Wind Force Replacement in Wind Mills

I was considering water but found out that it could not be called a wind mill any more.

There are strong and persistent ocean currents all over the globe. Turbines could be placed there and a lot of electricity can be generated.

One (exaggerated) concern is that with enough turbines the water temperature will drop slightly which may affect the driving force of the current and create different flow patterns. As seen with El Nino (which seem to influence the weather in Africa) the effect can be devastating over large areas.

We could make big honkin jars to drop over them... and then paint one side of the blades black... and then let them run on sunlight...

in the day time any way.

milo

Perhaps the thread starter is suggesting that windmills (with their more blades and slower speeds have more torque) could be coupled with gear reducers (hooked in reverse to actually be a gear increaser) to provide the force. Since there are more 10 mph winds than 25 mph ones, what do you think? Of course this scenario will have to overcome more frictional losses. Don

your post is not clear what you are trying to say. please clarify.

"Its interesting to know anyone..."

Who is this 'anyone?'

BTW the post falls under the classification of BS when posted by anonymous Guest.

WAG -- Did you mean flatulence to substitute for wind.

it won't be called Wind Mill anymore then.

I can show you how to turn the shaft by gravity, but then you would have to call it a gravity mill

"I can show you how to turn the shaft by gravity, but then you would have to call it a gravity mill"

So.

Show me.

If you can.

Well, how about this one?

http://www.seageneration.co.uk/

Why not stay with the wind idea, but plant lots of large trees nearby. Now thats really green power.

As we all know, when the trees are still, there is no wind, but as soon as they start to flap their branches and leaves, the wind appears...so there. Free.

More trees = more wind.

Oh stop it!! Now you're being silly

Not so silly.

When there is no wind, we could have an arsonist ignite the trees, causing local convection currents to turn the "windmills" (Actually windmills convert wind energy into mechanical energy directly; wind Generators turn wind energy into electricity).

At any rate, just like the lake behind the damn is a reservoir of reserved kinetic energy, so too can your brilliant plant trees idea be seen as a reservoir of stored convection currrents.

Brilliant!

milo

How about water?

I am considering using a combination of sun energy (heat) and wind.

This would eliminate wind quiet periods.

If you filled the wind mills with pepper, no passing Italian waiter could resist giving such a huge peppermill a really good grind.

I am leaving this as on topic as the question is demonstrably off, so therefore this by definition is on..................I'm going to lie down quietly.

Simon

A peppermill that big is gonna generate a heckuva lot of sneezes, which while still air, is not technically speaking, wind, hence - the advent of the SNEEZEMILL! _(achoo!)

I'm slipping badly, I missed that one, but since this is clearly an organic thread, I must point out that my suggestion was based on grinding green peppercorns.

Simon

How about a giant wheel that you could put squirrels, or hamsters into...

my running wheel story.

Many years ago, when I was getting a new puppy, and I lived in an apartment, I decided I would build him a running wheel. It was 4 feet in diameter, made from a sheet of plywood, had 3 spokes.. and I put 1/4" galvanized mesh as the running surface.

For reasons known only to God, the puppy (purebred samoyed) insisted on pooping on the 1/4" mesh, every time he was put in... and then of course ,to run like the devil, which had the effect of dicing the poop through the mesh, and flinging it in a wonderful demonstration of centrfugal force.

another failed invention. ha ha.

Love it!

milo

sorry, but I have to ask..... HUH???

Here, here. I didn't understand the question no matter how many times I read it.

Than go up to vote on post number 3 and vote it good answer, the original poster declared it off topic, apparently not enjoying the keen critical insight of a horribly worded question.

I did.

milo

True. Even though I enjoy the interesting quips, the question can not be answered. So the proper thing to state is that more information is required. Or, perhapse, the person could re-word the inquiry.

Guy

YEP!

milo

No worries, B Sir R, you're apparently in rather large company here...

If you are not concerned with a rapid acting "law of diminishing returns", then when the wind quits, you can have the generator supply power to an electric fan blowing on the wind mill thus using the wind mill to supply its own wind!

The "law of diminishing returns" will be very rapid.

Actually I think that you'd need to have a battery or capacitor in that system somewhere...

too phunny.

milo

Replace the wind with camels or moose on an all bean diet. Place control booth up wind.

I think I have a real answer for this.

A wind mill can be used to pump water into a tower resevoir. The water flowing down from the tower can drive a turbine to create the electrical power. During windy periods excess water is collected in the resevoir for less windy periods.

Here the source of generation is hydroelectric. Thus the substitute for wind in a windmill system.

Now the question to answer: "Is anyone doing this now?"

Guy

Nice job carnac!

You must have disturbed the force to get that out of the original post.

Tip of the hat to you for that. Nice job of getting to the implied.

milo

LOL.... years of designing for people who really didn't know what they wanted I guess.

Guy

Yes it is.

Surplus power is used to pump water up to hydroelectric dam headponds from below the dam.

Slightly different scale, but same idea.