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.

The old diffuser scam resurfaces in Japan

Posted on 06/09/2011 by hugh

Yawn Here we go again with claims of getting 3 times as much power by putting a fancy hoop around the wind turbine and mounting it at ground level.  And people will get fooled again and lose their money again. … Continue reading →

Posted in products/technical, Rooftop madness, Video links | 3 Comments

A vacancy at I Love Windpower – Tanzania

Posted on 06/09/2011 by hugh

There is a vacancy at I Love Windpower – Tanzania for a student (M.Sc. internship) on the subject of developing a wind map of Tanzania. As long as no suitable candidate has been found, the vacancy will be open. Establishing … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, developing world, Notices, People | Leave a comment

Chris Olsen photo

Posted on 04/09/2011 by hugh

Chris sent me this photo of one of his chain-driven machines, taken with a security camera mounted on a neighbouring turbine. Chris writes: This is a photo of one of my 12G turbines on a 200 foot tower that powers … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, People | 4 Comments

Windspeed database still being abused!

Posted on 03/09/2011 by hugh

This is another rant against misleading salesmen in the small wind industry. There is a computer model called NOABL that maps the theoretical windspeed over a UK landscape with no trees or buidings.  Properly informed experts have always known that … Continue reading →

Posted in Rooftop madness, UK small wind scene | 2 Comments

My first ferrite magnet project

Posted on 28/08/2011 by hugh

Back in the 1980s I had spent ten years building wind turbines that were based on dynamos (USA=’generators’) out of military jeeps.  They were cheap and well made, but they had serious drawbacks.  The magnetism required to make them work … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, ferrite magnets, my own projects, wind systems tutorial | Leave a comment

WindEmpowerment

Posted on 27/08/2011 by hugh

Following the conference in Dakar in February, an association called WindEmpowerment has been set up. Mission WindEmpowerment supports the development of locally built wind turbines for sustainable rural electrification. This is achieved by strengthening the capacity of its members through: … Continue reading →

Posted in developing world, Notices | Leave a comment

“Yet another axial” down under

Posted on 25/08/2011 by hugh

Another ferrite magnet alternator project.  This one is on the Backshed discussion board hosted by Glenn ‘Gizmo’. The stator is supported at the centre, which is a bit more compact but the supporting bolts between magnet rotors restrict the overall … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, ferrite magnets, People | Leave a comment

4200 alternator options

Posted on 19/08/2011 by hugh

I haven’t built a lot of turbines 4200 mm diameter (14 footers for the North American market). I use 16 magnets the same as the 3600 (12 foot) turbines but put them on a larger disk (450 mm/18 inches) compared … Continue reading →

Posted in CometME, construction, developing world, France, People | 13 Comments

Frans Beudt’s control systems

Posted on 13/08/2011 by hugh

Frans Beudt  lives in the northwest Netherlands.  Average wind 5,5 m/sec Youtube channel here “Testing the windmill at 5 Bft .  Results till now OK ,   Rpm stays around 300 , Amps 20 ,Volt 30 .  Electronic system doing good … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, People, Video links | Leave a comment

V3 now sell complete wind turbine kits!

Posted on 12/08/2011 by hugh

These bespoke kits comprise of a set of three hand-carved blades, a complete alternator, mounting and an electrical system. We have been building these turbines for over 5 years and as a result you can expect the highest degree of … Continue reading →

Posted in construction, People, products/technical, UK small wind scene | Leave a comment