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Portable wind turbine promises off-grid power

The Christian Science Monitor -- The Portable Power Center, the latest in mobile green technologies, is designed to provide affordable, practical electricity for remote, off-grid communities.

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Submitted Nov 13, 2012 By: Eugenian

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honda0105 Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:18,818 Points:1,636,245 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Nov 16, 2012 4:03:53 AM Ignore honda0105 Report Abuse thanks for posting. Thankfully, some of us don't like under the dictatorship of HOAs.
MAC48 Champion Author Dallas Posts:1,580 Points:788,400 Joined:Dec 2006	Message Posted: Nov 14, 2012 1:14:22 AM Ignore MAC48 Report Abuse Before anyone buys a portable wind generation unit, check to see if the local governmental authority allows such a unit to be erected on residential lots. It would also be prudent to find out if any home owners association with a say over your residential location even allows such a device to be erected on your property.
teafortwo Champion Author Washington Posts:22,375 Points:1,412,000 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 9:43:38 PM Ignore teafortwo Report Abuse Thanks for sharing Eugenian. Different locations have different resources available. Assess what you have and make the best use. What a concept! FROM THE ARTICLE: A mid-size, portable wind turbine, called the Portable Power Center, from Uprise Energy, a San Diego-based wind energy company. The 50-kilowatt device is designed to provide affordable, practical electricity for remote, off-grid communities. Set-up requires one technician and one day; maintenance is minimal and done at ground level, according to Uprise. The energy produced is affordable, the makers say, less than utility, solar and diesel power.
Eugenian Champion Author Oregon Posts:2,001 Points:388,855 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 9:35:05 PM Ignore Eugenian Report Abuse cadillac said: "Someone below said, 'A typical home requires peak energy of up to 15 KWH during hot or cold weather.'" A typical GROW house, maybe. ;-)
GatorGuy Champion Author Columbia Posts:2,284 Points:1,226,490 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 4:15:13 PM Ignore GatorGuy Report Abuse OK.
GreenLine07 All-Star Author Oakland Posts:976 Points:281,885 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 2:56:26 PM Ignore GreenLine07 Report Abuse Sounds like this sort of technology could be used in disaster situations where utility power would be out for an extended time period. Earthquake, flood, hurricane, etc. Could be used to provide emergency power for evacuation centers (shelters) or to power other emergency services (hospitals and the like). Being portable the equipment could be brought in by the National Guard wherever it might be needed.
movrshakr Champion Author Florida Posts:1,324 Points:1,472,245 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 1:41:23 PM Ignore movrshakr Report Abuse . cadillac, your description of electrical measurements is not quite right... A 100 watt bulb does NOT use 100 watts in an hour. It is expending 100watts continuously. In an hour, it will consume 100 watt-hours of energy. In ten hours, 1000 watt-hours, or one KWH. watts is 'rate' (Power) watt-hours is amount used (watts x hours) (Energy) [Edited by: movrshakr at 11/13/2012 3:42:46 PM EST]
myambro Champion Author Sacramento Posts:3,257 Points:1,075,110 Joined:Mar 2005	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:56:51 PM Ignore myambro Report Abuse And good, forward-thinking, Progressive communities (like Davis, CA) will ban them as being eyesores.
ZeroBoxes Champion Author Mississippi Posts:1,079 Points:213,440 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:46:59 PM Ignore ZeroBoxes Report Abuse Give it a chance...you can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket.
ToriTX Sophomore Author Texas Posts:163 Points:32,195 Joined:Nov 2012	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:43:54 PM Ignore ToriTX Report Abuse Hope it's possible
NorthglennBill Champion Author Denver Posts:7,557 Points:1,498,670 Joined:Oct 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:43:52 PM Ignore NorthglennBill Report Abuse The article claims that is turbine produces 50 KWH of electricity. More than most houses can use at one time. Be nice to know how much it costs.
CarpenterNJ Champion Author New Jersey Posts:1,367 Points:537,540 Joined:Sep 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:40:08 PM Ignore CarpenterNJ Report Abuse Gonna' need new "rare earths" supplies to build all these things since China is sitting on a very big pile...
caddilac Champion Author Ontario Posts:16,749 Points:2,166,430 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:36:14 PM Ignore caddilac Report Abuse OnEmptyMO, I'm absolutely sure of my numbers, as I had the bill right in front of me as I was using the numbers. And when I was taking my electrical technicians course it was plainly stated what a KWH was. A kilowatt is 1,000 watts, and a KWH is the number of kilowatts used in one hour. Now you use the numbers I supplied for my 'very less than typical' August usage and you see what you get. I was charged $45.00 for the first 600KWH @ 0.075/KWH, and a further $35.50 for the other 403.456 KWH @ 0.088/KWH, for total of $80.50 for the 1,003.456 KWH I used. The numbers are all there for anyone that wants to try them. [Edited by: caddilac at 11/13/2012 2:37:16 PM EST]
RAKARWOWSKI Champion Author Chicago Posts:4,135 Points:847,750 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:35:01 PM Ignore RAKARWOWSKI Report Abuse This means free power in Washington DC.
marsbars Champion Author Alaska Posts:2,675 Points:1,184,585 Joined:Sep 2006	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:31:29 PM Ignore marsbars Report Abuse Hope it's possible.
Spankster85 Champion Author Chicago Posts:1,854 Points:383,340 Joined:Nov 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:30:11 PM Ignore Spankster85 Report Abuse Pretty cool if it works.
DrCashFlow Champion Author Massachusetts Posts:7,201 Points:1,653,850 Joined:Jun 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:29:35 PM Ignore DrCashFlow Report Abuse what's the alleged roi and/or payback on these things?
SUSANCK Champion Author Chicago Posts:3,777 Points:731,230 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:28:55 PM Ignore SUSANCK Report Abuse They only need urine in Nigeria.
plbell627 Champion Author Dayton Posts:5,263 Points:1,227,730 Joined:Mar 2007	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:24:52 PM Ignore plbell627 Report Abuse Lets just wait and see.
Kaiyne Champion Author Chicago Posts:2,475 Points:499,440 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:24:15 PM Ignore Kaiyne Report Abuse We must do this everywhere.
efwosu Veteran Author Columbus Posts:257 Points:96,530 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:23:12 PM Ignore efwosu Report Abuse Great.
nskmda Champion Author Grand Rapids Posts:1,371 Points:799,330 Joined:May 2007	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:21:56 PM Ignore nskmda Report Abuse @Cheepo exactly.
bicycler Champion Author Ontario Posts:14,815 Points:2,598,445 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:21:30 PM Ignore bicycler Report Abuse Progress made and more to come
OnEmptyMO Champion Author St. Louis Posts:5,096 Points:1,514,720 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:21:18 PM Ignore OnEmptyMO Report Abuse caddilac: You sure?
AnObserver Champion Author New Jersey Posts:8,489 Points:2,284,505 Joined:Sep 2005	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:19:25 PM Ignore AnObserver Report Abuse What does 'portable' have to do with it?
vitaliyroz Rookie Author New Jersey Posts:78 Points:12,960 Joined:Nov 2012	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:18:42 PM Ignore vitaliyroz Report Abuse and if no wind, or small wind....
larharris2 Veteran Author Tennessee Posts:341 Points:523,260 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:18:19 PM Ignore larharris2 Report Abuse Cool.
pickledude72 Champion Author California Posts:1,121 Points:841,240 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:16:22 PM Ignore pickledude72 Report Abuse yaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwnnnnn
Cheepo Champion Author Tampa Posts:9,989 Points:3,147,905 Joined:Apr 2003	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:13:36 PM Ignore Cheepo Report Abuse Bull!!!!!!!!!
TheDix Champion Author Ontario Posts:3,109 Points:607,360 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:11:23 PM Ignore TheDix Report Abuse Forget it.
19sheldon43 Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:3,979 Points:843,010 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:10:43 PM Ignore 19sheldon43 Report Abuse A low profile wind turbine in every back yard
caddilac Champion Author Ontario Posts:16,749 Points:2,166,430 Joined:Apr 2007	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:10:30 PM Ignore caddilac Report Abuse Someone below said, " A typical home requires peak energy of up to 15 KWH during hot or cold weather." If any house is using 15 KWH (15,000 watts per HOUR) that isn't a 'typical' house and they are using way too much electricity. I think some people below misunderstand the numbers when it comes to electricity. First off 1 kilowatt is 1,000 watts. When any device expresses its wattage that number is determined by how much wattage is used IN ONE HOUR. As an example, a 100 watt light bulb would use 100 watts IN ONE HOUR. Therefor, if the wind generator is described as a " 50-kilowatt device" that means it delivers 50 kilowatts PER HOUR (50,000 watts every hour), each and every hour it is in operation. My August electric usage was 1,003.456 KWH (kilowatt hours)and that was only because my A/C unit was running constantly because it was low on refrigerant. But, even if we use that unusually high number, when it is divided by the 31 days in August, it comes to 32.369kilkowatt hours PER DAY. And, if you further divide that up by 24 hours, you get 1.348 kilokwatts (1,348 watts) used PER HOUR, so the wind generator could easily deliver enough electricity to power 15 homes with an output of 50 kilowats PER HOUR. Like I said above, if any house is using 15 KWH (15,000 WATTS PER HOUR) that isn't a 'typical' house and they are using way too much electricity. They would have to have every light and every electrical device they own going all at the same time for that whole hour. [Edited by: caddilac at 11/13/2012 2:13:08 PM EST]
Old Timer Champion Author Akron Posts:3,873 Points:1,289,515 Joined:Sep 2003	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:01:58 PM Ignore Old Timer Report Abuse At what cost?
MG_Sputnik Champion Author Philadelphia Posts:7,434 Points:1,986,845 Joined:Apr 2006	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 12:00:57 PM Ignore MG_Sputnik Report Abuse I'll take 2.
chas_commuter All-Star Author South Carolina Posts:856 Points:324,355 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:59:37 AM Ignore chas_commuter Report Abuse who wants to take bets that it's subsidized by the federal government to launder money back to political parties...yeah, I said it.
8ballnd Champion Author North Dakota Posts:2,131 Points:288,675 Joined:Feb 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:55:43 AM Ignore 8ballnd Report Abuse build more
38racing Rookie Author Ottawa Posts:5 Points:40,875 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:51:37 AM Ignore 38racing Report Abuse affordable? Just like all the wind turbines in Ontario are affordable. After the government kicks it about 200 times the cost
Mowerman08 Champion Author Milwaukee Posts:4,878 Points:1,243,255 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:43:59 AM Ignore Mowerman08 Report Abuse Smaller vertical turbines are becoming more popular.
kyjlh Champion Author Kentucky Posts:1,746 Points:678,945 Joined:Feb 2005	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:43:12 AM Ignore kyjlh Report Abuse ok
dm9667_23 Champion Author Pennsylvania Posts:1,287 Points:375,425 Joined:May 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:41:33 AM Ignore dm9667_23 Report Abuse Yours for only $73,475!
masker5900 Veteran Author Mobile Posts:363 Points:169,665 Joined:Sep 2012	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:39:06 AM Ignore masker5900 Report Abuse Just dust in the wind
movrshakr Champion Author Florida Posts:1,324 Points:1,472,245 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:37:25 AM Ignore movrshakr Report Abuse . You notice, every time there is an article announcing a save-the-world device, never is cost mentioned, nor where-you-can-buy-it. Never.
grab4it Champion Author Fort Worth Posts:118,115 Points:2,246,185 Joined:Jan 2007	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:36:04 AM Ignore grab4it Report Abuse its good we are moving forward
Blazer197 Champion Author New Haven Posts:3,240 Points:615,150 Joined:Feb 2009	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:35:43 AM Ignore Blazer197 Report Abuse ok.
bbreff Champion Author Atlanta Posts:9,983 Points:2,595,140 Joined:Jun 2005	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:32:48 AM Ignore bbreff Report Abuse I do not think it will happen as a cost effective method of generating power.
siralexe Veteran Author Illinois Posts:313 Points:73,635 Joined:Aug 2012	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:32:40 AM Ignore siralexe Report Abuse whats the investment $$
gsipper Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:1,123 Points:677,150 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:31:47 AM Ignore gsipper Report Abuse Sounds like a bunch of hot air.
LuckyD43 Champion Author Long Island Posts:32,460 Points:2,194,795 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:28:20 AM Ignore LuckyD43 Report Abuse That all depends on what they consider "affordable".
slvrdo_dsprdo Champion Author Nashville Posts:4,788 Points:928,265 Joined:Jul 2008	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:28:11 AM Ignore slvrdo_dsprdo Report Abuse Sounds too good to be true. NightRider From reducing your usage, of course.
NightRider Champion Author Dallas Posts:1,473 Points:82,785 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Nov 13, 2012 11:26:22 AM Ignore NightRider Report Abuse Claims that it can power up to 15 homes is exaggerated. A typical home requires peak energy of up to 15 KWH during hot or cold weather. That would mean a total peak demand of up to 225 KWH. The wind turbine only produces 50 KW. Where is the other 175 KW coming from?