Author Archives: hugh

About hugh

I live off-grid in NW Scotland and have spent my life playing with wind turbines. I also love small hydros. Hands on renewable energy is my thing and I like to learn and to share my experiences.

maintenance sur une petite éolienne

Posted on 02/03/2015 by hugh

Maintenance sur la petite éolienne Colibri sur l’ecosite d’Eurre. Projet fait en co-opération avec le Greta sur le projet RET.   This Colibri machine design is based on my approach, using an axial flux alternator.  You can see some details … Continue reading →

Posted in France, Video links | Leave a comment

scoraigwind.com is back online

Posted on 01/03/2015 by hugh

My old homepage at scoraigwind.com is back up, after falling over a couple of weeks back. Thanks to the guys at Otherpower for hosting it for me over the last ten years. Thanks also to Irishsolar (eirbyte) for hosting this .co.uk site. … Continue reading →

Posted in People, Scoraig | Leave a comment

Wiring loss in 3 phase wind systems

Posted on 24/02/2015 by hugh

Here is a piece I did about AC and DC in 1999.  It explains why DC wiring is slightly more efficient than 3-phase AC wiring where the AC is feeding a rectifier (rather than grid AC which is at  higher … Continue reading →

Posted in products/technical, wind systems tutorial | 12 Comments

Assessment of locally manufactured small wind turbines as an appropriate technology for the electrification of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua

Posted on 19/02/2015 by hugh

This paper spells out the many hard lessons that were learned by blueEnergy in their effort to bring locally manufactured wind energy to remote villages on the Caribbean coast.  It should be read by anyone setting out to use my … Continue reading →

Posted in developing world, People | Leave a comment

Hornet wind turbine next door

Posted on 13/02/2015 by hugh

After the storm destroyed the Ampair 100 that was on this mast, a neighbour bought a Hornet from http://windgenerator.org.uk/  This is the 8-blade 1250 watt version.  Apparently it has been seen producing 1251 watts into a 24 volt battery “in … Continue reading →

Posted in products/technical, Scoraig, UK small wind scene | 42 Comments

back in action after storm

Posted on 23/01/2015 by hugh

Perceptive readers will have noticed the little red graph on the right plunge to zero after the big wind we had on 9th January.  This was due to my AWP windmill plunging to the ground with a broken alternator shaft.  … Continue reading →

Posted in products/technical, Scoraig | 2 Comments

Missouri Wind and Solar video

Posted on 20/01/2015 by hugh

I mostly like everything that people do with small wind turbines, especially hands-on and do-it-yourself, so I got excited to discover Missouri Wind and Solar, and I watched this video that I found on the home page with interest. Unfortunately … Continue reading →

Posted in People, Video links, wind systems tutorial | 66 Comments

Hugh Piggott Wind Turbine Components

Posted on 19/01/2015 by hugh

V3 have been building my turbines for over 8 years and are able to provide full bespoke kits or separate components. Bespoke kits comprise a set of three hand-carved blades, alternator and mounting. The turbines can be installed as a … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, People, UK small wind scene | 1 Comment

We have power up!

Posted on 17/01/2015 by hugh

Hi Hugh, We have power up ! Some pics from the initial switch on. (The plumbing is not ready for the immersion so air dumps in use now). The system was ‘right on the money’ as far as the calculations … Continue reading →

Posted in hydro | Leave a comment

Great result …and pics

Posted on 08/01/2015 by hugh

Hello Hugh, Now the festivities are over I want to report back on our Powerspout and Midnight Classic installation.  It’s incredible!  The generator has not been used once this winter.  We are making around 250 watts 24/7 with the small … Continue reading →

Posted in hydro, products/technical | Leave a comment