He harnesses the wind to do a man’s work

Press, 14 September 1976, Page 21

He harnesses the wind to do a man’s work

faan It u« Axvci heals J tz* iMCx Juk H«> hilts ©leorixjv *nd lial* pmrpec: c! a conaecrioa <l*j th* grid. -Sc, Lk» CLr.era befcrr cd after, ha f'.ttaci a crude prepellar to. ah cld ear geaera:;r <~4 a tet crritt. to ■ tgfct is® r.o-**.

1 feel it is my duty to bring to the notice of the public and the authorities my belief that the Wind tnergy Task Force is incapable of producing a true and accurate report for the Minister of Energy Resources (Mr Holland). My concern is based on the statistics quoted by the task force in newspaper articles and at wind-energy seminars. Presumably, these form the basis on which the report will be presented. I have travelled hundreds of miles to attend conferences and seminars, interviewed the chairman of the task force, read articles printed in newspapers. and listened to radio and television interviews.

The result of all this is my disillusionment with the task force and its approach to the practicalities of using wind energy. I believe that time and money is being wasted. I am regarded by the task force as a competitor — and this alone is a

frsa eta ef the electric • tr»cx3. oaee ccsncsa J ■ -Cariatthurca. • la 1949. a great |»:e demo.isr.ed —e P-aa- d.'jt were found * ntle away. Mr Helps abandoned the ■ wind, end put io a 230vsL: diesel »e- * He saved to Akarne.

■ xuexd. The attaerelal ftce.-3W4 found him to be a handy man when it came to sc.vin< electrical and mechanical problems cn their beau. • But the windmU’.t oust atill have been turnlnx ia his Five years ago. w.th power

breach of the purpose for which it was set up. To obtain cost structures for various types of wind energy generation, the task force has based statistics on a kilowatt hour basis. At a seminar, conducted recently by Dr David Lindley, a senior lecturer at the University of Canterbury, these figures were used to compare the costs of electricity generation by hydro stations and by wind machines. In this context, it should be borne in mind that hydro-electric machinery is made in several countries for a competitive market and dam construction costs are established. The use of wind energy is still to be proved as a large-scale generator of electricity. The wind-power machines which have been constructed are on a "one off’’ basis, and it is unfair to compare the unit cost from these experimental machines with the unit cost in hydro plants.

{ told time cs ealeuhucna : .and experiments. He has Jos: beta granted patents 1 on his .propeller blade I * ces!ga,.and for-his control. device — the key- ele- • meats ia efficient ©pert ations, which open the. way trigger things. j«. ' to

Therefore, the task force figures are misleading. The comparisons of wind energy costs were based on the American “Lockheed monster,” and on Wees, “mum’s eggbeater,” of French and Swedish origin. Both these machines are unproven, costly, and totally unsuited to New Zealand wind conditions, though they may suit conditions in the countries that developed them. Both machines operate only in wind speeds of 15 m.p.h. to 30 m.p.h. — or, respectively, 7 to 14 metres of wind a second. Above that velocity, they are shut down. The “Lockheed monster” has a two-bladed propeller, which can be from 40m to 60m in diameter, erected on a structure 40m high. Its full capacity is 200 kw in a 24 m.p.h. wind. After a short time in operation, it is obvious what its fate would be. It will be scattered by the wind at a cost of SIM.