Wind Power Kenya is 3 Years Old

Happy New Year to all my readers, hope your year started on a high voltage. Today Wind Power Kenya turns 3 years old, a milestone and remarkable achievement it is. Looking back its been a long and informative electric journey and I am very thankful to you all for taking time to read, comment  & correct me where I make a mistake.

Now this year will be one very busy for me as I try to master my Chinese - which I started learning last year May. Yeah, Chinese is not easy but al make it. Also since now I have my Raspberry Pi and Arduino UNO there is pressure to put them to work so I will be juggling very many things. Anyway Chinese will come first so the rest can chill a little bit. Also I want to start a year long project to model an outdoor  substation so a s to lean what happens inside to detail.

Anyway, that's my year planned, lemme celebrate this achievement :-) [circuit open]

My Raspberry Pi Model B

The Raspberry Pi is perhaps the most sought after device by programmers, hobbyists, electronics gurus,modders and hackers in the embedded systems realms. It also doubles up as a powerful, energy efficient, light and flexible home multimedia system that can work across many peripherals.

So much is the usage that 24hrs after its release, it went out of stock leaving many disappointed. However soon after stocks were replenished and currently its available but not yet in Kenya, sad :-(

The updated model, Model B is the latest in the series from its predecessor, Model A. Am going to cover details later. So mine arrived 2weeks ago and since then its been exploring the device, day in day out, and to say the least about this device....its great. So lets get into details about this device

• Introduction
• General Specifications
• Unboxing
• Usage & Images
• More specs and hacks

Introduction.
In the simplest of terms the Raspberry Pi is small ATM card sized computer developed in UK by the Raspberry Pi Foundation with the main intention to teaching basic computer skills in schools. Its distributed by Element 14 and RS Electronics online. The device is quite simple in design and appearance further enhancing its main purpose. There are 2 Models, A and B with B being the latest (29th Feb 2012) and the best. A was released much earlier so am going to concentrate on Model B.

General Specifications.
From an engineering perspective specs are what describe a machine and not paragraphs of information so am going to list the specs in the most understandable manner.

1. Processor: Broadcom BCM2835 SoC (System on a Chip) - ARM1176JZF-S 700Mhz (can be overclocked to 1.3GHz [danger tho'])
2. GPU: VideoCore IV
3. RAM: 512Mb

My Arduino UNO R3

Finally after what seemed forever my Arduino UNO arrived just as I had ordered. Here in Kenya, Arduinos are just making the breakthrough and they're hot cake. So before I go further, let me explain what exactly an Arduino is.

In the simplest of terms, an Arduino is an open-source electronics prototyping platform based on flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. It's intended for artists, designers, hobbyists, and anyone interested in creating interactive objects or environments.
Arduino can sense the environment by receiving input from a variety of sensors and can affect its surroundings by controlling lights, motors, and other actuators. The micro-controller on the board is programmed using the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring) and the Arduino development environment (based on Processing). Arduino projects can be stand-alone or they can communicate with software running on a computer (e.g. Flash, Processing, MaxMSP).

To summarize the above, when you are working with Arduino you'll have 2 things, the Arduino Board and your PC. On your PC you'll be running the ADE (Arduino Development Environment) which when you've written the code, will be sent to the Arduino. Secondly you'll have the Arduino board connected to your PC via the cable that comes with it. (Same cable that is used for HP Printers)

Arduino can greatly enhance your creativity since it can run anything from a simple connection of a LED to a robot. Its completely open-source so you can do whatever your mind can do in terms to hacking and modding it. I've had mine for 8 Days so far and i cant remember a day passing without casting a glance at it or reading something new.

▲MY ARDUINO UNO: Note I've had to mount it on a cardboard to reduce chances of shorting the contacts on the underside of the board.

The Ksh.1.32Billion Ngong Wind Power Phase 2

The Government has secured a Sh1.32 billion loan from both the Government of Belgium and KBC Bank of Belgium to finance the Ngong Hills Electricity Generation Wind Turbine phase 11.

The loan includes a state-to-state zero interest credit agreement of six million euros and a concessional credit agreement with the KBC Bank of Belgium of 6.36 million euros.

Speaking during the signing of the Ngong Hills Wind Turbine Electricity Generation Project phase 11, Finance Minister, Njeru Githae, said the loan has come at an opportune time as the country struggles to contain rampant deforestation.

And while Kenya has significant variety of potential energy sources – including hydro-power, geothermal, solar, wind and biomass – wood fuel accounts for 70 per cent of the country’s total energy consumption, with 80 per cent of the population depending on it for domestic energy needs. And the use of wood fuel has had a significant contribution to deforestation.

“Given the environmental negative impact development cost of hydro-electric energy and fuel energy challenges, the future source of clean energy of solar and wind generated electricity is ideal,” Githae told reporters at the Treasury building in Nairobi on Wednesday.

The Turbines Have Arrived!

Its with pleasure that the 'manufacturer' has finally delivered the Turbines. they came in yesterday and I have installed them except the nacelle which will be mounted towards the end due to mechanical breakage while other items are being installed too.

The towers are while made of durable plastic resin that will not corrode with the varying acidity of the soil and also termites that may come along.

As for the rest of the project, all is going well except for the quick growth of vegetation. I did drop a bean seed into the soil and Alas! within days a beanstalk was shooting. I left it to grow as long as it did not come into my way.

Plans are being improved to add residential home models which a friend of mine studying architecture will design for me. Electrical cables will be added thanks to my skills in AutoCAD Electrical 2012. Have a look...

▲ORIGINAL: The site before the turbines were installed.

BNDES Shuts $3.5 Billion Wind Market to Five Companies

Five of the biggest wind-turbine makers have been shut out of Brazil’s $3.5 billion market by the national development bank BNDES after failing to meet local- content requirements.

Vestas Wind Systems A/S (VWS), Suzlon Energy Ltd. (SUEL), Siemens AG (SIE), Acciona SA (ANA) and Fuhrlaender AG aren’t getting at least 40 percent of their parts from local suppliers and are no longer eligible for BNDES financing, the country’s only source of loans for turbines, said Elbia Melo, executive president of the wind- industry trade group, Associacao Brasileira de Energia Eolica.
Developers can’t tap BNDES loans for 2,000 megawatts of turbines they agreed to buy from the suppliers, and will either suspend construction on some projects or switch vendors, Melo said. The world’s top turbine makers are setting up Brazilian plants to meet surging demand and haven’t established the domestic supply chain they pledged to create, according to government officials.
“BNDES and the turbine makers agreed on a timeline to develop factories and turbine makers didn’t keep to it,” Henrique Tinoco, a director at state development agency Superintendencia do Desenvolvimento do Nordeste, said in a telephone interview. “This is a public bank with limited resources. Of course it’s going to prioritize the acquisition of capital goods produced nationally.”
Wind-turbine installations in Brazil may almost triple to 1,695 megawatts this year from 2011, making it the fifth-largest market, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, and the country is promoting policies to ensure the boom benefits other parts of its economy.
Vestas, based in Aarhus, Denmark, dropped 57 percent this year through yesterday. Pune, India, based Suzlon increased less than one percent over the same period compared with the Bloomberg Wind Energy Index (BWIND) of 64 companies that’s lost 13 percent.

Civicon Limited will do the roads at LTWP for Ksh.3.2 Billion

News just in confirm that Civicon Limited, a lading construction company has won the contract for the construction of access roads in the Lake Turkana Wind Farm and also a roads to the station.

The contract which is worth Ksh. 3.2 Billion will entail the construction of 109km on-site road network at another 204km access road. These roads will be built to gravel standards and should provide the much needed capacity to handle the excruciating weight of the mighty Vestas Wind Turbines that shall be brought to the site.


The project will last 15Months by which the turbines will be ready for mounting.

Stadium/Complex Power Systems - The Olympic Park-London

As is customary with any major event that is happening in the world, I have to cover the electrical power aspect to inform you of what happens under the hood. Anyway last time was the 2010 FiFa World Cup now its the London Olympics 2012.

The Olympics are much held in one location except for the few events that need a separate location so I presume that things will be much easier.

Let's go back in-time during the early stages pf constructions so that we get a clear understanding of the relocation of H.T Pylons and other switchgear.

Before construction work could begin on the London Olympic Park the electrical infrastructure needed to be put in place, as E&T discovers.

From the moment that International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge announced in July 2005 that the UK, or, more accurately, London, was to host the 2012 Olympics, the race was on to ensure that the electrical infrastructure in east London could support the requirements of the proposed high-tech 2.5sq km Olympic Park.
The combined electrical network will consist of more than 100km of electrical cabling and over 100 local substations. The first decision, taken back in January 2008, was to award the electrical contract to power company EDF. Construction began in the summer and already several key milestones have been reached, most notably the completion of all underground cable work and the removal of overhead pylons, which was completed just before Christmas.

The electrical networks will be connected to a primary electrical substation located next to Kings Yard in the west of the Olympic Park. Clearance work on the site of the primary substation was completed early last year allowing construction work to start. The 132/11kv electrical substation will be a key piece of electrical infrastructure for the Olympic Park, the Stratford City development and the ongoing regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley area.
"These utility networks and infrastructure are not just for a summer of sport in 2012, but will power the long-term regeneration of the area for many years to come and show that we are planning the Games and legacy together from the very beginning," Simon Wright, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) director of infrastructure and utilities says. "The electrical networks will be a key part of the world-class infrastructure that will form the backbone of the Olympic Park."

Sustainability was at the core of London's bidding process so, naturally, it is at the heart of the design and construction plans for the primary electrical substation.
Crushed materials from the demolition of the former Kings Yard buildings in the Olympic Park will be reused in the construction of the substation.
The building has also been designed to include a 'brown roof', which involves crushed materials laid down on a flat roof to allow species to colonise naturally. The brown roof will help enhance the ecological value and biodiversity of the Olympic Park site by attracting local wildlife including black redstarts, a rare bird that thrives on brownfield land.

Donald Trump and the Wind Turbines

Image/golfvacationinsider.com

An interesting story is developing in Scotland, where the US tycoon, Donald Trump is seeking to stop the construction of a wind farm just nest to his multibillion golf estate. Trump says that the 11-wind farm would destroy the aestheticism of the golf estate and terming them as industrial turbines.

A planning application for an 11-turbine wind farm off Aberdeen Bay was submitted to Marine Scotland last summer and a decision is expected to be made later this year. Mr Trump has halted work on his resort until the decision is made by the Scottish Government.

In his letter addressed to Mr Salmond, he wrote: "Inward investors everywhere are reading the headlines and concluding that Scotland is no longer a secure place to invest because of the fact you are single-handedly destroying the economic well-being of a great country.
Read more...

Wind farm Model - Part3

Hello guys its been quite some time since I did an update of the wind turbine project. All is well, just that I had encountered some problems on the way. The type of grass that I had planted hoping it would do well, didn't, so back to square one.

Luckily I got another type that creeps on the surface and it seems to be a success story soon.

I have embarked on making the turbines coz the grass is growing up quite fast.

Have a look.