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Hours of Operation:
Monday - Friday,
8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
PO Box 1291
Mercer Island, WA 98040
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How much Power can the Energy Ball Produce? |
The typical home owner will use approximately 10,000 KWH per year. The energy ball V200 on a 40-50' pole can produce up to 5,700 kwh per year with average winds of just 18 mph, and in less than ideal conditions, it still can produce a significant amount of power that can be sent/sold back to the grid, or used to recharge battery's for off grid applications and power outages.
Wind Energy FAQ
Basic Principles of Wind Resource Evaluation
Wind resource evaluation is a critical element in projecting turbine performance at a given site. The energy available in a wind stream is proportional to the cube of its speed, which means that doubling the wind speed increases the available energy by a factor of eight. Furthermore, the wind resource itself is seldom a steady, consistent flow. It varies with the time of day, season, height above ground, and type of terrain. Proper siting in windy locations, away from large obstructions, enhances a wind turbine's performance, however, there are always exception to this, as their may be wind cooridor that is being funneled through a specific area of your desired location, which is why it's sometimes a good idea to do instrumenting with an anemometer, for your specific location, rather than deciding that you have no wind. Often times, a properly placed anemometer, with sufficient height can derive surprising results.
Wind Power Density is a useful way to evaluate the wind resource available at a potential site. The wind power density, measured in watts per square meter, indicates how much energy is available at the site for conversion by a wind turbine. Classes of wind power density for two standard wind measurement heights are listed in the table below. Wind speed generally increases with height above ground.
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Classes of Wind Power Density at 10 m and 50 m(a)
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10 m (33 ft) |
50 m (164 ft) |
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Wind
Power
Class
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Wind
Power
Density
(W/m2) |
Speed(b)
m/s (mph) |
Wind
Power
Density
(W/m2) |
Speed(b)
m/s (mph) |
| 1 |
<100 |
<4.4 (9.8) |
<200 |
<5.6 (12.5) |
| 2 |
100 - 150 |
4.4 (9.8)/5.1 (11.5) |
200 - 300 |
5.6 (12.5)/6.4 (14.3) |
| 3 |
150 - 200 |
5.1 (11.5)/5.6 (12.5) |
300 - 400 |
6.4 (14.3)/7.0 (15.7) |
| 4 |
200 - 250 |
5.6 (12.5)/6.0 (13.4) |
400 - 500 |
7.0 (15.7)/7.5 (16.8) |
| 5 |
250 - 300 |
6.0 (13.4)/6.4 (14.3) |
500 - 600 |
7.5 (16.8)/8.0 (17.9) |
| 6 |
300 - 400 |
6.4 (14.3)/7.0 (15.7) |
600 - 800 |
8.0 (17.9)/8.8 (19.7) |
| 7 |
>400 |
>7.0 (15.7) |
>800 |
>8.8 (19.7) |
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(b) Mean wind speed is based on the Rayleigh speed distribution of equivalent wind power density. Wind speed is for standard sea-level conditions. To maintain the same power density, speed increases 3%/1000 m (5%/5000 ft) of elevation.
(from the Battelle Wind Energy Resource Atlas)
The First Law of Thermodynamics
The energy out of a wind turbine has to equal the energy in. The energy in, is the kinetic energy from the wind's velocity and air density. It is not possible to convert all of the wind's kinetic energy into mechanical energy. Some energy must remain in the wind. The "energy out" is the energy converted by the turbine blades into mechanical energy, plus whatever energy is left in the air after it passes through the turbine rotors.
Power (not energy) is dependant on the velocity times itself 3 times (V x V x V). In other words, if the wind speed doubles, the power available from the wind increases by a factor of eight. The diameter is significant too. Doubling that increases the power by 4 times. Faster is better, and bigger is better.
Of course, the wind doesn't blow all the time in most places and when it blows too hard, conventional propellar blades can break or spin so fast they break off (not good when each blade can weigh several tons). In that case, the blades are usually "feathered" to reduce stresses on them and to slow them down. This means if you are running propellars, you cannot take advantage of really high wind speeds. This is the basis for Betz Law or "Coefficient.
The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics says that energy must flow from a higher state to a lower state, such as from a higher pressure to a lower pressure. This is evident in the Energy Ball as wind is sucked in at a higher pressure, and then sucked into the center of the ball creating a low pressure zone, due to the Venturi Affect. The Energy Ball is a perfect balance in design where it allows the higher pressure airflow to pass and enter, creating a lower pressure area, which creates an expansion against the reverse side of the blades, then discharging the remaining air, which allows more air to continue flowing from the front and therefore, no obstructions of continued airflow. Because of these design features, The Energy Ball violates Betz law by converting more than 59% of the harnessed air to power output, while it still conforms to the laws of Thermodynamics.
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