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In honor of its 10th birthday, Google has announced a competition which calls on people to submit proposals for innovative projects in the areas of energy, education and health. As in other contests, the entries are to be submitted as Youtube videos, and the finalists are voted in by viewers like you.
One entry which is becoming increasingly popular belongs to a Seattlite named Chad Maglaque, an “inventor since childhood†according to the Seattle Times. Mr. Maglaque’s proposal is essentially to manufacture a small scale wind turbine that can be distributed in large retail stores (think Costco, Wal-Mart, etc.). That way, an average Joe like you or me could simply pick one off the shelf, bring it home and hook it up.
In order to facilitate said hook-up, Maglaque’s turbine does not require a converter, although it is not clear whether that’s because the turbine comes with a converter inside or because the electricity generated is already AC (which would make sense considering the motion of a turbine). The turbine also contains a sensor which allows it to kick on when it senses a sufficient amount of wind. All told, it should generated about 40 kwh per month.
So how much will it cost? About $400-500.
Oooh, Chad; there’s the kicker. See, small scale wind has a few things going for it, but economics has always been its Achilles’ heel. As pointed out in one of the comments to the article, it would take more than 10 years to recoup those $500 in electricity savings, and even after that the turbine would only contribute a relatively small faction of the house’s energy needs.
Of course, there are other reasons one might want to buy such a device. There is a certain amount of satisfaction one could gain from harnessing even that little bit of wind power, and $500 is hardly at the high end of what people spend on things that they like. Maybe it could earn one some bragging rights amongst the neighbors – no one is questioning the value of green peer pressure. But is this worthy of the Google prize?
You be the judge.
Via Seattle Times
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written by MD, January 26, 2009
I live in an area that gets good wind, albeit not all the time, but something like a small scale turbine would work well for 12VDC lights etc in my house and around the yard... A friend of ours makes similar devices here in E. WA from recycled stuff all the time, he runs a good portion of his shop with the electricity he produces.
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written by JK, January 26, 2009
If nothing else it looks cool. I hope he pitches the technical specs a little better, but perhaps that is just my geek side coming out.
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written by Saad Ali Abbasi, January 27, 2009
Though Yoni is right, creating energy through windmills is not a cheaper option, so one must keep that in mind while judging Chad's entry.
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written by leroy, January 27, 2009
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written by Leroy Jenkins, January 27, 2009
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written by hyperspaced, January 27, 2009
THIS is the way to go. Small, cheap, compact solutions for everyone. I imagine the time when this thing is on the shelves with a price tag of $199. If a modest 10,000 people bought it, it's almost **5GWh** per year!!!
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written by Willy Hesenius, January 27, 2009
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written by Chad Maglaque, January 28, 2009
$400 is simply the stake in the ground at start up.
And to the point above, the design is indeed phase-matched.
More as we develop the project.
best
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written by Windy Deriair, January 28, 2009
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written by Chad, February 02, 2009
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written by matthew schutz, February 05, 2009
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I see them at campsites and on sailing boats all the time.
Also people living in remote areas where power cutoffs are frequent.
Lastly, people living on islands.
Even if only 12dcv is produced, the RV market has many products that work on 12dcv and are thus much more efficient (dc/ac converters are not very efficient).
Lastly, such turbines are better than the propeller turbines at such scales, and low wind speeds, from what I remember reading/seeing.
Similar to the one Jay Leno has had installed for his garage. Which is cool that it "floats" on magnets and generates electricity using those magnets (less friction).