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By Michael Hackleman my experiences down into tricks any- bine in its flow and the wind will spin
one can use to assess the viability of it. In effect, the wind machine is
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s there wind where you live? The adding wind energy to one’s own per- “gathering” some of the wind’s
wind’s energy can spin a genera- sonal energy equation. energy. It must not take it all.
tor to make electricity or drive a Observations and calculations predict
shaft to pump water. The ques- Understand that only 60% of the wind’s energy
tions are: Is there enough wind the wind can be extracted without adversely
energy available? What’s involved in Tapping the energy in wind is a hit- affecting performance. So, enough
setting up the system? How big a and-miss proposition without first energy must be left in the wind to
windplant do you need? How tall a understanding the nature of wind. allow it to move on.
tower will it need? Windplant installers or owners will To the casual observer, there may
My first foray into using independ- make critical errors in selection, sit- seem to be little pattern to the wind.
ent energy sources began in 1972 and ing, and use without this knowledge. However, in years of data measure-
focused on wind. In the intervening Wind is born from the unequal heat- ment and recording at airports and cli-
years, I’ve evaluated the wind energy ing of the earth’s surface and oceans matological stations, distinct patterns
potential of hundreds of sites. In any by solar energy. Wind is, simply have emerged in both wind direction
field of work there are tricks to the enough, a moving mass of air. What and velocities. Annual, monthly, and
trade that come with time and experi- air lacks in density it more than even weekly patterns exist.
ence. In this article I will try to distill makes up for in speed. Put a windtur-
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March/April 2000 Backwoods Home Magazine
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March/April 2000 Backwoods Home Magazine
Incidentally, what’s the average mercially viable. One is the multi- watts. In a 45 mph wind, the cube law
annual windspeed (AAW) for your blade, curved impeller machine used says the windplant could generate
area? Climatological stations compute for water-pumping (Fig. 2). It is 2,700 watts. Note that the increase in
AAW by adding together the values of designed to work at very low wind- power between 15 and 30 mph (700
their hourly readings (including zeros) speeds and rpm. The second type of watts) is small compared with the
and dividing this sum by the number successful windplant is the propeller increase in power between 30 and 45
of readings taken. What value of AAW type used for generating electricity mph (1,900 watts).
do we want? For years, the wind ener- (Fig. 1). It uses between two and six Windplants have both a power rating
gy industry has advocated a minimum airfoil-shaped blades, is highly effi- and windspeed rating. The power rat-
of an AAW of 8 mph for a successful cient, and works in higher windspeeds ing is the maximum power the wind-
wind energy system. This recognizes and at higher rpm. The remainder of plant can safely produce and is
that to achieve an average AAW of 8 this article will focus on the propeller- expressed as a specific wattage, i.e.,
mph over a period of one year means type windplant. 700 watts or 1500 watts, for the sys-
that you’d have to have higher-than-8 Note: It has been said of my first tem voltage, i.e., 12V or 24V. The
mph windspeeds of significant value two books on wind power that, while windings and brushes of the generator
and duration to balance out all those written for the do-it-yourselfer, they and/or the control system may be
zeros (dead calms). actually discourage someone from adversely affected by the extra current
Still unresolved, however, is the building their own windmachine. if the rating is exceeded. The wind-
actual amount of energy yield from That’s the nature of reality. There are speed rating of a windplant is defined
the wind in a year. Or, better yet, dur- many subtleties to building a wind- as that windspeed at which the wind-
ing the windiest months. If climato- plant and good machines are no acci- plant produces its rated power. It may
logical stations averaged only the dent. If you insist on homebrewing a also reflect the highest rpm the wind-
cubes of those hourly windspeeds, windmachine, prepare to do some plant can safely experience. Whatever
we’d have solid info on the power we major homework. Read everything type of governing system is used, it
could harvest from the wind in a given you can on the types of windplant that should not permit either an increase in
month, season, or year. match your application, get plans if windplant rpm or generated wattage
possible, and don’t downplay any with further increases in windspeed.
Examine windplant shortcomings. Homebrew windplants There are no standards for windplant
ratings are experimental in every sense of the ratings in the wind industry today. At
There are a number of established word, and they are likely to involve a the least, this makes it difficult to
methods for extracting some of the number of test-tune cycles. Allow for compare windplants from different
wind’s energy and putting it to good outright failure. It is a big mistake to manufacturers, or ones of different rat-
use. Windmachine, aeroturbine, wind- expect reliable power production from ings from any one manufacturer. At
plant, and airscrew are all terms used a homebrew windplant. worst, the consumer must validate
to describe the machinery that will All aeroturbines, irrespective of size manufacturer claims and interpret rat-
convert energy from the wind into or type, have lower and upper limits ings. Does the specified power rating
mechanical motion. While these terms (usually expressed as particular wind- represent continuous or peak power?
are used by the layperson somewhat speeds). Below the lower limit, called At what windspeed does the windplant
interchangeably, they are intended to cut-in, the aeroturbine is stationary or begin to produce power? How much
be descriptive of function. For exam- moving too slow to be effective. Don’t power will the windplant produce at
ple, wind-electric units, aero-electric expect power below a windspeed of any given windspeed?
units, and windplants produce electric- 10 mph. At the upper limit, usually Unfortunately, the specification
ity. Water-pumpers are used to pump refferred to as the “rated” or “maxi- sheets for most windplants do not give
water. Windmills are designed to mum” windspeed, the machine is these figures. More often, these fig-
power mills for grinding grain. developing its designed power level. ures must be extrapolated from a tiny
There are two classes of aerotur- Above that limit, depending on the graph that plots windspeed vs wattage
bine: horizontal and vertical. The governor type, the wind plant will via a curved line. If you want to know
terms are used to describe the axis decrease in output or maintain the if a particular windplant is going to
about which the windmachine itself rated power. work for your situation or wish to sim-
rotates. There are at least five types of The cube law describes the power ply compare various brands, you must
horizontal-axis windplants and three curve in wind. Suppose that a specific involve yourself in a bit of calculation
types of the vertical-axis windplants. windplant produces 100 watts at 15 for each one. Here, your knowledge of
Of these designs, only two of the hori- mph. Using the cube law, at 30 mph the cube law will help you make
zontal-axis types have proven com- this aeroturbine could generate 800 informed choices.
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March/April 2000 Backwoods Home Magazine
Figure 3. by these people on their sys- A formula exists to help estimate the
If (H/H0) is For a H0 of 6 ft. 5th Root of tems. You may also be able windspeed (V) at various distances
H is (in feet) H/H0=Z is
to communicate with them (H) above even terrain from a reading
2 12 1.15
directly. Be thoughtful. taken at 6 feet above ground (H0) for
3 18 1.20
Compensate them for their any windspeed (V0) up to 35 mph. It is
4 24 1.32
time and include a SASE expressed as: V = V0 (H/H0)1/5
5 30 1.38
(self-addressed, stamped I found this unwieldy, since it
6 36 1.43
envelope) with any queries. requires that I find the fifth root of the
7 42 1.48
ratio H/H0, something a simple calcu-
8 48 1.52 Evaluate tower lator wouldn’t help me do. For this
9 54 1.55
height reason, I’ve built up a table that
10 60 1.59
System inefficiencies can reduces the math to a single factor (z)
11 66 1.62
be compensated for some- for tower heights up to 96 feet (Fig.
12 72 1.65
what by increasing the 3). The new formula is:
13 78 1.67
amount of power available
14 84 1.70
from the windplant in any V = z (V0)
15 90 1.72
given wind. Manufacturers
An important question is: how much will tell you to increase the rating of where:
power at what windspeed? Many the windplant, thus effectively increas- V=Velocity in miles per hour
windplants currently manufactured are ing rotor diameter and harvesting a z=the 5th root of H/H0 (the third
rated to deliver full power at 25 mph, bigger chunk of the wind’s energy. column in Figure 3)
or higher windspeeds. This rating is However, the best way to get more V0=Velocity of wind at height H0
useful only for those areas of the power is to increase the windspeed to
world experiencing AAWs (average the windplant by placing the windma- Let’s work an example. Let’s say
annual windspeeds) of 12-14 mph. A chine higher off the ground by using a you measure 8 mph of windspeed (V0)
windplant that develops its full (rated) taller tower. with a windspeed indicator held the
power at 18 mph would be a much There are three primary reasons to required 6 feet above the ground.
more suitable machine for 90% of the put a windplant on a tower. One, to Using the table, for a 24-foot tower,
U.S. clear trees, houses, and other obstacles find z (1.32) and multiply by 8 mph.
Don’t shrug off the 7-mph difference that will slow the wind down. Two, to This yields 10.56 mph. Similar math
between 18 mph and 25 mph. If one position the windplant in a smooth yields 11.4 mph for a 36-foot tower,
windplant is rated to deliver 2,000 flow of wind. The presence of uneven 12.2 mph for a 48-foot tower, 12.7
watts at 25 mph, how much power terrain and obstructions both slow and mph for a 60-foot tower, 13.2 mph for
will it produce at 18 mph? Using the turbulates the wind, robbing a wind- a 72-foot tower, 13.6 mph for an 84-
cube law, my answer comes to 746 plant of power. And, three, to expose foot tower, and 13.9 mph for a 96-foot
watts on the nose. This means that a the windplant to higher windspeeds. tower. These figures indicate that
second windplant rated to deliver 750 As the cube law dictates, if we want whatever power the windplant might
watts at 18 mph will equal the output to make leaping increases in power produce on a 36-foot tower would be
of the 2,000-watt machine in 18 mph output of a windplant for small almost doubled if it were situated on a
winds. Given the difference of cost increases in any ONE factor, let it be 96-foot tower at the same spot. Even if
and weight between the two machines, windspeed. Earlier, you learned that you plug in different windspeeds, the
it is possible to achieve a higher over- there is an eightfold increase in power formula holds the same proportions.
all cost/benefit ratio with a small output by going from, say, 10 mph Therefore, independent of the wind-
windplant on a tall, lightweight tower windspeed to 20 mph. It shouldn’t be plant rating or the actual windspeed,
than a big machine on a short, heavy difficult to see that if we increase the you get double the power on a 96-foot
tower. windspeed by 2 or 3 miles per hour, tower as you do on a 36-foot tower.
A good way to check various brands say to 13 mph, we will have doubled Compare the cost of an additional 60
or models of windplants is to talk to the power that’s available at 10 mph. feet of tower and rigging with the cost
dealers and customers. A dealer who In this situation, the swept area of the of a windplant of twice the power rat-
services the equipment he or she sells aeroturbine or its efficiency would ing. Let’s hear it for the cube law.
is likely to be candid about brands that have to be doubled to achieve the All of this helps explain why it is so
work well and ones that are trouble- same effect as a (calculated) 2.6 mph important to distribute the investment
some. Customers are another source increase in windspeed. you make in a wind-energy system
of information. Find articles written between the windplant and the tower.
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