15-20 years just to get the compound interest payback period to work. In 5-10 years there will be cheaper more productive ways to get energy from the wind that may not even be a turbine as we know them today. Just like buying your first computer. You barely learned how to operate your new purchase and all of a sudden there was a newer, faster model out only a few months later. That's the progress of technology and small wind is no different. Worthwhile changes are happening on a yearly basis now and it won't be long before significant improvements occur monthly. Laws will change, restrictions, subsidies and taxes will change and faster, better, more productive systems will appear. But don't be disuaded from jumping in. Only 20-30% of the cost of a small wind system is the "energy pump" the actual turbine itself. Most of it is in the ability to store and retrieve that power and that's where a lot of the real value lies. When you can store and retrieve your own power you have control of it. Now the other side of that is "YOU are the one who must control it" and that takes monitoring and charge contol equipment which also costs money. By planning big but starting small, it allows you to build up a worthwhile system gradually as you gain experience and knowledge. So buy your first turbine or solar panel and take control of your own power and the cost of energy. Enjoy the benefits and security of ownership. Stop fretting about the payback period so much. You never thought this way about new computers or cars and they just used energy.
Generally, the press and others who work in the Renewable Energy Business are quick to point out that there are "Economies of Scale" in creating electricity from the wind and if you are going to justify the investment economically then you've got to go BIG. Hence, all the news reporters and public interest become focused on wind farms operating bigger and bigger machines that produce megawatts of power. They talk about the cost of producing electricity in relation to the market price and justify their focus by suggesting that small machines just can't compete with on a cost per watt basis. This could only be true if small wind generators were competing for commercial production but they are not. Small wind production is competing for energy reliability, convenience and accessibility at the much higher "RETAIL MARKET" price that includes the connection charges, taxes, debt and losses associated with distribution..
When you compete for commercial electricity production the IMO (Independent Electricity Market Operator) or local utility will buy it from you at an average of less than 4-5 cents per kilowatt hour because that's what they charge you. You may also get a 1 cent federal subsidy if it is renewable energy. When you produce it yourself, for personal consumption, you avoid paying the retail price of 12-14 cents. Individuals like the homeowner in Cypus may save some foscil fuel cost and that's good but more importantly they improve their quality of life by being able to enjoy their pool and the quiet surroundings. When you have control of your own energy supply there is a pride of ownership and independence that has no dollar equivalent. But what if you just want to save money? If you simply value the system for the cost per watt even at full retail you are missing a lot of value over the life of the system.
Remember the Blackout last summer. Did you lose a freezer full of food? What did that cost and by the way, did you include the cost of the freezer operation and the lost energy, actually "wasted energy" you already purchased to keep the unused food frozen? What did it cost you for a generator, that cost even more in fuel to run and produce convenient power? Did your insurance cover the other losses caused by the power failure? It wasn't an "Act of God" so likely not, unless you paid a premium for it. How much time did you loose in your work trying to recover backups, if you had them, because your computers were down or your power tools did not work, or your workers were idle but you still had to pay them. . . . More than that, forget the BIGONE. Have you ever lost data or files from a power glitch that lasted only a few seconds or minutes? Did the utility ever overcharge you and cause you to spend hours and days chasing them on the phone or writing letters before they gave your account a credit? Did they send you a cheque for the interest in the same way they charged you when you were late paying that one time? Now, don't get down on the utilities, they are in business to make money and they have to cover their cost too. . . but you don't HAVE to be involved in that system of energy/money transfer if you value your time and your money differently. A small wind or solar system provides that freedom, flexibility and value, and that needs to be part of the payback equation. . . . You don't have to be "off grid" to gain many of those benefits.
When you consider the life of the system, don't think 15-20 years just to get the compound interest payback period to work. In 5-10 years there will be cheaper more productive ways to get energy from the wind that may not even be a turbine as we know them today. Just like buying your first computer. You barely learned how to operate your new purchase and all of a sudden there was a newer, faster model out only a few months later. That's the progress of technology and small wind is no different. Worthwhile changes are happening on a yearly basis now and it won't be long before significant improvements occur monthly. Laws will change, restrictions, subsidies and taxes will change and faster, better, more productive systems will appear. But don't be disuaded from jumping in. Only 20-30% of the cost of a small wind system is the "energy pump" the actual turbine itself. Most of it is in the ability to store and retrieve that power and that's where a lot of the real value lies. When you can store and retrieve your own power you have control of it. Now the other side of that is "YOU are the one who must control it" and that takes monitoring and charge contol equipment which also costs money. By planning big but starting small, it allows you to build up a worthwhile system gradually as you gain experience and knowledge. So buy your first turbine or solar panel and take control of your own power and the cost of energy. Enjoy the benefits and security of ownership. Stop fretting about the payback period so much. You never thought this way about new computers or cars and they just used energy.
Hybrids - Renewable Energy Systems Terminology Explained
If you are new to the world of private power and renewable energy there are a lot of terms and components that are unfamiliar to most people. There are turbines and batteries, inverters and charge controllers as well as dozens of terms like "Net Metering" and "deep cycle" that may not have been part of your experience. While I could generate a detailed glossary that in itself may not cause you get interested, so here is a short description, a car analogy, that describes the essential system components.
Renewable energy is just any form of energy that comes from a renewable source, but most commonly this refers to wind, solar and hydro. There are some other sources just now being tried on a larger scale like tidal or wave action that can generate power but essentially we are normally referring to wind and solar, either "Thermal Solar",heating water for storage or Photo-Voltaic (PV Solar) turning the sun's light energy into electricity. Those two main sources wind and sun account for most of the renewable energy systems. If the truth be known though, wind is actually just converted solar energy that is the result of the solar heating of air masses that cause updrafts and weather patterns. So really, all renewable energy comes from the sun.
A typical renewable energy system uses a collector, the turbine or solar panel and a storage medium, batteries in the case of wind and PV solar or water pipes and a tank of water perhaps for the thermal storage. Let's concentrate on the Wind and PV solar though for this discussion. Batteries are just temporary storage for energy you have collected but plan to save and use later. It's like a gas tank in your car. If you have a big gas tank you can drive a long way, but big gas tanks cost a lot to make and more again to fill with gas. Small gas tanks are cheaper but store less energy. The "engine" of your system is the inverter that converts the stored energy into 120v AC power that most appliances use. That engine size is what is matched to your appliance use, and that inverter does not have to carry all of the load if you still remain connected to the grid for some of your power. It can share power from the grid and use what you collect with the turbine. The inverter can still provide essential services and will work for you when the power fails . . . . things like lights, fridge, freezer, microwave or your computer etc. If you are planning a new home or cottage you need to think longer term and consider the value a renewable energy system provides for you and your home investment. Consider building it into your mortgage and let the growth in home equity pay for the renewable energy system . . The system itself may increase the retail value of the house.
Remember, you need batteries (your gas tank) if you want to store energy locally for when the the wind or sun is not available. Systems that don't use a battery are available but unusual because the battery is also a buffer as well as a storage medium. It helps "clean up" the electricity and make it more useable and accessible. Imagine having a pipe full of energy flowing into your house that had no place to go. Electrons would be spilling all over the place and the inverter would be unable to gather them up and use them. The battery acts as a pool of stored energy so the inverter has a nice steady source to draw from. So batteries are essential for inverters to work generally.
An often misunderstood idea is that you don't need to have a 5kW turbine to run a 5kW stove. A 1 kW turbine may do just fine for pumping energy into your batteries. I once watched a guy reading our poster on the LAKOTA. He was reading down the specifications when he came to the power output. "Huh" he snorted. "900 watts, that thing won't even run your hair dryer, Mable" and he got in his car an left. It's the size of our battery and inverter that actually determine what you can run and for how long, not the turbine. The size of wind turbine or number of solar panels (the collectors) will determine how fast refill your batteries. Buy a big turbine and you'll refill it fast, get too big a turbine and you'll be wasting energy all the time because your batteries fill quickly and if you're not using it, you'll have to dissipate it or "dump it". Generally this is not a worry because you need a pretty big turbine to satisfy your highest demand use. That's why you choose the right size battery to store energy over longer periods when your usage is low, such as at night. For safety though, it's still a essential to have a "Dump Load", "Diversion load" or "Charge Controller". These are components that all basically achieve the same result in different ways. They control the flow of energy into the batteries and divert or use up the excess if any, in a safe way.
All the rest of the components are just simple wiring, connectors and circuit breakers that hook everything together and send energy to your light switch when you turn it on. There is nothing complicated or dangerous about renewable energy any more than your normal electrical hookup. Even a large battery pack, although containing hazardous materials like acid and lead is quite safe and reliable. Some have warranties up to 5 or 10 years. Modern renewable energy "Deep Cycle" batteris are probably less hazardous than that bottle of bleach under the sink. By the way "deep cycle" just refers to the way energy is taken from the batteries. Car or truck batteries take a lot of energy very quickly all at once to run the starter for a few seconds. Not good for renewable energy storage. Deep Cycle batteries for renewable energy systems are designed to release a strong but steady flow of energy over a longer period of time and do it again and again, day after day. A well maintained battery pack can last 15-20 years if it is not abused by constant overcharging or leaving them flat or totally discharged too many times.
So Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems are just a collector and storage tank and a converter with some some controls and circuit breakers for safety. Don't let the terminology stop you from exploring it or owning one. You're beginning to find them everywhere.
If you are new to the world of private power and renewable energy there are a lot of terms and components that are unfamiliar to most people. There are turbines and batteries, inverters and charge controllers as well as dozens of terms like "Net Metering" and "deep cycle" that may not have been part of your experience. While I could generate a detailed glossary that in itself may not cause you get interested, so here is a short description, a car analogy, that describes the essential system components.
Renewable energy is just any form of energy that comes from a renewable source, but most commonly this refers to wind, solar and hydro. There are some other sources just now being tried on a larger scale like tidal or wave action that can generate power but essentially we are normally referring to wind and solar, either "Thermal Solar",heating water for storage or Photo-Voltaic (PV Solar) turning the sun's light energy into electricity. Those two main sources wind and sun account for most of the renewable energy systems. If the truth be known though, wind is actually just converted solar energy that is the result of the solar heating of air masses that cause updrafts and weather patterns. So really, all renewable energy comes from the sun.
A typical renewable energy system uses a collector, the turbine or solar panel and a storage medium, batteries in the case of wind and PV solar or water pipes and a tank of water perhaps for the thermal storage. Let's concentrate on the Wind and PV solar though for this discussion. Batteries are just temporary storage for energy you have collected but plan to save and use later. It's like a gas tank in your car. If you have a big gas tank you can drive a long way, but big gas tanks cost a lot to make and more again to fill with gas. Small gas tanks are cheaper but store less energy. The "engine" of your system is the inverter that converts the stored energy into 120v AC power that most appliances use. That engine size is what is matched to your appliance use, and that inverter does not have to carry all of the load if you still remain connected to the grid for some of your power. It can share power from the grid and use what you collect with the turbine. The inverter can still provide essential services and will work for you when the power fails . . . . things like lights, fridge, freezer, microwave or your computer etc. If you are planning a new home or cottage you need to think longer term and consider the value a renewable energy system provides for you and your home investment. Consider building it into your mortgage and let the growth in home equity pay for the renewable energy system . . The system itself may increase the retail value of the house.
Remember, you need batteries (your gas tank) if you want to store energy locally for when the the wind or sun is not available. Systems that don't use a battery are available but unusual because the battery is also a buffer as well as a storage medium. It helps "clean up" the electricity and make it more useable and accessible. Imagine having a pipe full of energy flowing into your house that had no place to go. Electrons would be spilling all over the place and the inverter would be unable to gather them up and use them. The battery acts as a pool of stored energy so the inverter has a nice steady source to draw from. So batteries are essential for inverters to work generally.
An often misunderstood idea is that you don't need to have a 5kW turbine to run a 5kW stove. A 1 kW turbine may do just fine for pumping energy into your batteries. I once watched a guy reading our poster on the LAKOTA. He was reading down the specifications when he came to the power output. "Huh" he snorted. "900 watts, that thing won't even run your hair dryer, Mable" and he got in his car an left. It's the size of our battery and inverter that actually determine what you can run and for how long, not the turbine. The size of wind turbine or number of solar panels (the collectors) will determine how fast refill your batteries. Buy a big turbine and you'll refill it fast, get too big a turbine and you'll be wasting energy all the time because your batteries fill quickly and if you're not using it, you'll have to dissipate it or "dump it". Generally this is not a worry because you need a pretty big turbine to satisfy your highest demand use. That's why you choose the right size battery to store energy over longer periods when your usage is low, such as at night. For safety though, it's still a essential to have a "Dump Load", "Diversion load" or "Charge Controller". These are components that all basically achieve the same result in different ways. They control the flow of energy into the batteries and divert or use up the excess if any, in a safe way.
All the rest of the components are just simple wiring, connectors and circuit breakers that hook everything together and send energy to your light switch when you turn it on. There is nothing complicated or dangerous about renewable energy any more than your normal electrical hookup. Even a large battery pack, although containing hazardous materials like acid and lead is quite safe and reliable. Some have warranties up to 5 or 10 years. Modern renewable energy "Deep Cycle" batteris are probably less hazardous than that bottle of bleach under the sink. By the way "deep cycle" just refers to the way energy is taken from the batteries. Car or truck batteries take a lot of energy very quickly all at once to run the starter for a few seconds. Not good for renewable energy storage. Deep Cycle batteries for renewable energy systems are designed to release a strong but steady flow of energy over a longer period of time and do it again and again, day after day. A well maintained battery pack can last 15-20 years if it is not abused by constant overcharging or leaving them flat or totally discharged too many times.
So Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems are just a collector and storage tank and a converter with some some controls and circuit breakers for safety. Don't let the terminology stop you from exploring it or owning one. You're beginning to find them everywhere.
Wind Turbine Reliability
I've had a lot of email and questions from potential customers who are skeptical about the reliability of wind trubines. They've driven by many farms with rusted old towers with dangling blades and heard stories of how systems have come apart or burned out after only a few weeks or days even. How reliable are turbines they wonder? How much maintenance do they require? They are a mechanical systems so they must wear out right? It's true that wind turbines have a number of rotating parts that will wear over time. So do cars, but we seem to have overcome the urge justify two or more of them on a cost per mile basis. I have seen wind turbines totally fried, literally on fire internally and with broken mounts and damaged blades. . . . and some of these are even brand new LAKOTA turbines that were installed all over Canada, or in Central, South America or the Caribbean. But, in virtually every case, for LAKOTA at least, I have found that the failure was caused by improper installation of the system. People buy these things like they buy a new appliance and they don't read the manual. They make assumptions that this new technology is just like any other advanced technology and has already been "idiot proofed" like a swing set. Yet every year some child gets hurt because the swing wasn't installed or used correctly. With the same thinking, they assemble the turbine and start operating it assuming there is no new information needed to operate it. This is true to some extent. You can install and operate a turbine with little new knowledge but you will likely have problems and could easily damage or destroy the system or hurt yourself if you don't take the time to learn something new.
As a young teenager a friend loaned me his older brother's scuba gear one day to try it out on rainy afternoon in Georgian Bay. I had no training or experience with this equipment. I was by myself at 25 or 30 feet below the surface as it began to rain on my friend in the boat. There was only a few minutes of air left in the tank and I had quite a fun experience that afternoon, but I was just plain lucky. I had little knowledge of suba gear or safety procedures and it could well have been a real disaster. Turbines are similar, you need to learn about how they work and how to install and operate them safely before you can appreciate how reliable they are. Any turbine can work for a few days or an afternoon, even in a high wind. But, with some knowledge and care a properly installed system can run reliably for years in any kind of weather. The first turbine on one of our Test Stands shown here at the FREE Wind Test Centre has been operating continuously, unattended since July last summer. That's a picture of it running during the August blackout last summer. Several icy winter storm winds exceeded 50-60 mph on many occasions and it continues to perform fine. (see the second photo below.) What it demonstrates is that a properly designed and installed wind turbine is quiet and reliable and can operate unattended for long periods. It does not need to be babied or protected from severe weather. In addition, two new arctic installations going in this summer should prove it's reliability in very high winds and super cold temperatures of winter. We intend to leave the test machine running continuously as a demonstration that reliability and we'll continue to update you on it's progress.
[2 missing photos]
I've had a lot of email and questions from potential customers who are skeptical about the reliability of wind trubines. They've driven by many farms with rusted old towers with dangling blades and heard stories of how systems have come apart or burned out after only a few weeks or days even. How reliable are turbines they wonder? How much maintenance do they require? They are a mechanical systems so they must wear out right? It's true that wind turbines have a number of rotating parts that will wear over time. So do cars, but we seem to have overcome the urge justify two or more of them on a cost per mile basis. I have seen wind turbines totally fried, literally on fire internally and with broken mounts and damaged blades. . . . and some of these are even brand new LAKOTA turbines that were installed all over Canada, or in Central, South America or the Caribbean. But, in virtually every case, for LAKOTA at least, I have found that the failure was caused by improper installation of the system. People buy these things like they buy a new appliance and they don't read the manual. They make assumptions that this new technology is just like any other advanced technology and has already been "idiot proofed" like a swing set. Yet every year some child gets hurt because the swing wasn't installed or used correctly. With the same thinking, they assemble the turbine and start operating it assuming there is no new information needed to operate it. This is true to some extent. You can install and operate a turbine with little new knowledge but you will likely have problems and could easily damage or destroy the system or hurt yourself if you don't take the time to learn something new.
As a young teenager a friend loaned me his older brother's scuba gear one day to try it out on rainy afternoon in Georgian Bay. I had no training or experience with this equipment. I was by myself at 25 or 30 feet below the surface as it began to rain on my friend in the boat. There was only a few minutes of air left in the tank and I had quite a fun experience that afternoon, but I was just plain lucky. I had little knowledge of suba gear or safety procedures and it could well have been a real disaster. Turbines are similar, you need to learn about how they work and how to install and operate them safely before you can appreciate how reliable they are. Any turbine can work for a few days or an afternoon, even in a high wind. But, with some knowledge and care a properly installed system can run reliably for years in any kind of weather. The first turbine on one of our Test Stands shown here at the FREE Wind Test Centre has been operating continuously, unattended since July last summer. That's a picture of it running during the August blackout last summer. Several icy winter storm winds exceeded 50-60 mph on many occasions and it continues to perform fine. (see the second photo below.) What it demonstrates is that a properly designed and installed wind turbine is quiet and reliable and can operate unattended for long periods. It does not need to be babied or protected from severe weather. In addition, two new arctic installations going in this summer should prove it's reliability in very high winds and super cold temperatures of winter. We intend to leave the test machine running continuously as a demonstration that reliability and we'll continue to update you on it's progress.
[2 missing photos]
Inverter Backlog - MagPower Announces Price Breakthrough
One of the most expensive items in a renewable energy system can be the inverter. They come in many shapes and sizes but there are really only a handful of major suppliers. Both Trace/Xantrex and Outback make the more expensive grid tied inverters for feeding power back into the grid and both have many other features or options like charging, charge control, remote generator start and auxiliary relays. Each of these features can add real value to your system but adds cost and complexity as well. However, if you only want the 120v AC power and don't need all those other features then a simpler, modified sin wave or pure sine wave inverter will do the trick for a lot less.
Right now (Aug 04) there is a serious back log in the more complex inverters. Both Outback and Xantrex are experiencing 6-12 week delivery times for grid tied systems for a number of reason besides the demand. Yet the cheaper systems are still not all that cheap. A good 2400 watt modified sine wave inverter cost between $1000-$1500 CDN, while a pure sine wave system might be $3000. Add the other grid tie, generator start and charging capabilities and you're into $5,000 plus. AEROMAG, the developer of the LAKOTA turbine has recently acquired the rights to market a family of small inverters under their private lable MAGPOWER and they plan to pass on the savings through a major new promotion planned for next month . . you are the first to hear of this and you can have a "sneak peak" at what will be offered by clicking here.. Not there are no further details yet and the prices shown on this page are $USD. These prices are great but getting one for FREE is even better.
TRUE-NORTH Power Systems will soon be matching this offer with a FREE 1000 watt inverter with each new turbine purchased this summer, before 1 Sep 04. They will also be offering to upgrade that to pure sine wave for only $250. Watch the web site for details.
One of the most expensive items in a renewable energy system can be the inverter. They come in many shapes and sizes but there are really only a handful of major suppliers. Both Trace/Xantrex and Outback make the more expensive grid tied inverters for feeding power back into the grid and both have many other features or options like charging, charge control, remote generator start and auxiliary relays. Each of these features can add real value to your system but adds cost and complexity as well. However, if you only want the 120v AC power and don't need all those other features then a simpler, modified sin wave or pure sine wave inverter will do the trick for a lot less.
Right now (Aug 04) there is a serious back log in the more complex inverters. Both Outback and Xantrex are experiencing 6-12 week delivery times for grid tied systems for a number of reason besides the demand. Yet the cheaper systems are still not all that cheap. A good 2400 watt modified sine wave inverter cost between $1000-$1500 CDN, while a pure sine wave system might be $3000. Add the other grid tie, generator start and charging capabilities and you're into $5,000 plus. AEROMAG, the developer of the LAKOTA turbine has recently acquired the rights to market a family of small inverters under their private lable MAGPOWER and they plan to pass on the savings through a major new promotion planned for next month . . you are the first to hear of this and you can have a "sneak peak" at what will be offered by clicking here.. Not there are no further details yet and the prices shown on this page are $USD. These prices are great but getting one for FREE is even better.
TRUE-NORTH Power Systems will soon be matching this offer with a FREE 1000 watt inverter with each new turbine purchased this summer, before 1 Sep 04. They will also be offering to upgrade that to pure sine wave for only $250. Watch the web site for details.