Wind Power

toasty · 16 Apr 2008

Hi,
I've just started a new job and I'm based in Green Park, Reading.
I've probably driven past the place on the motorway (M4 J11) a hundred times, and always liked the look of the big wind turbine.

Anyway, I went for a walk over to the turbine today, very interesting it is too. Strangely it's not as big as I thought it would be, but it's still very impressive, they've got a little visitors area too with various information boards and a electronic readout of power generation.

It's apparently capable of some 2MWatts with sufficient wind, but today(being fairly calm) it was mainly reading 0.000MW although it did climb to 0.028MW (28KiloWatts) for a short time.

I took a few pictures on my camera phone, I thought you guys might be interested.

Here's a picture from the base of the tower:

click http://www.yourmissus.com/greenpark/pages/16042008077.html for a larger version

Here's the power readout:

breezer · 16 Apr 2008

There is one next to the M25 between m1 and jnc 18.

its lit up at night, which seems to me to defeat the object of wind power.

novel idea, but did you know they can overheat and catch fire, firebrigade will turn up with long sticks and marshmallows since there is nothing they can do. try a search on you tube for the clip

toasty · 16 Apr 2008

yeah I had heard that, and I guess all the hydraulic oil and grease etc.. would fuel the fire nicely!!

Best of all, working close to said turbine would mean that I'd get to go home early

(H&S and all that)

As I say though, well worth a visit if you are in the area.

toasty · 18 Apr 2008

I've just been goooooogling for the Green Park Turbine.

Found this:

Lot's of interesting info there, not least the build pictures! Now that's what I call a foundation!!!

- not your average footings, are they?

More info here:
http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/projects/plan_greenpark.html

plugwash · 18 Apr 2008

IIRC the way many modern wind turbine genertors work is to drive the field coils off a variable fequency inverter. By varying the rotation of the field they can make the generator generate at a fixed frequency whatever speed it is turning at and therefore they can avoid converting all the power to DC and back.

Steve · 18 Apr 2008

toasty said:
- not your average footings, are they?

hmm yeah, where does the concrete go?!

toasty · 19 Apr 2008

plugwash said:
IIRC the way many modern wind turbine genertors work is to drive the field coils off a variable fequency inverter. By varying the rotation of the field they can make the generator generate at a fixed frequency whatever speed it is turning at and therefore they can avoid converting all the power to DC and back.

Yeah I had heard that, although this one does have an AC/DC/AC converter (see here - http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/acrobat/GPInfoPack.pdf - page 3)
You could hear it whining. I guess the AC going in is variable frequency depending on wind speed. Then rectified (AC -> DC) and then sent through a grid tied inverter to go back to AC.

Question though, 2MWatts (the turbine's rated power) is some 2800Amps per phase @ 230/400v 3phase. So presumably it gets 'injected' into the grid at a higher voltage? I couldn't see any substation transformers actually at the turbine site, but I assume greenpark has a large substation somewhere.

toasty · 19 Apr 2008

Steve said:
hmm yeah, where does the concrete go?!

I know what you mean, but those gaps are really big, that circular base is 14metres in radius!!!! And 2metres deep!! The picture doesn't do it justice.

So it holds some 1200cubic metres of concrete!!!!! That's 3000 tonnes of concrete

Sureitsoff? · 20 Apr 2008

So it holds some 1200cubic metres of concrete!!!!! That's 3000 tonnes of concrete

so if a truck mounted concrete mixer can carry 15 tons of concrete thats 200 loads, very green i say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Wind Power

toasty

breezer

toasty

toasty

plugwash

Steve

toasty

toasty

Sureitsoff?

DIYnot Local

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