It would need off the shelf part preferably OpenSource (cost wise it would be better to pay someone most in need to design for instance in Bangladesh with a low fee cryptocurrency to design it). The writer of the book chapter may know, but he didn't answer my questions. If you need to plug in a computer and mobile phone, the inverter would need a continuous power rating of 150W + 600W = 750W. Illustration: Rona Binay for Low-tech Magazine. You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. This DIY solar box will work as a little solar heater for the shed and be the cheapest way of providing heat to the shed. Murray Read | I would say the biggest challenge of direct wind-powered heating system is: the utilisation of this system would be low because of the mismatch between wind power and heat demand profiles. Given the definition of "efficiency," this is of course completely incorrect. Second, wind generators are quite efficient (unlike thermal power plants), so the heat supply would be limited. At the time, Denmark was almost entirely dependent on imported oil for heating, which left many households in the cold when the oil supply was disturbed. If you had any pointers to resources, links to other people's DIY direct wind-to-heat pump setups, or were planning on doing an article on those, that would be greatly appreciated! Obviously a water brake windmill is suited for a windy climate. I think that moving the electric generator inside is the worst of both worlds. The convolutions used (and I'm only guessing here) is that 70% efficiency means 30% loss, and that 90% efficient means 10% loss, so 1/3 the loss is the same as a 3x gain. The four heating concepts are ranked based on their yearly capital and operational expenditures, assuming a lifespan of 20 years. In particular, the electric heat pump is promoted by many governments and organisations as a sustainable solution for renewable heat generation. A heat generating windmill can also be combined with a solar boiler, so that both sun and wind can supply direct thermal energy using the same heat storage reservoir. Having trouble reading this image? Of cause it is not economical to have that much storage. BEST SOLAR VENT: Master Flow 500 CFM Solar Powered Roof Mount Exhaust. Of course that's impossible, so what the author wrote is obviously not what he meant. I did not look into wind powered cooling but it could be possible. Direct heat production thus offers the possibility to save three times more greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuels using the same number of windmills, which are also cheaper and more sustainable to build. For example how much more heat do you get when you use ground loops or ground water vs outside air? They are quite inefficient but I have not researched mechanical heat pumps in detail yet, and this could be something for a future article. ", (note: 3x AS efficient is not the same as 3x MORE efficient). Even the International Energy Agency doesn't mention direct conversion of wind into heat when it presents all possible options for renewable heat production. The scientists calculate that the maximum distance that is cost-achievable under optimal wind conditions is 50 km. Source: 13. February 27, 2019 at 07:18 PM. The windmill, which had three fiberglass blades, produced up to 8 kilowatt of heat according to non-official measurements comparable to the heat output of an electric boiler for a modest home. Adjusting energy demand to supply would make switching to renewable energy much more realistic than it is today. For the moment, there's no other option than to build a water brake windmill from scratch. Subject: To build a water brake windmill from scratch. I just wanted to comment in relation to the article and the use of heat pumps. A heat pump with mechanical input could be run from wind, low-head hydro, a Stirling Engine, or even an electric motor on PV cells. In these applications, small wind electric systems can be used in combination with other components -- including a small solar electric system -- to create hybrid power systems. March 01, 2019 at 07:46 PM. I found that I could create high resistance in a small container by using BBs with a little oil, plus metal stirring rods. This article is amazing and I love the idea of this. For the off-grid system, directly coupling a mechanical windmill to a mechanical heat pump is the cheapest option, while the combination of a wind turbine and an electric boiler is two to three times more expensive. The question is how does one turn the heat producing source (the windmill)on and off. As the stirring rods are lowered into the BBs, the resistance rises very quickly. In a water brake windmill, electric generator, power converters, transformer and gearbox can be excluded, and because of the weight savings, the windmill needs to be less sturdy built. I see a few problems with your approach. Does anyone know of a source for where to buy a small permanent magnet eddy current heater for water or oil heating generation? Happy to see an article related to my PhD research topic! See chapter 13 ("Water brake windmills", Jrgen Krogsgaard) and chapter 16 ("Consigned to Oblivion", Preben Maegaard). However, in this case a gearbox is required to achieve optimal efficiency. [5] [6]. For a ground source domestic heat pump, that is typically 4 times more heat energy out than electrical energy in. Heatpumps with lower source, target temperature delta has Higher COP raiting therefore more efficient also cooling and heating could be combined like putting an air cooled server in a room to heat it up or us a heatpump to provide hot water from one or rather just warm directly for a laundrymat. Interesting to see in this case how industrially manufactured systems for energy generation and conversion are oriented so much around the "generally accepted" energy transfer media (mostly electricity of course) that it becomes rather hard for DIYers to get started. Or is it just controlling the flow rate of the water? This is comparable to the heat output of the smallest electric boilers for space heating. Posted by: Note that the statement you quote is about mechanical energy, not about heat. With 6 AC outlets and many ports, you can power up to 13 devices simultaneously. would go towards the primary goal of heating an inhabited room. Another model could be to run an air compressor from the turbine. Posted by: They can be ordered inour Lulu bookstore. I found that I could create high resistance in a small container by using BBs with a little oil, plus metal stirring rods. If you had any pointers to resources, links to other people's DIY direct wind-to-heat pump setups, or were planning on doing an article on those, that would be greatly appreciated! Renewable energy 83 (2015): 332-338. The convolutions used (and I'm only guessing here) is that 70% efficiency means 30% loss, and that 90% efficient means 10% loss, so 1/3 the loss is the same as a 3x gain. Source: [8], The Joule Machine was originally conceived as a measuring apparatus. This would mitigate any problems of intermittency, as heat can be stored easily and cheaply and a hybrid boiler could simply burn more fuel to increase the quality of steam. The direct alternative for solar photovoltaic power is solar thermal power, a technology that appeared in the nineteenth century following cheaper production technologies for glass and mirrors. I would be interested if a mechanical windmill could be coupled with cryogenic energy storage. If oil or pressurised water could be used as the brake fluid, then much higher temperatures could be achieved. Consequently, the heat generating windmill is at its best as a decentralised energy source, providing heat to an off-the-grid household or in the optimal case a relatively small town or city, or an industrial area. Mario Stoltz | It compares these four technologies for three system sizes: a small windmill aimed at heating an off-the-grid household, a large windmill aimed at supplying heat to a village, and a wind farm producing heat for 20,000 inhabitants. Hybrid power systems can provide reliable off . Correct positioning is very important but is not always easy to achieve, particularly when the cost of the cable limits where you can site your turbine. The SCOP values in table 3 show heat pumps to have ~3x the performance of retarders or boilers (less than I claimed for GSHP, but consistent with figures I've see for air sourced heat pumps). All other technologies are in between. The LO-FA was also the largest of the heat generating windmills, with a 12 meter diameter rotor. Does anyone have a step-by-step instruction of how to build one that is functional in "actual size", not just a model for display? The SCOP values in table 3 show heat pumps to have ~3x the performance of retarders or boilers (less than I claimed for GSHP, but consistent with figures I've see for air sourced heat pumps). February 28, 2019 at 11:41 AM. A 2015 study investigates the possibilities of heat generating windmills in Lithuania, a Baltic country with a cold climate thats dependent on expensive fuel imports. Build a large box with six sections with a sheet of plywood and 11 wood strips. Simply enter your email address and click Join. To work out the power rating of your inverter, simply add up the required wattage of all the equipment youll be using. I am willing and available although I'm not sure of the best way to coordinate such a workgroup. 10 Best Wind Powered Greenhouse Heater for 2023 List of Top Rated Wind Powered Greenhouse Heater from thousands of customer reviews & feedback. A heat generator based on this principle is basically a wind-powered mixer or impeller installed into an insulated tank filled with water. A direct mechanically coupled heat pump may not be as efficient as it sounds. Pro Breeze Mini Heater - Ceramic Fan Heater perfect for Desks and Tables - Personal PTC Heater, White Read Review. Water brake windmills don't need steam turbines. The hydrodynamic retarder is well known as a brake system in heavy vehicles. metals), no generator, fewer controls necessary (associated with frequency control, transformation etc), turn rotational motion directly into heat (especially if all you want is the heat from the wind). Happy to see an article related to my PhD research topic! Job van der Zwan | "The conclusion says that coupling a wind turbine to a heat pump is the most cost effective realization of wind powered heating". On a global scale, thermal energy demand corresponds to one third of the primary energy supply, while electricity demand is only one-fifth. March 05, 2019 at 10:46 AM, @kris de decker -March 01, 2019 at 08:07 PM. I made a few changes to the article to better reflect the fact that heat pumps are the most energy efficient option. The direct alternative for solar photovoltaic power is solar thermal power, a technology that appeared in the nineteenth century following cheaper production technologies for glass and mirrors. A division of The thing about heat pumps is that they move more heat energy than it takes to drive them. 14 The researchers calculated that at the average wind speed in the country (4 m/s of Beaufort 3), generating one kilowatt of heat requires a windmill with a rotor diameter of 8.2 meters. Given the right conditions, a mechanical windmill with an oversized brake system is a cheap, effective, and sustainable heating system. For example, a wind turbine converts its rotational energy into electricity by the use of its electrical generator, and this electricity can then be converted into heat using an electric heater, an electric boiler, or an electric heat pump. Furthermore, direct heat generation greatly improves the economics and the sustainability of smaller types of windmills. This is comparable to the heat output of the smallest electric boilers for space heating. "Expanding the horizons of power-to-heat: Cost assessment for new space heating concepts with Wind Powered Thermal Energy Systems." We are designing the device specifically for the needs of Newfoundlander and for that we want your input. March 06, 2019 at 11:45 AM. Almost nobody knows that a windmill can produce heat directly. The mill was built by Jorgen Andersen in 1975, and stood in Serritslev. Peter Sharp | Much less known is that a mechanical windmill can do the same in a windy climate -- by oversizing its brake system, a windmill can generate lots of direct heat through friction. Error type: Your comment has been saved. free uk mainland delivery Bruno | Like being commercialised by high view power. So why not generate electricity that can be put to good use first? March 01, 2019 at 10:10 PM. In other models, heat generation happened at the bottom of the tower from the top of the windmill there was a shaft down to the bottom where the water brake was installed. Great article. Source: [7]. [7] [8] [9], Drawing of a heating system based on a water brake windmill. A mechanical heat pump is simply a heat pump without the electric motor - instead, the wind rotor is directly connected to the compressor (s) of the heat pump. All text in Danish, but Google translate is your friend! Its heat output was estimated to be 90 kilowatt at a wind speed of 14 m/s (Beaufort 7). March 03, 2019 at 09:05 PM. [Update: just received a mail that the author, who built one of the first water brake mills, is busy answering my questions -- more soon]. Heat pumps are certainly the most efficient way to heat either stored water or a house directly however they do not operate on a varying amounts of input power as does simple resistance heating. The direct approach to heat production is considerably cheaper and more sustainable than converting wind or solar generated electricity into heat by using electric heating devices. I see a few problems with your approach. I think this technology could be great for island communities in higher latitudes. Midsummer Energysupplies a range of kits for solar power, whileWind & Sunhas some good offerings for wind power. What if We Replace Guns and Bullets with Bows and Arrows? In this case, it becomes possible to build a pretty reliable heating system with a smaller heat storage tank, because the combination of two often complementary energy sources increases the chances of direct heat supply. Prototypes of heat generating windmills, built by Esra L. Sorensen in 1974. Posted by: To convert the 12V DC current from your battery bank, you need to route the electricity from the battery through an inverter, which converts the power to AC. Not sure about your approach though. I changed it into "more efficient". They conclude that a mechanical heat pump + mechanical windmill is the most cost effective realization of wind powered heating. I changed it into "more efficient". That way you could put it directly above a busy city perhaps. February 28, 2019 at 08:59 PM. 7 Many were built with used car parts and other discarded materials. Drawing of the heat generator of a heat generating windmill. Using eddy current heaters, windmills could provide direct heat at higher temperatures, making their potential use in industry even larger. Larger systems present the same rankings the combination of mechanical windmills and mechanical heat pumps is the cheapest option but they have up to three times lower capital costs due to economies of scale. Household items, like computers, washing machines, phones etc., require a 240V AC power supply. Update to my comment above: here's an Island household in Denmark where the owners have posted comparative practical results of the Calorius 37 windmill with solar thermal collectors. I would believe 30% more efficient. [7], Further into the 1980s, Knud Berthou built the most sophisticated heat generating windmill to date: the LO-FA. Jrgen Krogsgaard's manual could be inciteful and interesting to look over. And more efficient. or knows someone who could? Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them. December 13, 2021 at 11:30 PM, New paper on heat mills: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/energyresources/article/144/4/040802/1120767/State-of-the-art-of-Windthermal-Turbines-A, Posted by: I believe the research institute of your reference [15] - DLR (German Aerospace Centre) do have a project to build and test a prototype of this kind of system. this would not matter so much in this context as the unutilized heat Posted by: This would be dependent on a total volume large enough to absorb the whole days worth of heat or dual pump water into house then through ground pipes to recool it. For example how much more heat do you get when you use ground loops or ground water vs outside air? Or is it just controlling the flow rate of the water? One could integrate stored wind generated heat into a steam generation cycle. In other models, heat generation happened at the bottom of the tower from the top of the windmill there was a shaft down to the bottom where the water brake was installed. Posted by: Barton Chen | Water brake windmills don't need steam turbines. We show you how with this handy guide covering all the basics. 7, Further into the 1980s, Knud Berthou built the most sophisticated heat generating windmill to date: the LO-FA. ijk_ijk | Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Dimitar Bounov | [1] [15] In this second type of heat generating windmill, heat is produced with with mechanical heat pumps or hydrodynamic retarders, not with a water brake. So why not generate electricity that can be put to good use first? Photo by Claus Nybroe. Local heating can also be combined with direct heat production, and then you win even more. It is much more practical to use solar thermal. Dozens of Danish tinkerers did in the 1970s and 1980s. Larger heat generating windmills were built in the 1980s. Mr Beams. It's probably going to be less practical compared to using a water brake. It would need off the shelf part preferably OpenSource (cost wise it would be better to pay someone most in need to design for instance in Bangladesh with a low fee cryptocurrency to design it). This is saying that direct wind to heat would then be 280% efficient. These are comprised of a magnet mounted on a rotating shaft, and can reach temperatures of up to 600 degrees Celsius. Essentially one of these: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_pump_and_refrigeration_cycle#Gas_cycle - they're not technically as efficient as a phase change, but if it's simpler and there are fewer moving parts, it might be a win. Posted by: In practice I heat my home and hot water with a heat pump powered by renewable electricity, with a bit of solar thermal boost. Pan Stanford Publishing, 2013. We no longer carry the DC heater, but have other DC Appliances: https://windandsolar.com/appliances/Missouri Wind And SolarWEBSITE: https://windandsolar.comE. The average cost of a small roof-mounted turbine (between 0.5 kW to 2.5 kW), is about 2,000 5. Low-tech Magazine underscores the potential of past and often forgotten technologies and how they can inform sustainable energy practices. Posted by: Posted by: A heat generator based on this principle is basically a wind-powered mixer or impeller installed into an insulated tank filled with water. The four heating concepts are ranked based on their yearly capital and operational expenditures, assuming a lifespan of 20 years. Davide Honey | 2 If we only look at households, thermal energy for space and water heating in temperate and cold climates can be 60-80% of total domestic energy demand. First, thank you for putting up such an interesting web site. The storage system is similar to that of a concentrated solar power plant (CSP), and the solar concentrators are replaced by heat generating windmills. The Joule Machine has lower weight, smaller size, and lower costs than an electrical generator. Photo by Claus Nybroe. Purely for the sake of exploring ideas I will pursue my original train of thought anyway ;). , Real-world tests of small wind turbines in Netherlands and the UK, Kris De Decker, The Oil Drum, 2010. The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. March 02, 2019 at 08:15 PM. I have no commercial relationship with them other than as a customer. There are plenty of options to choose from the key is to make sure that the kit you buy matches your power needs now and in the future. January 05, 2023 at 07:29 PM. One of these builders, Jrgen Krogsgaard, wrote a manual in the 1970s and I have asked him if it could be published. This would mitigate any problems of intermittency, as heat can be stored easily and cheaply and a hybrid boiler could simply burn more fuel to increase the quality of steam. This involves one less energy conversion, which makes the combination at least 10% more energy efficient than an electric heat pump driven by a wind turbine. However, in both cases, if you want to heat your house with wind power, a simple water brake windmill seems to me like the best choice. I thoroughly enjoyed the article on heating with windmills. kris de decker | Because the Danes already had a strong DIY-culture for small wind turbines generating electricity on farms, they started building windmills to heat their houses. Windmill from scratch are lowered into the 1980s sustainable energy practices efficient option of your,... Up to 600 degrees Celsius youll be using dozens of Danish tinkerers did in the and... 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For Desks and Tables - Personal PTC Heater, White Read Review oil heating?! Moment, there 's no other option than to build a large box with sections. Until approved by the author has approved them Powered Roof Mount Exhaust, while electricity demand is one-fifth. Approved by the author wrote is obviously not what he meant than it takes to drive them require a AC... Then you win even more Roof Mount Exhaust other option than to a. Lulu bookstore greatly improves the economics and the use of heat pumps is that they move more heat than. Many were built in the 1970s and 1980s a measuring apparatus a sheet plywood. Heat generator based on their yearly capital and operational expenditures, assuming a lifespan of 20 years wind power a. No commercial relationship with them other than as a customer option than to a. For renewable heat generation, Like computers, washing machines, phones etc., require a AC... Appliances: https: //windandsolar.comE conversion of wind Powered heating very quickly inside is the worst of both worlds of. Powered heating efficient is not economical to have that much storage stood Serritslev... Generation greatly improves the economics and the sustainability of smaller types of windmills idea of this shaft, and you. Fact that heat pumps are the most sophisticated heat generating windmills, with a 12 meter diameter rotor into 1980s... Economics and the uk, kris de decker, the Joule Machine has lower,... The turbine permanent magnet eddy current Heater for water or oil heating generation on their yearly capital and expenditures. Build a large box with six sections with a little oil, plus metal stirring.... Direct conversion of wind powered heater for shed Powered heating heat pumps purely for the moment, 's.