50kW wind turbine installation, Maple Honda, Maple Ontario

[Fox22]

Unfortunately Entegrity did not survive the recession. However, I just drove past it today and it is indeed up and running. The best people to contact would be the owners at Maple Honda in Maple Ontario.

[crownlounger]

is this Entegrity still running? I know the had some issues with their gearboxes, but I have some contacts in Prince Edward Island, where they were built, that have access to parts and service information on this machine. I'm not sure if you have someone servicing it for you, but if interested, just message me, and I'd be happy to help you keep this thing running.

[URTARDS]

I love killing birds!

COW KILLER!!!!!!!!!!

Yup, yum yum, I'll take mine med rare :-)

[greenearthification]

BIRDKILLERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fox22]

The average housecat kills more birds per year than the average wind turbine.

[xxPowerOnxx]

I`m looking for information on wind turbines and really don`t know where to start. I have gathered a few vidos in (see my channel) and now Im familiat with I knew this turbines I was wondering if anyone knows more practocall information. I would appreciate any help and if you suscribe to my channel or drop suggestions

[flyingfarm1]

It does not appear the tower can be climbed for repairs and maintenance. It will take a very expensive crane to work on this windmill. My general impression is that wind generators require a lot of ongoing maintenance.

[Fox22]

The only regular maintenance required on this type of unit is changing the transmission oil every couple years depending on the duty factor and wind resource of the machine. Aside from that, the expected mechanical lifecycle is approximately 30 years before requiring a rebuild. Traditionally, these machines are installed on lattice towers.

[icanfeelthebeat]

hey there, how much does one of these suckers cost? will we see them on buildings any time soon? cheers.

p.s. .......................nice music

[mmmikeey]

Too bad I almost never see it spinning, and I dont live too far.

[scudlington]

on an already extortionate rate for your energy. There are two main directives...the RO (renewables obligation) and ETS (emissions trading scheme). It's all supposedly lovely save the planet stuff but its real aim is essentially to charge the customer a great deal more for what is a necessity rather than a luxury which is then returned to governments as almost completely invisible taxes. This I think is the real reason why we are now so keen to be covering our land and as you say sea...

[Fox22]

You are indeed very informed on this issue, and I must say I agree with you, but think of it this way - at least they are investing in a green technology - there is much more concrete etc/CO2 emissions involved in building a single power station than thousands of WTs. At the very least, think of it this way - nobody has ever died, or wars been waged while trying to power a wind turbine. There are much worse things they could be spending their money on..

[scudlington]

Been a pleasure talking to you Fox. Please don't get me wrong...the environment is of course of paramount importance to all of us and nothing distresses me more (apart from the wife getting angry about money) than the destruction of the rain forests...(bio fuels, but that's another argument) I love this project that you've posted and assure you that I can see the benefits for localised WTs...but as discussed, as a national solution I think it's a combo of gesture politics and making $.

[scudlington]

Oh and just one other thing, I noticed a reply from you about electric cars. I would say that the problem with them is not so much the simplicity and lack of profit margin but more to do with range, a several hour re-fuelling stop, crap performance, battery degradation and looking like an idiot...well, at least the ones here in the UK.

[Fox22]

These are valid points but the technology IS there to produce perfectly viable electric cars - just run a search on the T-zero, Tesla Roadster, X-1 electric car. These vehicles can easily take out some of the highest performance supercars yet will drive 300km on a charge and frankly, they look amazing. These vehicles can be charged in less than an hour provided you have a high amperage power supply to plug in. The only problem at the moment is the cost of lithium batteries due to lack of demand.

[scudlington]

Seems like an awful lot of expense and time to boil 20 odd kettles...when it's windy.

[uoitoffroad]

maybe.. but assuming you can boil 2L of water in a 1000W kettle in 2 minutes (I am estimating here, havent done any calorimetric calculations), and this thing produces 50kW - that means on a windy day you can boil (60/2)*50*2 = 3000L/hr .. or in a normal workday of 8hrs you could boil 24000L of water ... what do you need 24000L of boiling water for?

[scudlington]

Just an observation and a bit of cynicism about the truthfulness of rated output. I find it difficult to believe that a breeze passing through this turbine would carry the energy equivalent to boil 3 tons of water in an hour.

[Fox22]

This turbine has a rotor diameter of 10m or a cross sectional area of 78.5m^2. Assuming a windspeed of 40km/hr or 11.11m/s, thats a volumetric flow of 872m^3/s. Given the density of air @ STP is 1.2kg/m^3, the mass flow rate of air is 1046kg/s. Kinetic energy is calculated as Ek = (1/2)mv^2, then the kinetic energy passing this turbine is (1/2)(1046)(11.11)^2 = 64554J/s or 64.5kW.

[Fox22]

In any case, its enough power for about 17 homes.

[scudlington]

Thank you Fox...you've gone to a lot of trouble with this answer although I have to admit that I don't understand half of it...maths never really was my bag! Whilst I'm here, I wonder what your feelings are about the mass proliferation of w'turbines. Our UK government recently announced that it's about to splurge £100 billion on them...seems absurd to me as it doesn't take a genius to work out that they can only ever be as reliable as the wind no matter how technologically advanced.

[Fox22]

This is very true- wind will never be a primary source of power for the electrical grid but it is excellent at offsetting load from other types of generation. You will always need traditional technology to take up the slack when the wind doesnt blow but when it is, it is not only extremely economical, but also environmentally friendly.

[scudlington]

Once again thanks for your answer Fox. Now, I know that they have their place but a £100 billion! On top of that, they seem to be under what I would consider a completely misguided opinion that these 7000 odd giant mills will do the job on their own without any investment in any other forms of gen'. There is talk...and I can see it happening, of not only rocketing bills but also regular power cuts. They have become political because they are banking on the electorate seeing the green agenda...

[Fox22]

The exisitng generation capacity will always be around to power the grid however, by building these turbines they can shed a huge portion of that load. Don't worry- your traditional generation will always be there and you wont be left in the cold. These machines are also being installed in an extremely high wind resource area such as along coastlines. It is very rare for the wind to "stop blowing" and these installations will be extremely reliable forms of generation.

[scudlington]

Thanks again Fox. I remember seeing my first large turbine just outside a small town called Swaffem in Norfolk UK sometime around 2002. I think it was rated at 2.2MW and I was mightily impressed and subsequently became very interested. Trouble is, as said the whole issue has now been politicised. I know and I think you know too that wind is actually a very expensive method of gen' for national purposes. We are now in a very strange political climate, being part of the EU...

[scudlington]

which for reasons best known to the press and our national leaders is kept as quiet as possible. What I do know is that EU diktats now state that we must supply a certain percentage of our power from 'renewable' sources and our government has opted, like all others within the EU for wind. If you're in the wind industry I guess there couldn't be better news but for us minion consumers (and I tell you, hardly a single one of them are aware) you will be paying way over the odds...

[scudlington]

with WTs. Anyway, enough of politics and lets get back to the science. Of course I can't say catergorically because I myself have never stood there and actually measured, but I have read from what I would consider to be fairly reliable sources that a turbine will on average produce over a year about 27% of its rated output. So if you tot this up over our learned governments (sorry, politics again) proposal of 7000 of them your talking the equivalent of just a couple of decent sized CFPSs...

[scudlington]

for £100,000,000,000!!! And in terms of the all important 'carbon footprint' who is to say that 7K individual generators with all that concrete for foundations, logistics, steel, copper windings, massive infrastructure, added complications in terms of frequency to the grid, maintenance...doesn't add up to the C02 released from a couple of reliable coal stations? I don't know, haven't and probably can't do the math but in the end, I think as a national solution, the whole thing whiffs a bit.

[clewis4u]

This thing is right near Canada's Wonderland. I see it when I'm riding rides :)

[clewis4u]

This thing is right near Canada's Wonderland. I see it when I'm riding rides :)

[clewis4u]

This thing is right near Canada's Wonderland. I see it when I'm riding rides :)

[cotageman]

Great video. It's too bad more buisness's dont have wind turbines. Congrat's

[bish292]

is it downwind?

[Fox22]

yes, down-wind blades with passive yaw control

[Fox22]

Pls keep any discussion on-topic of wind energy, thx

[stephend78]

I`m looking for information on wind turbines and really don`t know where to start. I knew this turbine was going up b/c I assisted in the construction of the dealership but what I have found out is that it has been taken down and was wondering if anyone knows the reason for this. I would appreciate any help. Thanx

[Fox22]

It is only down temporarily because of the construction going on. They decided it was too much of a hazard to have the cranes and other equipment in the area while it was in operation so rather than risk damaging the unit, it has been dismantled until the construction in the area is finished.

[Georgieporgie1]

27 Years seems a closer number to reality than 6-8 years. I looked up many of the designs, and I have been personally in contact with people who invested in wind turbines, unfortunatley, in the big picture, this technology is still in its enfancy as a whole, there are rarely any substantial gains yet, people are still excited about this stuff, simply because they are not getting the entire story; do the numbers, they won't lie.

[Georgieporgie1]

So that looks great, but has anyone figured out how long it takes for a turbine such as this one to pay for itself ? and I don't mean with subsidy either .

[Fox22]

This particular turbine is located in a low wind resource area. As such it rarely has a chance to operate at full capacity. That being said, this particular turbine zoned in this exact area will pay for itself in approximately 27 years. The turbine's lifespan is 35 years before a major overhaul is needed. Large commercial turbines such as the ones located just north of this one in Shelburne ontario usually pay for themselves in about 5 years and have similar lifespans.

[onaitsabes21]

i just spoke with an entegrity wind specialist and this is their turbine, he says it takes between 6-8 years.

[88davey]

people have a choice, you can have windmills dot the landscape or smoke belching smokestacks...what do you want?

[dontsend36]

smoke... :)

[CSXno601]

I hate these windmills, they ruin scenery all over the place. I hope they become a failure somehow. Ugly things.

[Zitronekopf]

Seriously? That's ridiculous. Next you'll say that they're too loud to be anywhere near residentia areas!

[pj245]

excellent video, did i miss it, or was it not mentioned the name of the company that makes these and how you would go about buying one? This doesn't look like a extremely urban area but it does look fairly close to a city so, would it be worth while to put one up in a remote location like, manitoulin island?

[Fox22]

The names were mentioned at the end of the vid.

The best way to determine whether a site will be worth while is to have a wind study done. This is where a small tower is installed and over the period of a year it is used to collect wind data which is then used to assess the wind resources of the site.

[Fox22]

This turbine is manufactured by Entegrity Wind Systems Inc. based out of Charlottetown PEI.

entegritywind-dot-com

For detailed information, it would be better to contact them directly - be sure to mention this video!

[nahuelito2007]

Amazing design and output power !!! For only 125... That is amazing!!

[shkodrani16]

how much does it cost?

[Fox22]

Base model of the EW50 with lattice tower is $125,000. These particular turbines are most commonly used in Africa and countries that have poor electrical distribution and rely on diesel generation. Diesel power can cost anywhere from $0.20 - 0.40 per kW. Under good conditions, wind can offset the generation costs with power that over a 30yr period averages $0.02 per kW. The diesel generators are still used during periods of high demand or low wind but the savings are very substancial.

[shkodrani16]

that is expensive and its not that big! is it posible to make one urself with the same ificency

[Fox22]

It is expensive, but a 120' steel tower, three 15' composite blades, 50kW induction generator + planetary transmission, 25'x25' concrete foundation, controller, electrical connections, high-lift crane rentals etc- tends to run a bit of a bill.

[Fox22]

You can easily build a small (micro scale) wind turbine yourself, but to put it in perspective, this unit puts out 125 times more power than the ones they sell at Canadian tire (400W), 600 times more power than a 50A car alternator (what homebuilts are commonly made from) or if you are using a modified induction motor, you'd need a 67hp motor. Not exactly a cheap DIY project. Achieving the same efficiency (energy output per unit wind) would be very difficult with a smaller unit.

[nahuelito2007]

I think it is not expensive... definitly not compared with the diesel generators, and diesel price is growing.

[quickmike]

pretty cool video, but why do people always put that music in the background that sounds like it came from a 59 dollar casio keyboard?.......... i know, i know just turn down the volume. good vid

[ontarioguy2334]

turn down the volume =P lol!

[Fox22]

These units in particular are most popular in remote communities that rely on diesel generation. Diesel power can cost upwards of $0.40/kW. One of these units can supplement that generation with a cost of $0.13 per kW or less depending on the wind resource in the area. When the wind doesnt blow, the diesel takes up the slack, but when there is wind you are cutting costs by up to 75%. Same holds true in the UK. Wind power is much cheaper and easier to install than any other.

[scudlington]

as a bigger vote winner than being more sensible about things. I really do think that we are heading towards a major problem and it'll only be then, when we have people sitting at home, under candle light, freezing cold that they'll start to care a little less about Polar bears and the like and start to wonder where the hell it all went wrong.

[scudlington]

One more thing before I get on. You talk of taking up the slack from diesel gen'. That, I know is fairly straight forward but diesel only accounts for a very tiny percentage of our grid. Infact they are usually only fired up at times of very high demand (half time England Vs Germany). Apart from hydro, the rest, as I'm sure you know is Nuke, coal and gas...one of which is impossible to stop start the other two extremely expensive and wasteful.

[Fox22]

The diesel generation was just an example of where this particular machine is used. You are right, nuclear is used for base load supply, wind and other forms like coal and gas are used to volley peak load back and forth with wind as they can easily and quickly be brought online. However, in many areas with good wind resource, turbines can supply much of the base load as well. For example, Denmark has been very successful with wind and are on their way to 20% of their energy comming from it.

[Greasemonkeymusician]

I think the best part was when you see all the clouds suddenly dissappear

[TheB3e]

Makes me proud to be Canadian! Thanks for sharing this..

[darupz]

maybe first using EU cars in the US and politing a lot less over there and same for Asia and Australia.

They all polute like they don't care, all for the money.

BTW that's a small turbine. :)

[staphinfection]

Um... This is a total oxymoron. Yes, it's great they are using an alternative fuel, but it's at a car dealership which sells gasoline powered cars.

If Honda is so inclined to reduce emissions, they should have never pulled their electric car lineup which would have been ideal for 99% of the population that only drives an average of 30 miles per day. If you get the chance, check out the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?". It's actually quite good.

[sirpipthegreat]

they didnt totally pull it but the cost of repairs and replacing the battery every few years for the people that didnt properly take care of it was a great expense. same problems with a lot of the hybrids, their batteries go bad after a while. i've seen it first hand.

-honda tech.

[staphinfection]

Yeah, but they don't have to change their oil, oil filters, or anything associated with oil, which I think is a fair trade off considering it's a 0(zero) emissions vehicle...  NO EMISSIONS > Lung Cancer.

[Fox22]

The reason electric cars have never truely taken off is because car companies can't make money off them. Gas engines have 600+ moving parts and require maintenance, tuning, oil, flters, etc. An electric motor has one moving part- no maintenance whatsoever, without the need for a transmission, emissions system, fluids, etc etc. Bottom line - they're too simple and companies can't make any money once they sell the car.

[staphinfection]

Thank you for atleast being honest. It's sad that we live in such a Capitalistic world in which we will go as far as harming our own inhabitants just to make money.

Money > Humanity. I really hope that changes but I'm guessing not in my lifetime, nor anytime soon. If we can just get over that hurdle, we might actually have a chance at co-existing with our natural surroundings. Such an abstract concept, isn't it?

[brett688]

capitalism is not the problem, greed is. When you take away the insentive to improve, innovate, and raise your personal standard of living, the world would be a much more desperate place to live

[staphinfection]

Capitalism cultivates greed to some degree, and by that I mean it helps bring greed out even in the best of us.

[kubratt]

Just a GREAT VIDEO

[bgineat]

make some cool power with that like the time sped up video.

[desertblbuesman]

well done. Thanks

[liquidfuel88]

awesome video!

[Nikodemus1973]

Absolutely fabulous video and music.