Windbelt, super cheap microwind power

[flashedarling]

As a mechanical engineer I think this is ridiculously cool and the fact that he got this to work so effectively is awesome. I wish he would publish a paper on it because I'd be really interested in how it scales up. Then again for only 5 bucks a piece I bet you could just make a really large array of them. I also wonder how much noise they put out.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4224763.html?series=37

[hitssquad]

$5/unit x 0.040 watts = $125/watt (in a 10 MPH wind). Solar is usually only $10-20/watt (or $3-6/watt for the raw mining-equipment). Are you sure this is a good deal?

[Ula Oh]

Brilliant! I wonder, how can I get in touch with this guy? I wouldn't mind donating (Or investing) some of my own money to get this up and running.

Ula

[pheonixheart]

$5/unit x 0.040 watts = $125/watt (in a 10 MPH wind). Solar is usually only $10-20/watt (or $3-6/watt for the raw mining-equipment). Are you sure this is a good deal?

How much are solar units to set up? I have no idea...

If it's more than about $5, those folks over there may not be able to afford it... Solar looks like a much better value though, but the set up costs may be too much for folks over there to bear...?

Is there a cheap solar kit out there that anyone knows of? ?

[flashedarling]

I think solar power may be more effective right now but the big point he wants to make is that this technology is so simple and the parts so cheap that if something fails it can easily be repaired by the people who live there. If a solar panel fails you have to import an entirely new panel from the states. If the ribbon on this snaps they just need a pair of scissors, pliers, and 20 cents worth of mylar ribbon. After reading alot about bringing technologies to the third world is if the technology is reliant on first world volunteers to build and maintain then they aren't viable. They have to be simple and inexpensive enough so that they can be built and maintained with materials that aren't too hard to get locally. That's what makes ideas like this so ingenious. They take higher science to create a machine that can be constructed with low tech parts.

[hitssquad]

How much are solar units to set up?

...About half a million dollars, to cover the electrical needs of a typical house. See this system, for an example:
http://www.solarwarrior.com



(Click to enlarge.)

[hitssquad]

$5/unit x 0.040 watts

If it's more than about $5, those folks over there may not be able to afford it. [...] solar kit out there that anyone knows of?

0.150 watts for $6:
http://kingsolar.com/catalog/mfg/powerfilm/mp337.html

Total size: 114mm x 37mm (4.5 x 1.5 inches)
Weight: 1.2g (0.04oz)

[3dO]

I found a solar setup that should meet the needs I'm planning for my off-grid retirement home. It sells for 12,999. + installation.
http://www.sunoneness.com/systempackages.html

The trick is to reduce the power needed. I'm planning for solar heat and hot water and passive cooling.

[hitssquad]

How many kWh/month are you planning on using?

[chuck]

Take a look at Xsunx sometime. They are developing new ways of creating thin film solar collection that is supposed to be much more eficient and more affordable than any thing else man made out there today.
Chuck

[hitssquad]

XSUNX Inc. (XSNX.OB)

Do you carry a position, Chuck?

[Kevin Goebel]

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=XSNX.OB

down to 37 cents a share.... I've spent so much time blocking stock market spam e-mail at work, I'd put all my investment money into Powerball tickets before I would buy into any stock with a .OB or .PK suffix.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/col ... mbah_x.htm
http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/picks/ ... ck0911.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OTC_Bulletin_Board
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Sheets
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Stocks

Kevin

[3dO]

How many kWh/month are you planning on using?

I haven't figure the monthly Kwh. We're planning for a refrigerator an hour or two of daily use of a laptop and a couple of hours of low energy lighting in 1 or 2 rooms. Maybe 2-3 loads in the washer per week. I'm planning on generator back-up for when we have company and need more power.

[Kevin Goebel]

How many kWh/month are you planning on using?

I haven't figure the monthly Kwh. We're planning for a refrigerator an hour or two of daily use of a laptop and a couple of hours of low energy lighting in 1 or 2 rooms. Maybe 2-3 loads in the washer per week. I'm planning on generator back-up for when we have company and need more power.

Hey everyone, John's throwing a party! It's BYOB Bring Your Own Butane

Kevin

[BWARDEN]

3do, when figuring out your power requirements, a rule of thumb to use on how much power you will make from your solar panels is about 75% of the specified panel output, and this does not take into account battery charge discharge inefficiencies. Thus your 16 110 watt panels, or 1760 total panel watts will be closer to 1320 watts at your inverter output if its converted and used when the sun's shining. You can cut that number about another 25% if you go through a battery charge discharge cycle due to battery inefficiencies, giving you more like 990 watts, almost half what you started with. Your losses in Vegas will be higher than some due to higher average temperatures, as solar panel output drops with rising temperature. This will be offset by more hours of sun due to your latitude and climate.

You can always try unplugging a bunch of stuff in your existing home for a weekend to see if you can live the low power lifestyle. We take a lot of power for granted. 1 KW is only ten 100 watt light bulbs, or one microwave oven, or one small hair dryer.

Looking at your proposed system, I was surprised to see an all Outback system except for the PV to battery charger from Blue Sky. There may be some compromises in system performance by not using the Outback MX60 or MX80 charge controller, as all their stuff is networked together for performance coordination, which the Blue Sky unit won't participate in. BTW, my power electronics is an all Outback system.