Amherst DPW workers prepare for the worst as hellacious Hurricane Irene bears down on the Happy Valley. Scary when you consider "the barn" is already built like a proverbial brick outhouse.
So as we prepare to batten down the hatches, I sure wish my house was "off the grid" with solar and wind power. Of course, the solar wouldn't be much good, but the wind power -- hooooeee!
Go right ahead. And while you spend an arduous year haggling with your insurance company because your solar panels got ripped off the roof, I'll just think back to the one day I spent without power.
Of course, the solar wouldn't be much good, but the wind power -- hooooeee!
Back before the subsidies (read: your Federal Deficit), Matinicus Island investigated windmills to supplement and/or replace its diesel-fired generators.
You can't use windmills in high wind -- at a certain point you have to take them off-line, trim the blades to minimum, put it on free rotation & hope for the best.
First, windmills generate DC power (hence the need for the AC converter at the windmill farm) and if you turn a DC generator too fast, your voltage goes up through the roof.
Second, like a tree, a windmill can only withstand so much from the wind, at some point it will topple over, and if you are pulling power, this will happen much quicker...
Matinicus found that it had too much wind for windmills to be economically feasible. And you will find that your windmill goes downrange (through your roof?) if used in a real hurricane...
Our windows leak during heavy rain as it is. Just trying to stay dry.
ReplyDeleteGuilford
That age old military advice: "Keep your powder dry."
ReplyDeleteSo as we prepare to batten down the hatches, I sure wish my house was "off the grid" with solar and wind power. Of course, the solar wouldn't be much good, but the wind power -- hooooeee!
ReplyDeleteGo right ahead. And while you spend an arduous year haggling with your insurance company because your solar panels got ripped off the roof, I'll just think back to the one day I spent without power.
ReplyDeleteSigned,
Gridlover
Of course, the solar wouldn't be much good, but the wind power -- hooooeee!
ReplyDeleteBack before the subsidies (read: your Federal Deficit), Matinicus Island investigated windmills to supplement and/or replace its diesel-fired generators.
You can't use windmills in high wind -- at a certain point you have to take them off-line, trim the blades to minimum, put it on free rotation & hope for the best.
First, windmills generate DC power (hence the need for the AC converter at the windmill farm) and if you turn a DC generator too fast, your voltage goes up through the roof.
Second, like a tree, a windmill can only withstand so much from the wind, at some point it will topple over, and if you are pulling power, this will happen much quicker...
Matinicus found that it had too much wind for windmills to be economically feasible. And you will find that your windmill goes downrange (through your roof?) if used in a real hurricane...
a typical wind turbine automatically shuts itself off at 55 mph.. any wind speed higher than that can rip the blades right off the rotor.
ReplyDeletealso, wind turbines can create both alternating and direct current (AC and DC) depending on the size.