Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Alternative Heating - Grants

2»

Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 49 Nordic


    I've had a long hard think and have decided that, until I have some actual data of my own to base a decision on, it's pointless. I have purchased a computer linked Anemometer and software $99.00 + $12.00 S&H to Ireland and I'm going to hook it up to one of the PCs here, and monitor for the next two months and decide then whether I'll buy or not and based on the data I get what turbine. I'm not going to invest in something that doesn't produce a good ESB replaceable output. I'm going towards the 10kW unit @ Eur19k as a complete replacement but will only do it if it is based on realistic data, not someone else's map.

    Link to this gear : http://www.inspeed.com/Wind%20Data%20Logging/Windware_kit.asp


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭Mothman


    That's a wise move Nordic.
    Remember that when you are assessing the data to compare it to what's happening in the rest of the country compared to average.

    A couple of months is a very short sampling time, and it may be that those months are vey windy(or visa versa) compared to average as with the last few days, but you can guessimate what the average speed for your site would be.

    Since I've sussed out that I don't have near enough wind to even think about getting a wind turbine, I thought the least I could do was to change my supplier from ESB to Eirtricity. I did this about 3 weeks ago.

    Its essentionally a paper exercise, but still I thought it's a step, if a tiny one, in the right direction for me.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 49 Nordic


    Actual wind power data from Airtricity:
    http://www.eirtricity.ie/opencontent/default.asp?itemid=433&section=WIND+FARMS
    Take a look guys.
    I pulled this data into a spreadsheet to see how it performed relative to the "rated output" of the turbines - which is what we all need to look at to see what percentage of the rated output we are likely to get. Remember we don't live in remote windy locations like these sites, and their actual data shows they produced only 19.86% of their rated output!
    Pathetic! Really pathetic!
    19.86% of the surfacepower's rated output is less than 100W.

    Again I can't help thinking our landscape is being destroyed needlessly.
    I suppose at least if that electricity was then used with a heat pump who's COP was at least 5.03 (not a groundloop) it would in effect make these wind farms 19.86% x 5.03 = 100% efficient!!! but it wouldn't have been the wind farm that made it happen!!!


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 149 ✭✭xonencentral


    Great to see that everyone is going to do measurements, its the only way, its a site by site issue rather than a turbine one. I have completed 3 days of wind measurements and the only similarity I can find is the met office who are the closest to giving me a real daily wind speed. The results are far different than all these maps that are around.

    The met office did say that wind maps are being interpolated by computers using scarce ground weather sites and terrain maps and they think its great for the primary school wall and not much else, "the proof is in the pudding" and as with any wind turbine, if you get 19.86% of its output, it will be nothing to do with the wind turbine where the secification is your choice (500W, 2KW, 5KW, etc) but your location and your installation height.

    What I liked about surface power and Air-X and others is that they produce output figures and graphs which seem to be real and reflect what I would expect, and then i can make my own analysis as an engineer based my own site experience. I want to run all my lights, up to 60 (6W+8W+16W(16W CFL is 100W eqivilant)) Philips soft tone CFL's light bulbs covering all the rooms of my house, garage, gardens, driveway and workshop. When they are not all on, I will run TV's, etc. A 500W turbine system is perfect for me as it will run what I want. I need full output from 6pm until midnight primarally, so thats means I need at least an average of 125Watts from my turbine a day to give me 500Watts for 6 hours. If I get more, brilliant, I'll find a use for it but primarally, I use very little ESB during the day like most 2.4 homes in the country. (We are all at work, but when I do work from my home office, it will also run, my sat, TV, PC and any lights as well when required)

    I live on the western half of Ireland and am inland from the sea about 60 miles on flatland just outside my very large county town (nothing special), my average windspeed was 23.5 mph from my anometer at 8 ft over ground over the weekend and it was lovely and sunny yesterday to boot. (met office gave me 21 mph on Sat for my local ground wind speed). To me, the wind speed feels like normal for my local area when I am in my garden.

    I'll put up more measurements as I get them in and when I get my turbine up as well.

    I'm not sure I would link any data from a commercial wind turbine outputs as there are many considerations surrounding supply to ESB including quota's, etc. The fact that a farm was outputing 18% of their rated output might not be anything to do with wind availability, in fact in a recent report from SEI, wind turbines were averaging longer service hours, up to 97% against the ESB's coal, oil, gas stations 87% in service per annum.

    Again, assumptions need to be detailed as they can give the wrong conclusions.

    I am a new user on this forum and sometimes product bashing comes very close to the surface without much substance behind it, I would like to think we could keep forums of this nature free from this. Someone will always want to buy a Ford Mondeo and someone else a Mitsubishi all for their very own reasons.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 149 ✭✭xonencentral


    Sorry, Meant to add the bit that all commercial wind farms automatically shut down their turbines at 80KPH (50 MPH ) for safety reasons.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 542 ✭✭✭Lissavane


    I notice xonencentral is coy about where in the country he is conducting his weather-monitoring activities.
    Could it perhaps be Claremorris, just down the road from Surface Power's Castlebar address?
    Any chance he/she might be directly involved in Surface Power?


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 149 ✭✭xonencentral


    Lissavane, please read attached other reply.

    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=2807490#post2807490

    Not sure where the location question is coming from, nobody asked me before, I live outside Ballina.


Advertisement