Wind Turbine Components Page with Resources and More

Resolved Question: Quantifying the costs of fossil fuel addiction?

There are obvious costs of burning fossil fuels - extraction, production, power plant construction and maintenance, transmission, etc.. What studies have quantified the hidden economic costs of fossil fuel usage? What about social costs? Is it useful or feasible to quantify social costs? Here's a general list: Global warming Air pollution Water and land pollution Thermal pollution National security impacts http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/technology_and_impacts/impacts/the-hidden-cost-of-fossil.html In addition, we can probably add: Price volatility & risk - Energy costs from fossil fuel usage is fuel-intensive (as opposed to capital intensive). As recent years have further indicated, we are held hostage to commodity fluctuations. Job quality - Would you rather work in the dirty coal industry or a wind turbine components factory? To be specific, the questions are: 1. What additional economic or social costs not mentioned here are associated with fossil fuel usage? 2. What studies have reasonably quantified each cost?Some help for davem: Wind power is already economically viable, without even considering the hidden costs. See levelized cost comparison: http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/archive/ieo06/special_topics.html Solar power isn't far off either, arguably cheaper when hidden costs are included, something we all pay for, even if it doesn't show up directly on your electric bill, which brings us to the question... more

Resolved Question: I Need Movie Plot Help!?

I run a small 3d animation company that produces movies in my downtime What makes it unique is that I ask ordinary people to help with the plot. I am currently working on a movie where an average, hard-working factory worker, Robert Macguire, gets promoted to the executive vice president of production of the multi-billion dollar company he works for. Everything goes great. He buys a huge house in the country on a lake, he buys an Escalade for himself, a Lexus for his wife, a corvette for his teenage son, dogs for his younger children, etc. etc. Eventually, due to errors made by Jim Pullman, the CEO of the company, and Rebecca Stodemeyer, the president of the company, the company collapses, pulling the rug out from underneath him. Now, here's what I'm looking for: 1.What is the name of the company (I'm looking for typical, huge company names) 2. What errors were made? 3.What happened to Robert and his family afterwords? To assist you with the names of the company, it is a multi-national conglomerate that has their money in 2 huge industries. In the production front, they handle things like aerospace, jet turbines, locomotives, vehicle components, medical equipment, wind turbines,industrial automation and motors. The company also has stakes in the entertainment industry, owning 5 of the largest television stations. more

Resolved Question: Movie Plot Help!!!?

I run a small 3d animation company that produces movies in my downtime What makes it unique is that I ask ordinary people to help with the plot. I am currently working on a movie where an average, hard-working factory worker, Robert Macguire, gets promoted to the executive vice president of production of the multi-billion dollar company he works for. Everything goes great. He buys a huge house in the country on a lake, he buys an Escalade for himself, a Lexus for his wife, a corvette for his teenage son, dogs for his younger children, etc. etc. Eventually, due to errors made by Jim Pullman, the CEO of the company, and Rebecca Stodemeyer, the president of the company, the company collapses, pulling the rug out from underneath him. Now, here's what I'm looking for: 1.What is the name of the company (I'm looking for typical, huge company names) 2. What errors were made? 3.What happened to Robert and his family afterwords? To assist you with the names of the company, it is a multi-national conglomerate that has their money in 2 huge industries. In the production front, they handle things like aerospace, jet turbines, locomotives, vehicle components, medical equipment, wind turbines,industrial automation and motors. The company also has stakes in the entertainment industry, owning 5 of the largest television stations. more

Resolved Question: Grid connect Controller for wind turbine driven induction generator (async motor)?

Thanks to your many very helpful answers to my previous questions I was able to find a company that sells such a device. As you may recall, I was intrigued by this device: http://www.clariantechnologies.com/main/page_home.html. It is a vertical axis wind turbine driven async motor that acts as an induction generator that plugs directly into an existing outlet in your home. No inverters, no batteries. Sales price around $500. With an electric meter (a freebie from our power company) than can run backwards, this would allow me to greatly reduce my energy bill all at a very low cost. To make the cost even cheaper, and to increase the power output, I want to make my own wind turbines, and use my own async motors. So all I need is the controller. I have found a company that sells such a device: http://www.prairieturbines.com for $830. It connects a 5500 watt wind turbine driven async motor directly to the grid. No inverter, no batteries. It uses a "hall-device" to measure the RPM, it provides about 1 AMP to the motor to energize its coils, 50amp solid state "zero-cross relays", capacitors, 30amp breaker/enclosure, an exterior mounted disconnect, and an interior-mounted fused-control voltage switch. This is it!!! So my question is, does anyone know how to build this controller. This company doesn't sell the plans to this, and $830 is too high for me. I am sure I could build this with components for less that $400. If there is any electrical engineering person out there that can help, this will be a challenge, but it is great knowing that someone already has figured this out and is selling it. more

Resolved Question: What are some companies that build wind turbines?

Name all the companies that you can think of that put together and install wind turbines. Also, bonus points if you can name a few companies that manufacture the indivdual components. Components like: * generator * tower * blades * gearbox * power electronics / control systemOh, and I'm talking the large guys... at least 0.5 MW or above. more

Resolved Question: What are some companies that build wind turbines?

Name all the companies that you can think of that put together and install wind turbines. Also, bonus points if you can name a few companies that manufacture the indivdual components. Components like: * generator * tower * blades * gearbox * power electronics / control system more

Resolved Question: Can a 2.5MW (GE 2.5XLE) wind turbine be air lifted?

Can such a turbine be air lifted by non fixed-wing-aircrafts (helicopters, etc)? How much is the approximate weight of each component (tower, blades, hub, etc)? more

Resolved Question: How do you connect a wind turbine with a battery bank to house mains?

I'm trying to design and build a wind turbine with a battery bank I need a way so that the house runs off the battery bank and then uses mains if the battery bank is discharged and also be able to deal with high wattage components like cookers? Help I've seen all sorts of inverters and grid tie systems but I can't make head or tail of it. Any help is much appreciated Thank you more

Resolved Question: What do you know about Wind Turbines?

In the old days, Wind turbines were used to gather energy like they do now. So were water wheels. Today's technology is much more complicated. But back in those days, what were the Components of the wind turbine? Or the Water Wheels? What exactly happens that makes the motion from the wind mill or the water wheel turn into energy? Or, to put it a little easier, do you know of a website that explains it? more

Resolved Question: When touring a wind-turbine plant, Obama said that these new green jobs could not be outsourced?

Why did he say that? I realize that the actually assembling of the towers here in the states can not be, but anyone with half a brain knows that the actually manufacturing of both turbines as well as the Components for the blades, towers etc very easily can and most likely will be made in many nations and if he gets the unions involved they will certainly be more cost effective from overseas as well. Why is he attempting to mislead the people saying that these jobs can not be outsourced? When that is simply not the Truth. more

Resolved Question: When touring a wind-turbine plant, Obama said that these new green jobs could not be outsourced?

Why did he say that? I realize that the actually assembling of the towers here in the states can not be, but anyone with half a brain knows that the actually manufacturing of both turbines as well as the Components for the blades, towers etc very easily can and most likely will be made in many nations and if he gets the unions involved they will certainly be more cost effective from overseas as well. Why is he attempting to mislead the people saying that these jobs can not be outsourced? When that is simply not the Truth. more

Resolved Question: Which renewable energy form has the least amount of negative impact on the envioronment?

Solar is nice, but how much energy & chemicals are used to make the solar panels. Geothermal is nice too, except along with the steam comes the other nasty byproducts that come up with the steam, depending upon where the steam is coming from. Wind is nice too, but what about the cost, energy & materials used to make a single 50 kilowatt turbine. Ocean-thermal is nice too, but vulnerable to storms & needs to be degunked often. (the U of Hawaii attempted OTECH many years ago to test its viability & pitfalls). All the alternate energy solutions require components that are not necessarily conscientiously green friendly. Which one has the least impact on the environment? more

Resolved Question: Wind Turbine component manufacturing?

Answers has never let me down so I thought I would give this one a shot. I am interested in starting a wind turbine component manufacturing company. Is there anybody out there currently in the industry? I have a whole host of questions. These would depend on the part being produced but some general questions are: What skills/training will my workforce need? What raw materials will we need? What type of equipment? etc, etc. Currently as I understand it, there is not much standardization as far as parts go, so my approach would be to specialize in a few component parts for multiple turbine models. Any ideas? Thanks in advance. more

Voting Question: Does the US have public import records?

I am specifically looking for import records for Wind Turbine Generator components like gearboxes more

Resolved Question: What electrical components need to be between the generator and inverter in a wind turbine?

For a school project my team is designing and building a wind turbine and, since I'm the only electrical engineering major on the team, I've been assigned to work figure out how to convert the rotational energy to electrical energy. The final output should be 120VAC with the ability to provide as much power and possible. We don't know what the average rotational velocity at the generator will be. The team leader wants to use a DC generator that can produce a fair amount of power and low RPMs so they don't have to make a gearbox. I've tried telling him that it should be an AC generator but I guess he doesn't get it. I designed a diode rectifier bridge, filter capacitor, and Zener diode shunt regulator circuit to be placed between the output of the generator and the input of the inverter. This is the same basic power supply we learned 2 years ago from the same professor that has now rejected my design. Apparently he said the filter capacitor and/or regulator would waste too much energy. What should I do? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. more

Resolved Question: What electrical components need to be between the generator and inverter in a wind turbine?

For a school project my team is designing and building a wind turbine and, since I'm the only electrical engineering major on the team, I've been assigned to work figure out how to convert the rotational energy to electrical energy. The final output should be 120VAC with the ability to provide as much power and possible. We don't know what the average rotational velocity at the generator will be. The team leader wants to use a DC generator that can produce a fair amount of power and low RPMs so they don't have to make a gearbox. I've tried telling him that it should be an AC generator but I guess he doesn't get it. I designed a diode rectifier bridge, filter capacitor, and Zener diode shunt regulator circuit to be placed between the output of the generator and the input of the inverter. This is the same basic power supply we learned 2 years ago from the same professor that has now rejected my design. Apparently he said the filter capacitor and/or regulator would waste too much energy. What should I do? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. more

Resolved Question: What electrical components need to be between the generator and inverter in a wind turbine?

For a school project my team is designing and building a wind turbine and, since I'm the only electrical engineering major on the team, I've been assigned to work figure out how to convert the rotational energy to electrical energy. The final output should be 120VAC with the ability to provide as much power and possible. We don't know what the average rotational velocity at the generator will be. The team leader wants to use a DC generator that can produce a fair amount of power and low RPMs so they don't have to make a gearbox. I've tried telling him that it should be an AC generator but I guess he doesn't get it. I designed a diode rectifier bridge, filter capacitor, and Zener diode shunt regulator circuit to be placed between the output of the generator and the input of the inverter. This is the same basic power supply we learned 2 years ago from the same professor that has now rejected my design. Apparently he said the filter capacitor and/or regulator would waste too much energy. What should I do? Any and all help would be greatly appreciated.The professor wrote something about the rectifer bridge being unnecessary with a DC generator, but I also wrote that it was being included in case the DC generator ends up running backwards or an AC generator is used. I think we need an AC generator because of the power loss over distance. Also, contrary to my wishes, we're not charging batteries. more

Resolved Question: Anyone Help Me With This Task?

You have moved to a new house and your dad thinks it would be a good idea to start generating electricity using a wind turbine. He doesn't have a clue where to start. Describe how turning a blade can be connected up to produce electricity. Try to include key components, and extra detail! more

Resolved Question: Are there really any 'GREEN' jobs?

we have to mine minerals to build the foundations for wind turbines.- we use petroleum to make the plastics involved in making the blades, great big trucks move all the components. we mine copper in big open pits to get copper ore for the windings. smelters to make into a metal.cranes to erect them. oil to power the cranes.bull dozers to make the roads to them. Mining to get minerals for the aluminum. All the millions of pounds of wiring to connect it all together. where in the world do you GREENIES think all this stuff comes from. and just wind! Same thing with solar, bio diesel, where do you think all this stuff should come from? The very computer you are looking at comes from the "filthy dirty" mining and oil industries you despise.There is no such thing as a "green" job. It is all produced by the very industries you dispise.what is your Response? jblor--what are those greener jobs?and what do they contribute, and tell me recycling jobs. all the above applys to themAAAAAAAA, yes it is humuroushuh? nice spewen.-- but you didnt say anything, just polutedyes, donflec---when the gov`t mandates use of "green" energy some one will be there to make money off of it. however much it cost the public. there goal will be the$ not the energy. and the politicals will reward them with your money. more

Voting Question: I want to invest in wind energy, but am not sure where to put my money.?

I want to invest in the wind energy industry, but I am not sure where would be the best place to put my money. turbine manufacturers? consulting firms? development firms? construction firms? Which "component" of the wind energy industry is the smartest place for my money? Thank you more

Resolved Question: Voltage increasing rectifiers?

Voltage increasing rectifiers? My wind turbine DC output voltage from the controller is higher than the AC voltage going into the controller. What components are used to make this happen as I need to build such a systemNo transformersI have designed and built a low speed alternator. When testing it I found that I have got good AC voltage but when I used bridge rectifiers the DC voltage was quite low. I've designed it to be driven direct with a 4 ft water wheel at 12 revs a minute I get 4 amps at 12 volt DC. I'm pretty hopeless at electronics so I am hoping some one can tell me how to improve the DC voltage more

Resolved Question: Voltage increasing rectifiers?

My wind turbine DC output voltage from the controller is higher than the AC voltage going into the controller. What components are used to make this happen as I need to build such a system more

Resolved Question: inverter voltage rise with load?

hi i am using a small wind turbine to charge batteries and then an inverter to convert the battery voltage to mains. i find that with no load, the inverter supplies 230V, but when a load is connected, this jumps to over 250V. in fact, when using a '100W' bulb as a load, my watt meter showed it was using 160W from the inverter! why does this happen? should it? it's a fairly cheap 400W inverter, is that the problem? i'm worried this power incrrease over the rated power will blow components. thanks, colin more