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Challenging NEO to become world center for $ multi-billion micro wind industrySubmitted by Norm Roulet on Mon, 04/30/2007 - 20:06.
I recently posted on realneo about a report I saw on CNN profiling Lucien Gambarota, an inventor in Hong Kong who has developed and begun manufacturing micro wind turbines - see http://realneo.org/Micro-Wind-Turbines. He is also working on technologies to capture energy from waves, and hybrids of wind and wave. The inventor saw my posting on realneo, from Hong Kong (example of power of Internet used well), and set up an account on realneo and started posting about his technology... see comments to above posting. He mentioned they are in the process of ramping up production and their greatest challenge now is funding and support to manufacture and distribute billions of these micro turbines, which are designed for home and smaller facility use. A bank of micro turbines costs around $100. Like with compact florescent bulbs, there is a huge global market for consumer level advanced energy products, so I do believe that this product, if it is as solid as the inventor claims, could have unprecedented market opportunity. Consider a SpinBrush that is good for the environment and saves you money. Some advanced energy experts I know here in town question the possible efficiency of the technology, and more due diligence is required. None the less, I suggested to the inventor he should base US operations in Northeast Ohio, and he sees that as a strong opportunity. The next step is to explore this technology and business opportunity in detail to determine if it offers value here. Let me know if this fits your interest and we can plan how to proceed. We'll continue this discussion here, so feel free to post on this technology and opportunity as comments to this posting.
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One test of community commitment to advanced energy
I consider this a unique test of this community's commitment to advanced energy, innovation, entrepreneurship, globalization, and economic development, at the highest levels and at the individual consumer level.
There are opportunities to sway this economic development to our benefit by doing smart things in all circles, and as individuals. Consider we can negotiate that, if this company bases all global operations outside Hong Kong in NEO, then this region will invest $100,000,000. The joint company must work with NASA and Case and CIA - manufacture here - distribute from here - multi $billion impact - 1,000s of jobs - the Global Headquarters - executive, management, marketing, sales, industrial design, engineering, back office, customer service, manufacturing, shipping, distribution, etc., all based here - we will as a region provide the support that gets them the money they need to operate at the highest potential and we will help them succeed here in unique and innovative ways.
And, part of that support will come from the public and all sizes of businesses here that commit to purchase this product if manufactured here. That is like us voting for taxes and government spending for advanced energy and the war against global warming, by doing something about it ourselves... just like we would vote for the legislature to do that at the state level, e.g. requiring the state buy some %age of power from "renewable" or advanced sources.
So how much would you as an individual agree to spend on this product, to offset your utility electricity consumption, improve the environment, save money and help develop a major business and new industry here? Of course, all this depends on the technology working in some way in some place you can control, like the roof of a building or a porch with some good wind exposure - it needs to be cost effective and practical for you - but assuming that it all works right and costs from a few $100 to $1,000s, depending on how many square meters of area you covered, would you buy micro turbines?.
We should agree as a community to find every way to use the technology that makes sense and all agree to spend the money, in exchange for the economic development - all win-win. We'd be the innovator and test environment - that model can be extended to all sorts of technologies, other than offshore wind. Consider making the same consumer commitment to solar.
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Whoa Now, HOW MUCH ENERGY DOES UNIT PRODUCE?
Norm, I am a wind believer, but in the 35 years I have been following the field I have run in to a few charlatans. Cheap turbines could be beneficial, but what are their specs? How many kwh’s do the pump out in what wind speed? Is the plastic UV resistant (doesn’t look like it is because it isn’t pigmented). Slow down a bit. Getting energy from the wind isn’t simple. It is sensible, but not simple. Just because a turbine turns doesn’t mean it is producing anything useful.
Because this design is way off of the preferred dynamic efficiency design, I am very skeptical.
Same feeling I have about Mark Cirroni. Show me it works…
let's be technical
Hi Jeff
Norm asked me to try to explain as much as i could for everybody's understanding.
i fully understand your reaction because myself i went through that when i started
to check why the conventional types could not be used in most of the world.
Wind generator manufacturers only release data that can suit their marketing strategy.
there is for example one manufacturer that rates his turbines for 18 m/s wind speed
and then claim that the pay back time can be 4 or 5 years.
He is right but he is misleading customers because there is only 2 or 3 places in the world with that kind of wind speed.The average wind speed on this planet is only 5m/s.
as you said ,wind energy is not simple ,but depends on a universal law of physic.
The transformation of the kinetic energy of masses of air into mechanical energy that can be further transformed into something else.
do our turbines follow this law :yes perfectly.1/2 collecting area x the cube of Wind speed x air density x ( 0.26-0.44) efficiency . (in wind tunnel and in real application)
does it produce a lot of kWh ? well it just transform the wind energy.if there is kW to transform it will ,if there is not then ,it wont ,like all wind generators.
How Much electricity does it produce?. it is well explained on our website.we do not hide anything. these are real data collected in wind tunnel.
for 2 m/s :1 watt per m2
for 4 m/s : 8 watts per m2
for 5 m/s : 15 watts per m2
for 8 m/s : 64 watts per m2
for 10 m/s :125 watts per m2
for 15 m/s :420 watts per m2
for 20m/s : 1kW per m2
so if you want 1.5 kW for 5 m/s wind speed for your house then it takes 2 000 turbines(100 m2).but if you want to use conventional Wind generators you cant because you can not install any and even if you could they will only work 15 to 20 % of the time.
starting wind speed : 0.8 m/s cut out speed :none (for very high speed we just automatically disconnect the generator until goes back to normal)
gear box :none. stability : extreme due to the inverted rotation of half of the turbines
we have a double gyroscopic effect that give an incredible stability with no vibrations whatsoever no matter how many turbines .
generator Frequency : for 2 m/s 20 Hz and for 20 m/s :approx 300 Hz
does it matter ? NO because what we do is to recharge a battery that will regulate
the generator output .The output is always 13 to 14 volts no matter the wind speed.
(of course the current changes).since we can connect many generators in parallele
the Battery(ies) combines all energies at the same potential difference.
wind direction : these turbines can take wind from both side (front and back) they just spin in opposite direction .they can take wind with about 60 degrees angle due to the ducted ring (as you have noticed) .we can cover about 80 to 90 % of all winds.
for the 10+ % remaining we consider that it will cost too much trying to get.
so what is so good about Motorwind ?.
the first avantage is the cost. we use mass produced parts and standard equipements
that can be purchased anywhere in the world and therefore a very simple maintenance
the second :is the weight that allow to install in any roof tops without a structural engineer approval .
the third :is no starting or cut out speed making Motorwind able to collect all gusts.
the Fourth is the recycling aspect. turbines are made of recycled plastic and they can be recycled for a very long period of time.we estimate that they will have to be changed every 3 to 5 years depending on local condtitions.we could make them in a very sophisticated polymer that will be undestructable but it is my believe that to a very simple technology we need to use very simple components. we have been testing for 5 months already outdoor In HK with very high temperatures and sea breeze and very high humidity.so far no trace of structural changes in the polymer nor abrasion nor anything.
We are instructing our distributors to collect back all worn turbines (in few years)and return them to the closest manufacturing plant.
the fith:is the low technology that allows the technology transfer anywhere in the world.
i can build manufacturing plants even in the most underdeveloped parts of Africa helping to spread Motorwind at a speed never seen.
I am a scientist ,an inventor and a business man and i know what are my responsibilities.
i am sorry about the lenght of this answer but it could be 100 times longer if i want to get into the very fine details.i have spend 3 months in a lab and i know every single aspect . I will be happy to debate with you Jeff and if it is too confidential then i will do it on private reply.
best regards
Lucien gambarota.
P.S we have been approved for a 600 000 turbines wind farm in China because
of the low wind speed nothing else works.
Don't tell us what you think, tell Lucien
I wrote to the inventor suggesting we explore this opportunity but being specific: " there will be people who will challenge your technology, numbers, etc. " and he replied
I don't have the answers on the tech side but Lucien does and he's right here posting as a member of realneo so I don't think you should suggest he is selling false goods and rather explore with him what his technology does and how - then we'll know what we need to know to determine if this is transformational and how.
I told Lucien we would keep this discussion going here on realneo to explore this opportunty and he wrote:
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