B&Q Wind Turbines (Merged Thread)

moonrakerz

gromituk wrote: »

No, if you're careful it's perfectly possible and safe to do this. You just keep checking that the mains is there periodically. So there are only live pins on the plug if it is plugged into a live socket.

I think you are missing my point. What I take my quote to mean is that the "supply" from the generator is fed down a cable which is terminated with a 13 amp plug. When this plug is plugged into a domestic 13 amp socket in the house, the generator is then feeding the house. So the pins of the plug are live at all times that the generator is running regardless of whether they are plugged in or not.

This is not unlike a very dangerous method of supplying mains power to a boat. The boat has a "ring main" fitted, but no method of supply to it. A length of cable with a 13 amp plug on each end is then used to connect a live socket on shore to a socket on the boat.

It may be "possible" to do this but it is most certainly NOT safe !

gromituk

No, you're missing my point I'm afraid. It is perfectly possible to make a control circuit which will "sniff" the mains at regular intervals to make sure it is there (differentiating between the power being supplied by the generator and the grid power), and disconnect the generator from the plug if it is not. So "the pins of the plug are live at all times that the generator is running regardless of whether they are plugged in or not" is not correct. I agree it would be if there wasn't a clever circuit in between the generator and the plug.

Edit: if it really were the case that the pins were live when not plugged in, it would never, ever have got approval.

gromituk

I did have a look at that article though. "The company will launch solar energy products this year and is also working on an unusual version of hydropower – using “grey water” from a household to drive a turbine in its drains."

Yeah right. Now how much are you going to get from that? About 1mW while you have a shower? And that's only until the blades get gummed up with soap scum, when you will get precisely zero.

magyar

Out of interest, did anyone see this article on the BBC web site?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/6946156.stm

Much more sensible. And they got those turbines incredibly cheap, not sure how - most wind farm developers would bite the supplier's hand off at that price (£675k/MW)

colinS

The thing that got me about the article were the claims for Windsave turbines "ordered" and "sold". By sold does he mean installed? If so, 1250 seems a high number to me. As for ordered, I have seen earlier interviews with Trash, in which he claims to have orders for 18,000; so how can 1250 from 18,000 leave 12,000?

As for the larger turbines and all the other renewable energies he intends to develop, this is just the sort of hype that scam companies use before they fold up. And why will he not tell us what bank and hedge fund is backing him?

In regards to the 13 am plug, didn't some US companies years back try to sell turbines with induction motors as generators which just plugged into the mains? It is the electronic controls of this product that is its most interesting facet; the people on the fieldlines.com site (who know a lot more than I do about wind turbines and their controls) were very interested in the box of tricks that came with the turbine.

colinS

Have you heard of the Merton Rule? I hadn't until I listened to the business news on this morning's Today prog. The rule is set by some councils, and it states that any buildings over a certain area must generate 10% of there energy by renewables - on site. Today the government is having the interested parties in, and it may change the on site ruling.

The reason I have brought this up is that, listening to the two side arguing - builder v architechs - was like reading this thread. The builders didn't mind having to use renewable energy, they just didn't want to restrict it to what their site could produce - they even said it could be 20% if neccesary. They know that putting wind turbines and pv on their buildings is not the best way to generate renewable electricity - although pv it getting there slowly.

By the time you read this they could have changed the rule, and that will be a bitter blow for the likes of Windsave and Quiet Revolution.

magyar

colinS wrote: »

Have you heard of the Merton Rule? I hadn't until I listened to the business news on this morning's Today prog. The rule is set by some councils, and it states that any buildings over a certain area must generate 10% of there energy by renewables - on site. Today the government is having the interested parties in, and it may change the on site ruling.

The reason I have brought this up is that, listening to the two side arguing - builder v architechs - was like reading this thread. The builders didn't mind having to use renewable energy, they just didn't want to restrict it to what their site could produce - they even said it could be 20% if neccesary. They know that putting wind turbines and pv on their buildings is not the best way to generate renewable electricity - although pv it getting there slowly.

By the time you read this they could have changed the rule, and that will be a bitter blow for the likes of Windsave and Quiet Revolution.

Thanks for the heads-up, Colin, I'll listen to it on the BBC web site.

colinS

Just when I was beginning to think that this thread had said about all that could be said on this subject this comes up. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6966225.stm

Who are these people? Don't they read the blogs on this subject?

Cardew

colinS wrote: »

Who are these people?

Self appointed(independent!!) with no government status; and talk 'sound bite' rubbish if their last 'report' is anything to go by.

http://www.nlgn.org.uk/public/wp-content/uploads/finding-the-energy_white-paper.pdf

Look at the report if you want to read 16 pages of meaningless jargon. Not a single word about the merits or otherwise about microgeneration.

moonrakerz

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Click on today's (Sunday) Matt cartoon - can you get these in B & Q ?