PROJECT MAP

This design has been successfully tested and still running on KEC top floor building @ hub height of 25metre. Our next plan is to mobilize each and every concept should be equally drafted for remote areas. We are designing for next higher power of wind turbine system for non-electricity supply areas and planning to mobilize wind turbine system at major windy districts of Nepal. We have started to survey the location throughly. We have successfully passed on Wooden Blade of Saal Wood (easily available or common wood in Nepal). This turbine has lowest velocity to start up wind speed of just 1 to 1.5m/s of wind speed.

The Project

The successful use and implementation of the small wind turbines in the European countries five to eight years ago sewed a new hope for Amrit and without further delay the first of their technology installation started on December 2008. The idea evolved from the different websites and through the emails to a guide named Dan Fink and Dan Bartmann top designer of small wind turbines from North America to Europe.

The initial successful real testing was conducted on 31st of December 2008 at Phakhel, 25kms away from Balkhu, situated in the airy Makwanpur District of Nepal. The choice for Phakhel was due to the wind velocity available and a ground wind velocityof 3.5m/s(metre per second). The three wooden locally manufactured blades of saal species stood just 7 feet high, and took 15 days to carve it to its desired shape. The battery dependent generator, the mechanical parts and the tower took another 15 days, but in Hetauda, due to plight of load shedding in kathmandu. While the rotor and its mechanical parts were manufactured by the team and college. The permanent magnet with a grading of N35, one of the world’s strongest magnets, was purchased from India.

The Phakhel testing stipulated the wind velocity at 3.6m/sec with a rotating startup measure of with a rotating startup measure of 300rpm by tachometer. According to Thapa, the turbine can generate 1.5KW when the maximum velocity of wind is 13m/s. In producing a variable yield and a startup blade can rotate at a very low but profitable velocity of 0.5m/s – one of the most difficult task of the project. The generation of electricity from as low as 150rpm as compared to other inefficient wind turbines of the past requiring as much as 1000rpm above, is another major accomplishment of this design.

” Power thus generated can meet energy requirment of at least nine households, ” says Thapa. “This method is also cost-effective. ” According to him, around Rs. 100,000 is needed to setup their kind of Windmill. “The government needs to tap energy to mitigate the energy crisis. The wind turbines are more reliable the other sources of power and can generates electricity 99percent of the time in comparison to other sources, ” says Thapa.

Hands on

An exemplary achievement was the installation of their wind turbine on the roof of the college at Kalimati on 2nd March 2009. The installed turbine stands at a height of 25 metres on the top of the six storey building. With an average wind speed of 3.5m/s at this area, 350 Watt is generated at an average of 10 ampere current to the battery charge. The design has a maximum capacity of 1.5 KW at high windy speed of 13 m/s. As wind speeds at kalimati, kathmandu at such heights and when the sky is clear are quite high, a wind speed of 7 m/s generated a peaking output of 800 Watt. This data reveals that wind turbines can be installed at hills and at locations of high altitude and are most feasible for regions having a constant wind speed.

This demonstrates the fact a wind turbine can gain validity and the prudent step is to install it. Installations can be adjusted even on the roof of a two storey house and bring electricity to every individual without much hassle. ( Copy from www.spacesnepal.com July- August 2009 issue – Art – Architecture – Design – SPACES Magazine)

Thanks to Mr. Prajal Pradhan and Miss Sweta Pokharel for editing and publishing on Spaces Magazine of Nepal.

We are currently running the ” Energy Study Centre ” of KEC, kalimati, to gain a detailed perspective into this field and prosper accordingly. We have plan to install our next module of 1 KW at Phakhel of Makwanpur District. This designed wind turbine will work in terms of the wind velocity which will trigger in the making of variable capacities of the turbines. The wind turbine will be lighter in weight and further research based aerodynamic HAWT (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine) profile with high power 3 to 20 KW performance.