Newbie intro

[Gary Williams]

Hello forum members, this is my first post. I found the website using Google, trying to find a commercial site related to a youtube video for Hi-Energy Dual-Rotor Micro Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, trying to track down a patent for study. About a year ago, I decided to get busy and invent things. In the past year, I've put over 30 patentable ideas into a journal. Most take a low energy flow, capture and convert to high energy for storage and/or transmission. Looking at some of the Savonius and other wind rotors on this site, I was impressed enough to join. I look forward to learning from you and sharing.
gw

[Mark Parsons]

Greetings Gary,

I'm always interested in exploring new ideas concerning renewable energy harvesting. I know I'm not the only one on this forum in this regard.

Most take a low energy flow, capture and convert to high energy for storage and/or transmission.

I found your choice of wording interesting. We may have some similar ideas. Under a microhydro thread I present a machine I built last year that harvests energy from flowing water by converting the high flow to high pressure.

Regards,
Mark

[Gary Williams]

Goodness. For someone who just joined the forum in January, you sure have been a strong member. I'm only halfway through reading all your posts, studying all the links you provide, and others around the thread. Glad to see you're way ahead of me in so many areas. My wife and I are moving into our first house in The Woodlands, Texas next month, renting it from friends who bought it for us, and as investment property. Typical 3 BR 2 Bath 2 car attached garage, nantucket blue, brick & wood, composite shingle roof. Lots of tall pine trees, but enough room for some gardening, SMALL scale wind & solar experimentation, maybe geothermal cooling. I get to see the house for the first time day after tomorrow, interested in the siting vs. the sun for pv panels.
The house and the environmental conditions are likely to be quite representative of the surrounding neighborhoods. I intend to develop a system that works, is copyable, saleable, practical, inexpensive, incorporating wind, sun, earth, water, compressed air, steam, electrical generation, etc. to reduce or eliminate utility costs. And along this path, I will be asking lots of questions. Engineering-wise, physics-formula knowledge, I am completely ignorant. In other areas, however, well, let's just see.
Question: http://cgi.ebay.com/FRESNEL-LENS-HEAT-EXCHANGER-1500-Watts-MAKES-STEAM_W0QQitemZ330102832046QQcategoryZ121837QQssPa geNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
At this ebay location, could you take a look at the Fresnel Lens Heat Exchanger CS3110 and tell me what you think? Seems like a pretty logical product if I was going to build a fresnel concentrator system to generate steam.
gw

[Mark Parsons]

Greetings Gary,

You noticed that I've spent too much time on this forum.:o

One of the reasons that keeps me coming back is your example today. I had no idea that these Fresnel lens solar heat units were available. They look pretty neat.:cool:

Having said that, I'm hoping someone more knowledgeable than I on this topic can provide you with some guidance on selection criteria.

I see the E-bay seller is not selling the Fresnel lens along with his exchangers. I saw no obvious error in his specs. The efficiencies seem a little high but I have no reference data. A little bit of Googling brought up costs of new 12"x12" lenses likely more than the heat exchanger price.

Making steam requires close attention to details and controls and redundant control systems. Insurance companies are very cautious around insuring premises with steam generating appliances and pressure vessels.

I look forward to your experience with this concept if you decide to pursue. P.S. - Good luck in your move to your new home.

Mark

[Gary Williams]

Good point about steam. Another consideration is that I like my skin just fine and one really bad burn was quite sufficient for this lifetime. I've been drawn towards compressed air as a energy intermediary system. I logged about 350 hours underwater using Scuba tanks on Lake Travis in the 60's-70's. Took about 45 minutes to charge a tank to nearly 2750 psi. Noticed how hot the input manifold & pipe got on the fill, and how cold the tank valve got when I bled some air out. Thinking about micro wind for bulk of compression - building dozens of VAWTS (twin-curved tall sail types), hooking up to small air compressors, hanging them in the pine trees, connecting air hoses, running them underground to an air receiver for storage. When needed, the compressed air would be bled out of the receiver through a Hilsch vortex tube to generate high heat and cold which I can extract via heat exchangers, and the exiting air to further turn electrical generators, maybe a pair of tesla-type turbines. They would support a lead acid battery system with an inverter tied into the grid. A couple of Kyocera panels on the roof for additional electrical support. If I outgrow the air receiver, there are big ones available. I sort of envision digging a 4x4 hole near the house, lining it with 4" concrete, storing an air receiver underground for safety, much like the Florida geothermal company is doing with their 6x6 hole they use to tie all their diagonally drilled ground loop systems together to an air manifold, then to their heat pump. The VAWTS would only be small, 1.5 x 0.8 feet, to blend into the environment and keep from offending the neighborhood association.

[Sylvain Carrier]

Hi Guys,

I am new to RE. I will be building a new house utilizing ICF construction in 08 with my own RE mini power plant. I found this site by accident after searching for info on Nortec solar panels. I am located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada and earn a living as manager of electrical installations at a local hospital. Micro plants are a little different for me since on any given day the connected load at the hospital is 9MW with nearly 4MW of emergency diesel back up generators available for outages.

Sylvain

[Mark Parsons]

Greetings Sylvain,

Welcome aboard!

Your Nortec Solar search likely found one of my postings searching for info on a Nortec unit I refurbished this past winter. Best I can find out they were made in the Ottawa area in the early 80's. They use a thermal transfer fluid to heat the water header. The refrigerant fluid in mine was not able to perform very well. I removed the fluid and reconfigured to have water pumped through the former fluid absorber tubing. Gave the absorber a new coat of black paint, added some hi-tech insulation behind the little bit of fiberglass and the unit now tests with providing over 1200 btu/hr.

I am installing the unit on the roof of my off-grid log home cottage in the upper Ottawa Valley next weekend. I won't have the drainback system plumbing done until later in the season.

What is your plan for your "RE mini power plant"?

Regards,
Mark

[Rob Beckers]

Hi Sylvain,

Welcome (again) to GPT!
If you're starting with a blank slate, this is your chance to make an energy efficient house. ICFs and SIPs would be high on my list for construction, as well as making it at least partially passive solar. With that climate of ours you can save a (very large) bundle on your heating bills by letting the sun do the work. If you're interested I have a few references.

If your house-building is intended to be 'green' to some extend (involving RE or energy efficiency by means beyond stuffing more insulation in), then please start a new thread and tell us about it! Pictures are encouraged too. :)

-Rob-

[Anthony Ng]

Dear all, this is my first post, i had read some line and are already impress by thing that you guys do. im located in Singapore, and currently doing some energy saving & recycle water product, anyone willing to share with me their invention or ideal pls do so as im real green in this area. my website is www.globalwarming.com.sg (http://www.globalwarming.com.sg/T5.html) thank-you.

[Joe Blake]

Hi, Anthony, from Perth in Western Australia (not too far away from Singapore, as the horse flies).

Sharing ideas etc is what the board is about, so if you take your time and wander through all the different areas you'll probably find some answers to question you didn't even know you needed to ask

But the best thing is probably to ask specific questions. One good question is worth 10 good answers.

Joe

[Stellar Gellar]

Hello forum members, this is my first post. I found the website using Google, trying to find a commercial site related to a youtube video for Hi-Energy Dual-Rotor Micro Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, trying to track down a patent for study. About a year ago, I decided to get busy and invent things. In the past year, I've put over 30 patentable ideas into a journal. Most take a low energy flow, capture and convert to high energy for storage and/or transmission. Looking at some of the Savonius and other wind rotors on this site, I was impressed enough to join. I look forward to learning from you and sharing.
gw

welcome and thanks for contributing! i've been learning so much from the forum! :D