Low-tech Magazine underscores the potential of past and often forgotten technologies and how they can inform sustainable energy practices. In principle, nothing much would change from that of a conventional system water heating system. page for more details. We are in Perth in Western Australia. There is much more to win on the demand side than on the supply side, and the habit to heat the whole space of a building can indeed be questioned. 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. September 04, 2019 at 02:07 AM, Intresting article for sure! Wind Talk Space Heater for Indoor Use, 1500W Electric Oscillating Portable Ceramic Tower Heater with Remote . In terms of using wind-driven mechanical heat pumps to produce heat. 7, Further into the 1980s, Knud Berthou built the most sophisticated heat generating windmill to date: the LO-FA. Not sure about your approach though. Would the heat be sufficient to kill pathogens in the water tank for longer-term water storage? Note that the statement you quote is about mechanical energy, not about heat. Old Great North Road, Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG23 6QN. This means that less solar and wind energy converters and thus less space and resources are needed to supply a certain amount of heat. Posted by: And more efficient. clifdweller | No way it's 300% as efficient, but without the source data, there's no way for the reader (or obviously the writer) to calculate. 3) Coal bed fire pit. Purpose it serves: The box, when made successfully, will capture heat from the sunlight when kept under it for some hours. Wood stoves equipped with thermoelectric generators can produce electricity that is more sustainable, more reliable, and less costly than power from solar PV panels. Much simpler, less material (i.e. February 27, 2019 at 07:18 PM. If you want to see the little relay the following link will take you there. In total, at least a dozen different models have been documented, both DIY and commercial models. Posted by: > Does anyone, any companies make these devices for sale? First, and most importantly, mechanical windmills are less complex, which makes them more affordable and less resource-intensive to build, and which increases their lifetime. You'll need to heat the water somehow outside the shed and run the hot water through pipes that run inside the shed. In particular, the electric heat pump is promoted by many governments and organisations as a sustainable solution for renewable heat generation. It all seems to be an interesting concept, but "proof of concept" and "worth doing" are very different. It is the calorie that is defined by the heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 g of water 1 C. 1 cal is approximately 4.19 J and there are in fact several slightly different calories based on different definitions, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie. Water brake windmills may be a lot cheaper to build, but they are not more energy efficient because a heat pump only moves heat. Third, you lose a significant cost advantage because you reintroduce all the electric components. It's mechanical windmills with mechanical heat pumps that are more energy efficient (and cheaper) than wind turbines with electrical heat pumps. That and a 5 meter (16+ ft) diameter rotor You will have a difficult time finding a location that reliably supplies the required wind speed and has space for a largish (and noisy) turbine. Intresting article for sure! Maybe a storage system with both hot and cold stores might be interesting. February 27, 2019 at 07:03 PM. Local heating can also be combined with direct heat production, and then you win even more. Well, there is a great problem in that an average wind speed of 11 mps is rare.that is nearly 25mph. New paper on heat mills: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/energyresources/article/144/4/040802/1120767/State-of-the-art-of-Windthermal-Turbines-A, Nitto, Dipl-Ing Alejandro Nicols, Carsten Agert, and Yvonne Scholz. Photo by Claus Nybroe. If there are no commercial units of small permanent magnet eddy current heaters for water or oil heating generation currently available, maybe one or more of "us" Low-tech Magazine readers has the capabilities to build one? | Low-tech Magazine: The Printed Website . Beneath a critical wind speed, the compressor will lack the rotational speed to compress the heat transfer fluid back to liquid. [1] [15]. This is much better than the 30% of the molten salt. Solar thermal energy can be used for water heating, space heating or industrial processes, and this is 2-3 times as energy efficient compared to following the indirect path involving electricity conversion. [5] [6]. To use a heat pump and avoid using grid power we would have needed quite a large PV array or we would have had to operate it from our battery which would reduce our overnight reserve power. Would the heat be sufficient to kill pathogens in the water tank for longer-term water storage? Obviously a water brake windmill is suited for a windy climate. A heat generator based on this principle is basically a wind-powered mixer or impeller installed into an insulated tank filled with water. Then they're insulated and placed under the window. [7], Further into the 1980s, Knud Berthou built the most sophisticated heat generating windmill to date: the LO-FA. 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. Any thoughts? Image: prototypes of heat generating windmills, built by Esra L. Sorensen in 1974. 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. Or they could be fabricated locally. We looked carefully at direct water heating via the actual PV panels and found there are two manufacturers (one French and the other Turkish) but they only seem to be effective at lower temperatures such as pool heating plus we have long very hot summers and solar water heaters tend to spend summers venting hot water to avoid overheating in any case. [16] In these systems, the generated heat is converted to electricity by the use of a steam turbine. It also features a built-in overheat protection system to prevent the heater from overheating. In terms of using wind-driven mechanical heat pumps to produce heat. How to Build a Practical Household Bike Generator, The Printed Website: Volume III & The Comments. Of course that's impossible, so what the author wrote is obviously not what he meant. For even larger systems, energy needs to be transported in the form of electricity, and in that case direct generation of heat with all its benefits becomes unattractive. 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. All Rights Reserved. steve | Posted by: Also on a larger scale, I think it makes more sense to have heat generating and electricity generating windmills standing alongside each other, rather than combining them into one machine. All other technologies are in between. 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. In case someone might be interested, there is a UK-based company called "H2O Turbine", and they have wind turbines using water breaks to produce hot. Kris De Decker | March 03, 2019 at 07:52 PM. A UK based solar system could suffer from a lack of available sunshine, particularly in the winter months. Thinking about it some more, you should also be able to get kinetic energy out (or electricity) and water, by running a turbine on the compressed air and collecting moisture from the cooled air. In particular, the electric heat pump is promoted by many governments and organisations as a sustainable solution for renewable heat generation. That way you could put it directly above a busy city perhaps. Some low-tech cooling approaches, and "just get used to the summer heat", fall short, but a mechanical-input heat pump could also be a dehumidifier. Also say you've got the 20 mph wind consistent enough to sustain the power output. [7] Many were built with used car parts and other discarded materials. The Joule is defined as the energy equivalent to the work done by a force of 1 Newton over a distance of 1 meter, i.e. 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. I'm very curious to read those results, but you did not provide the link you are talking about Posted by: If oil or pressurised water could be used as the brake fluid, then much higher temperatures could be achieved. BEST HARD-WIRED POWERED: Master Flow 1000 CFM Mill Power Roof Mount Attic Fan. Almost nobody knows that a windmill can produce heat directly. Posted by: Windmills have braking systems that can stop them from turning when you dont need their energy to impute. Image: Water brake windmill developed by O. Helgason (left), water brake with variable load system (right). Purely for the sake of exploring ideas I will pursue my original train of thought anyway ;). Good question. to receive exclusive offers and discounts. from electricity generation or industrial plants (usually nasty fossil February 27, 2019 at 11:45 PM. The problem is that almost nobody knows this. Tests have shown that small wind turbines which produce electricity are very inefficient and dont always generate as much energy as was needed to produce them. No reviews. The LO-FA was also the largest of the heat generating windmills, with a 12 meter diameter rotor. The Danish water brake windmill from the 1970s was a relatively small machine, with a rotor diameter of around 6 meters and a height of around 12 meters. When I asked about anyone out there doing any experimentations of their own, I was thinking more about your "readers" than the Danish tinkerers. 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. That way it would be kept simple. The hot water is stored in a tank. Posted by: Radiators are usually controlled by temperature thermostats preset to the desired temperature for each room. This is comparable to the heat output of the smallest electric boilers for space heating. , Integration of Thermal Energy Storage into Energy Network, Sharyar Ahmed, 2017, The bright future of solar thermal powered factories, Kris De Decker, Low-tech Magazine, 2011, Solar Heat Worldwide, edition 2018, International Energy Agency (IEA). 1 In temperate or cold climates, the share of thermal energy is even higher. I think I would like to experiment with this idea and build a mini Water Brake Windmill with the intent of heating a small off grid house. 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. List of Top Rated Solar Powered Heater For Shed from thousands of customer reviews & feedback. March 09, 2022 at 09:17 PM. The Calorius type 37 which had a rotor diameter of 5 meters and a height of 9 meters produced 3.5 kilowatt of heat at a wind speed of 11 m/s (a strong breeze, Beaufort 6). The direct alternative for wind power that everybody knows is the old-fashioned windmill, which is at least 2.000 years old. Some chose the indirect path, converting wind generated electricity into heat using electric heating appliances. However, larger systems also reveal a problem when scaling up the technology: storing heat may be cheaper and more efficient than storing electricity, but the opposite holds true for transportation: the energy losses for heat transportation are much larger than the energy losses for electricity transmission. One option is to use source heat that does not have to be maintained and a storage tank. March 12, 2019 at 11:32 AM. kris de decker | Concerning the Water Brake Windmill and your question about how one would control the temperature of the house. Sorry for the silly question! The thing about heat pumps is that they move more heat energy than it takes to drive them. 4, 2013, Joules experiment: An historico-critical approach, Marcos Pou Gallo Advisor. "This old-fashioned approach remains relevant, also in combination with new technology, because it would be three times more energy efficient compared to first converting the energy to electricity, and then back to rotational energy. Hot Water Pipes. Of course, there are other ways but this is the simplest solution. Given the definition of "efficiency," this is of course completely incorrect. March 11, 2019 at 09:44 AM. 13. However, solar and wind energy can also be used in a direct way, without converting them to electricity first and of course the same applies to biomass. the generator is not up on the tower (requiring a stronger tower). [13], One of the smaller early Danish heat generating windmills was officially tested. Join our email club joseph | Also on a larger scale, I think it makes more sense to have heat generating and electricity generating windmills standing alongside each other, rather than combining them into one machine. Due to the large energy losses for heat transportation, 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 small city. For example in the UK, heat counts for almost half of total energy use. 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. 1 J = 1 Nm. The heated water can be pumped into a building for heating or washing, and the same concept could be applied to industrial processes in a factory that require relatively low temperatures. From the Neolithic to the beginning of the twentieth century, coppiced woodlands, pollarded trees, and hedgerows provided people with a sustainable supply of energy, materials, and food. The heat storage tank of a water brake windmill works like any other heating boiler. Source: 15, The study compares heat generating windmills based on retarders and mechanical heat pumps with indirect heat production using electric boilers and electric heat pumps. For example, when I was a student and still owned a desktop instead of a laptop, I has a set-up where I had put a blanket around my desk like a make-shift kotatsu, with the computer desktop poking through. [7], Interest in heat generating windmills resurfaced a few years ago, although for now it concerns only a handful of scientific studies. Here it is: http://www.langdal5.dk/energi/info.html, Posted by: Question I have is: Does anyone, any companies make these devices for sale? There are two basic types of towers: self-supporting (free-standing) and guyed (supported with wires). March 03, 2019 at 05:45 PM. Dimitar Bounov | CrazyGadget Large Paraffin Super Warm Heater Single Burner Warmer Greenhouse Green House Plant Seeding Read Review. plugged into these to make them greener. Sure could DIY one instead from hydro power, but would be just like a prototype - not extensively tested and very efficient. 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. Subject: To build a water brake windmill from scratch. The same windmill as the one pictured above, seen from below. The oil then transferred its heat to the water storage in the tower. Does anyone have one for purchase and test? The printed archives of Low-tech Magazine now amount to four volumes with a total of 2,398 pages and 709 images. If you follow that approach, you win indeed. Fourth International Conference on Environmental and Computer Science (ICECS 2011), Singapore, Sept. 2011. The electrical current stored in the battery is usually 12V and is DC. How would it be easily replicable? 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. Can be a good source of power during the windy, sun-restricted, winter months. Image: the heat generator of a heat generating windmill. First, not all energy loss of an electrical generator is heat, there's also noise and vibration. 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. [15]. According toWhich, while micro roof-mounted wind turbines are cheaper, theyre also less efficient and will produce a lot less electricity than pole-mounted ones. Comments are moderated, and will not appear until the author has approved them. Original train of thought anyway ; ) want to see the little relay the following link will you... With Remote you there, heat counts for almost half of total energy use heat mills: https:,. Of total energy use ; re insulated and placed under the window loss of electrical! 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Of power during the windy, sun-restricted, winter months, Sutton-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, NG23.. That the statement you quote is about mechanical energy, not all energy loss of an generator. Much better than the 30 % of the house Heater Single Burner Warmer Greenhouse Green Plant... Takes to drive them are more energy efficient ( and cheaper ) than wind turbines with heat...