A Vertical Wind Turbine can be the best investment those days, not only for producing free electricity and saving lots of money but also for helping the environment. Yet Wind Turbines are quite expensive and not many of us are so fortunate and able to make such a wise investment. Should this stop you from trying to use a clean, sustainable form of energy like wind energy? I think not. In my videos you can discover some cheap solutions to purchase a Vertical Wind Turbine and tapping into the power of new free electricity.
Micro Wind Turbines
Feasible, reliable and cost-effective Micro Wind Turbines are quickly becoming the next best investment for your home. Coming in all sizes and shapes, some micro wind turbines are more effective than others. Still keeping an eye on affordability, i've put together an informative list of the best Micro Wind Turbines here.
DIY Wind Turbines
Here you have two choices:
a DIY Wind Turbine Kit where you get all the wind turbine parts and instructions; all you have to do is to build it in your chosen location and at your own pace.
a DIY Wind Turbine Instructional Guide where you learn everything from where to get the component parts at very low prices up to how to assemble and install your wind turbine without much trouble.
Second Hand Wind Turbines
Like with every other product worth purchasing, huge savings can be made in the second hand market. Just Google "second hand wind turbine" and choose wisely.A word of caution: perform a through research in the field before making the final the decision and learn all the weaknesses of the chosen product.
Wind energy, being one of the fastest growing form of clean and renewable energy enjoy a large popularity not only amongst environmentalist. The trend evolved in the latest decade into a new industry and today we all are familiar with the electricity producing huge wind farms. But there will always be naysayers, and to be faithful to the truth we should look at both sides of the coin:
in order to be significantly efficient wind turbines should be really big; this is a place where size does matter.
because of their size the costs of building profitable wind turbines are obviously, as big as the machines are.
big wind turbines are noisy.
wind turbines kill birds.
for an aesthetic eye let's just say that wind farms are plain ugly.
There is some truth in all this. But then again, the wind energy industry is a young one, still in evolution. Its potential is far from being exhausted, and their supporters far from being discouraged. So i feel it is my duty to bring forward the latest wind turbines designs, the ones who answer most of, if not all, above complaints.
The Beauty
The true beauty of the wind turbines is without a doubt the Helix Wind turbine. With her white fluid forms, the Helix turbine is smaller, lighter and much less expensive than the traditional steel propeller turbines. Here are only some of the incredible advantages of this innovative turbine:
perfect for low wind speed areas as well as urban areas
doesn't have to shut down in high wind speed and no loss of efficiency or power collection due to wind direction change
high efficiency due to improved aerodynamics
silent even at high wind speed
visible to birds and bats
aesthetically attractive
And if the picture doesn't convince you, take a look the Helix wind turbine in action.
The Practical
Windspire Turbine, produced by Mariah Power is an affordable, smart and very quiet innovative wind turbine. Inspired by a 3000 years old Egyptian windmill design, the Windspire proved to be competitive with modern wind turbines. At only 30 feet tall and 4 feet wide, the Windspire 1.2 kW wind turbine is distinguished by its sleek propeller-free design and ultra quiet operation. Already spreading not only in the US but in Europe as well, Windspire seems to be the best solution for homes, schools, small businesses or community gathering spaces.
Watch the Windspire at work in the video bellow.
The Futuristic
With Maglev Wind Turbine the future is not only here, but is also looking great. Maglev Wind Turbine is a modern marvel of engineering which uses an unique combination of science and technology to create an extremely efficient and powerful wind generator. A key advantage of this system is the use of magnetic levitation to reduce friction and increase the power output. Presented for the first time at the Wind Power Asia Exhibition in Beijing, Maglev Wind Turbine is expected to take wind power technology to the next level.
To watch a video demonstration of the Maglev Wind Turbine visit their website here.
The Aero-Optimized
Compared with the other aerodynamic models presented here, the Aerotecture Wind Turbine seems a little overdone, but what do i know? Its builders at Aerotecture International call this wind turbine a visionary technology and their vision is stated as followed:
where wind farms are big, we are small
where wind farms are rural, we are urban
where wind farms avoid buildings, we attach to them
where wind farms seek single monster units, we deploy many units
where wind farms are hundreds of miles from their 'users', we are right there
All in all, the Aerotecture wind turbine and the traditional propeller wind turbine are on the completely opposite side of the spectrum as design is regarded.
Without intending any disrespectthiswas the first thing crossing my mind when i first saw this Australian prototype.
But just as the ugly duck turns out to be a gracious swan, this prototype became the well known Windpod, truly unique for its applicability and affordability. At only AU$700 a piece, these small-scale wind turbines can be used as horizontal modules forming Winpod walls, on rooftops, on bridges or even on vertical building edges.
Other key characteristics of Winpods include :
• Extremely low noise and vibration. • Able to operate vertically, horizontally or any angle in-between. • Able to operate efficiently in gusty and turbulent winds such as typically found in urban environments. • Able to be modularly mounted onto buildings at low cost in a location where wind is at highest concentration. • Excellent power production per dollar of cost. • Slender, elongated tubes of only 0.45m diameter. • Being only 450mm diameter, should not require Council planning approvals.
Wind turbines come in many sizes and configurations. But no matter if they are big or small, horizontal-axis or vertical-axis, every wind turbine function on the same principle: extracts energy from wind, transfers this harvested energy into a spinning shaft which turns an alternator or generator to produce electricity.
So the basic components of a wind turbine are:
Blades or rotor, which converts the energy in the wind to rotational shaft energy.
Nacelle that houses a drive train, usually including a gearbox, a generator , support bearings and some other parts.
Tower, that supports the rotor and the drive train.
Ground-mounted electrical equipments, including electrical cables, controls and interconnection equipment.
Most traditional wind turbines have three large steel blades, but the rules are not set in stone. New blade designs and materials are constantly experimented and sometimes proven more efficient than the traditional ones.
The power available to harvest from the wind largely depends on both the wind speed and the area that is swept by the turbine blades.
for a double wind speed the energy available increases by a factor of 8.
for a double rotor diameter the energy available increases by a factor of 4.
However is not possible to harvest all the energy and turn it into electricity. By the Betz Limit formula there is a maximum of 59.26% that can be extracted from the available power. Also no alternator or generator is 100% efficient in converting the energy into electricity, and factors like friction, magnetic drag and electrical resistance losses will further reduce the wind turbine efficiency.
This means that no small wind turbines are 100% efficient even when running at maximum speed.
This is the reason why the rotor diameter and the generator model are the most important factors when choosing a wind turbine model. Hopefully realistic expectations will help you make the right choice and avoid unsubstantiated claims and products.
where you get all the wind turbine parts and instructions; all you have to do is to build it in your chosen location and at your own pace.
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