Wind Generated Power - Is It Feasible In The Philippines?

[ibemarshall]

Reading and following along with the recent Solar Panel topic jogged my memory about a report I saw online a few years ago regarding an African teenager who built his own wind generator to power low voltage lights. He did this so he could do his school studies after dark.

With this in mind I thought I would start a discussion on the feasibility of researching, designing, building, installing and useage of wind generated power in the Philippines.

To get the wind vanes turning (so to speak) I have posted a short video on a wind generating system (with solar power component) built from scratch and installed, in this particular case, in Mexico. It provides a great overview and if you are interested, worth watching:

• Could this same happen in PI?
  
• What would be some of the road blocks besides the financial ones?
  
• Any other issues you can think of?
  

[MacBubba]

ibemarshall, thanks for the interesting post. Assembling a wind generating system looks easy enough and something that I would be interested in learning more about. I guess a big hurdle would be to get a reliable battery source ?

MacBubba

[Beachboy]

.. Mexico is dry and the Phils is wet and that's what bothers me about the home-made system. Not sure it's practical because the constant rain is likely to corrode and short the system ... I would try to interest a technical college or high school in the the Phils to see if they want to build and evaluate. The real cost is in the storage and voltage regulators .. these of course can't be home made.

.. Still I can see it's use in remote fishing villages .. but given the glut of solar panels you have to determine which is cheaper .. keep me informed in you decided to do some practical work .. I dabbled a little with this stuff in the Peace Corps .. it's a lot of fun and can really help people .. especially today the technology is advancing quickly

This is link on sulit that gives local prices of wind stuff in the phils for comparison ... http://www.sulit.com.ph/index.php/classifieds+directory/q/wind+turbine

[i am bob]

You would be surprised by the number of home-made wind powered generators in Nova Scotia, Canada. When I lived in the country on my hobby farm, 6 of my 7 neighbours all had one. All home-made. Volkswagen was the preferred windings source. The blades were made out of Balsa wood - usually bought in block form at a craft store and carved with a pocket knife to the proper shape. Towers were the old TV antennae towers - unless somebody used to have an old CB radio tower they weren't using anymore. Wet test? A little silicone inside a robber boot that fit over the connections and you were done. Batteries were stored in a marine battery box - because they are waterproof. Which means they don't leak air. Which means you can keep them in your basement during the winter. (Open twice daily to vent) That would be no problem in the Philippines of course! The biggest problem we used to have was thawing out the impeller system (the blades) after a freezing rain storm. Again - no worries for the Philippines. If you want to find plans on how to make one? Look into your local library. Look online. Anybody still have 20 or 30 year old Harrowsmith magazines? Farmer's Almanac used to carry advertisements of plans for sale. Or you can just design your own. As for the power filter / regulator? A simple filter and diode system will handle it - or you can go to Radio Shack / the Source and buy one for a couple bucks. Or just use one off the car you got the alternator from. Usually it's built in to the alternator, is it not?

Anyways, to build a wind turbine takes longer to plan out that it takes to build. And as long as you have a gentle breeze? You have got power! Of course, during a heavy-duty typhoon, you might want to lock down that airplane!

:mocking:

[Fred & Mimi]

Mexico is dry and the Phils is wet and that's what bothers me about the home-made system.

whats the increased chance of lightning strikes if you use a steel tower? Thunder storms would be a risk if they are common place.

[ibemarshall]

ibemarshall, thanks for the interesting post. Assembling a wind generating system looks easy enough and something that I would be interested in learning more about. I guess a big hurdle would be to get a reliable battery source ?

MacBubba

Good point, as the battery storage part of the project might be the most important and perhaps the most expensive. From what I have read and as someone on the solar panel discussion mentioned, deep cycle/marine batteries might be a suitable selection. I believe Nor Cal Mike uses forklift batteries - a terrific option and idea. Plus the size and weight of forlift batteries makes it way harder for someone to "borrow".

Good to hear from you on this!

Edited October 10, 2012 by ibemarshall

[ibemarshall]

.. Mexico is dry and the Phils is wet and that's what bothers me about the home-made system. Not sure it's practical because the constant rain is likely to corrode and short the system ... I would try to interest a technical college or high school in the the Phils to see if they want to build and evaluate. The real cost is in the storage and voltage regulators .. these of course can't be home made.

.. Still I can see it's use in remote fishing villages .. but given the glut of solar panels you have to determine which is cheaper .. keep me informed in you decided to do some practical work .. I dabbled a little with this stuff in the Peace Corps .. it's a lot of fun and can really help people .. especially today the technology is advancing quickly

This is link on sulit that gives local prices of wind stuff in the phils for comparison ... http://www.sulit.com.../q/wind turbine

Wet it is for sure and then some. Something to be considered for sure and takes the Nipa Hut Control Room option off the table.

The quality of materials involved with the transmission of power to the panels/regulators/invertors/et al and then onwards to final destinations would have to be of such quality not to short out etc, adding to the cost of a reliable system. The link for sourcing equipment is great and adds a valuable element to our discussion.

Thanks for the thoughts!

[MacBubba]

I wonder what the availability of either choice of battery is on Marinduque? I guess I'll have to scout around when we get back there. I just hate it when things all of a sudden "grow legs" and just up and wander off.

MacBubba

[ibemarshall]

You would be surprised by the number of home-made wind powered generators in Nova Scotia, Canada. When I lived in the country on my hobby farm, 6 of my 7 neighbours all had one. All home-made. Volkswagen was the preferred windings source. The blades were made out of Balsa wood - usually bought in block form at a craft store and carved with a pocket knife to the proper shape. Towers were the old TV antennae towers - unless somebody used to have an old CB radio tower they weren't using anymore. Wet test? A little silicone inside a robber boot that fit over the connections and you were done. Batteries were stored in a marine battery box - because they are waterproof. Which means they don't leak air. Which means you can keep them in your basement during the winter. (Open twice daily to vent) That would be no problem in the Philippines of course! The biggest problem we used to have was thawing out the impeller system (the blades) after a freezing rain storm. Again - no worries for the Philippines. If you want to find plans on how to make one? Look into your local library. Look online. Anybody still have 20 or 30 year old Harrowsmith magazines? Farmer's Almanac used to carry advertisements of plans for sale. Or you can just design your own. As for the power filter / regulator? A simple filter and diode system will handle it - or you can go to Radio Shack / the Source and buy one for a couple bucks. Or just use one off the car you got the alternator from. Usually it's built in to the alternator, is it not?

Anyways, to build a wind turbine takes longer to plan out that it takes to build. And as long as you have a gentle breeze? You have got power! Of course, during a heavy-duty typhoon, you might want to lock down that airplane!

:mocking:

Well the weather in the Maritimes certainly is a great endurance test as examplified by your personal experiences there Bob. With the industriousness of the Filipino folks I am almost sure it could be accomplished - jeepneys...water faucets used for toilet shut offs :) ...you can think of a ton of examples to be sure.

I found lots of websites with info and DIY plans along with complete systems. Here is just one example:

http://greenecoclub.com/gde/wind/

As always, great information Bob, Thanks!

[ibemarshall]

Mexico is dry and the Phils is wet and that's what bothers me about the home-made system.

whats the increased chance of lightning strikes if you use a steel tower? Thunder storms would be a risk if they are common place.

I am not sure but there is probably some established electrical standards for grounding towers etc.

I was thinking the material of choice would be Bamboo...some sort of tower or pole that could be lowered/brought down during "Blowing with the Wind" situations.