The Wind Wheel

A wind wheel is very simple! Impending climatic catastrophe, hole in the ozone layer, global warming, and limited resources - can the earth still be saved?

The worldwide energy demand will greatly increase, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will rise drastically, and global warming will further increase.

According to Prof. Laszlo, an evolution researcher, mankind has used up half the fossil energy reserves of our planet, the product of more than 300 million years of solar irradiation, within the last 200 years.

By now, we use up more fossil energy every day than was formed in 1000 years. But the sun supplies us with 10 000 times more energy than we need worldwide every day.

If you consider that the extractable petroleum reserves will only last for approx. 50 years at most, and the gas deposits for approx. 100 years, than it will become immediately clear that we have to stop today’s waste of energy. High time to rethink!

The power generated by the generator is fed into the network of the utility EAM. The Enercon’s main connection system consists of a rectifier/inverted rectifier unit. This makes it possible to drive the rotor of the E-40 with a variable number of revolutions (18 - 38 U/min). At low wind speeds, the rotor rotates slower, at high wind speeds faster. Thus, the rotor blades are always optimally blown by the wind. In addition, the variable number of revolutions reduces strains caused by gusts.

Each of the three rotor blades is equipped with an electrical pitch system. The pitch system limits the revolutions of the rotor and the power taken from the wind. Thus, the power of the E-40 is limited, also temporary, to a rated power of 500 kW. By altering the adjustment of the rotor blades to a position 90° from the operational position, the rotor is stopped without straining the driveline by the use of a mechanical brake. Even in a shut down state of operation, the rotor is not fastened, but can flutter freely with low speed. The rotor blades consist of a glass fibre-reinforced plastic (GFK)/epoxy resin. Shape and tread have a substantial influence on the yield of the wind energy facility and the noise emission. From outside, the rotor blades are protected from environmental influences by a surface coating. The used material based on polyurethane is very wear-resistant, rigid and resistant to chemical influences and solar radiation.

The rotating blades describe a circle with a diameter of 40.3 m. That means that the area, on which the wind can be harvested, is approx. 1250 m2. In comparison: A basketball court is about 364 m².

If a wind speed of 2.5 m/s is measured for three consecutive minutes, the automatic start up process is started. For this, approx. 3 kW power is taken up temporarily. High turning on currents, which are required for other types of wind power plants, are not necessary for the wind turbine. The rate power of 500 kW is reached by 13 m/s. If an average wind speed of more than 25 m/s is exceeded, the plant is stopped. For a short period of time, higher wind speeds are permissible.

The expert’s wind report by an independent firm of consulting engineers has forecast an annual yield of approx. 870 000 kWh for that location. The average wind speed is expected to be 6.0 m/s.

Wind wheels will play an important role in the future! In the first place, they are not harmful to the environment, and secondly, they are not very expensive! The only disadvantage is, that you can’t generate a lot of energy with a wind wheel, and therefore you need umpteen wind turbines to replace an atomic plant!

We built this wind wheel!