WINDSMITH CLUB LCCC

The Wind Smith Club car wash Wednesday August 31st was a successful fundraising event with a net earnings of over $300. 21 volunteers showed up the the event, and we are planning to continue to use a car wash for future fundraisers because it was the most successful fundraiser to date.

WindsmithClub Chili Feed

By Jake Buckhaults

     On December 2, 2010,the LCCC Windsmith Club hosted their first chili feed fundraiser in the CollegeCommunity Center on the Laramie County Community College campus.  The fundraiser raised over two hundred dollars during the noon hour.  Sam’s Club, Chugwater Chili, and several Windsmith Club members and their families donated the ingredients and commendations for the chili feed.  In addition to the chili feed, there arestill enough ingredients to prepare for another chili feed.  Plans are being made to produce another chili feed fundraiser during the start of the spring semester.

WINDSMITH CLUB BAKE SALE

BY KURT BRATBERG

      The WINDSMITH CLUB recently had two successful bake sales at LCCC's commons area.  The participation from club members baking the goods turned out great.  There were a wide variety of choices from the baked goods brought in by the club members.  Some of the baked goods I personally have never seeen before.

     The WINDSMITH CLUB raised nearly $400 from the bake sale with not one price tag on the goods.  All money came strictly from donations and take whatever you felt like munching on.

Wind and Wheels

1st Bi-Annual Car Show

WRITTEN BY BRIANNA HUNT

            LCCC’s WINDSMITH CLUB held their first Bi-Annual Car show Saturday, October 9, 2010.  Along with the car show, the WINDSMITH CLUB also had an open house for the public to come and tour the IST and Wind Energy Lab.

                The car show was split into four categories; Classics, Street Rods, Daily Driver, and Best of Show. Kent Bratberg mesmerized the crowd with his 1969 Chevy Camaro RS/SS.  He took first place in the Street Rod category and also won the prize for Best of Show.  John Riggin took first place in the Classics category with his 1953 Ford Pickup. In the Daily Driver category, a 1987 GMC Jimmy, driven by Jesse Beede took first place.

                Curious members of the community came out to support the club’s car show, barbecue, and open house.  They were welcomed with knowledgeable club members and instructors who shared information about the wind industry, and what the Wind Energy Program at LCCC is all about.

Windsmith Club at Paul Smith Children’s Village

By Jason Peggram

     A few of the LCCC Windsmith club members visited the Paul Smith Children's Village October 5, 2010 to assist a group of kids working on building their own vertical axis wind turbines. The kids and club members erected turbines using copper wire wound up into coils, a few small pieces of wood, a water bottle, washers, some earth magnets, an LED, and some card board. The kids really seemed to enjoy building the turbines, and club members were able to answer several questions from the kids and their parents regarding wind energy. The members that made it out to the Village were Jef Rice, Kurt Bratberg, Devlin Junker, Jason Peggram, Robbie Beckman, and John Burton.

     Once they completed their Turbines they put them to the test in front of a fan. At first it looked like they might not have been working, but after we hooked up a multi-meter we found it was producing a very small fluctuating current. The power however was not stable enough and did not have quite enough current to light the LED. Overall the day at the Village was a success and we were able to help educate kids on wind energy.

 

 

Energy GE’s Gigantic Offshore Wind Turbine is 25% More Efficient

by , 03/30/10

filed under: Renewable Energy, Wind Power

GE has been cracking away to design and release a more efficient wind turbine – 25% more efficient in fact. Rather than increasing the size to generate more power like some other manufacturers have done, GE is designing longer blades and a more efficient drive train. GE hopes to release the new turbine, which will be 300 feet tall and have a rotor diameter of 360 feet, in 2012. The company is also investing $453 million in order to mass produce these next gen turbines for use offshore in Europe.

The next gen wind turbine by GE will only be 4 MW, which isn’t too big compared to the 10 MW turbine Norway is building, but it will have two significant design changes: a simpler and more efficient drive train as well as longer blades. A direct-drive mechanism will do away with the gear box, which is used to ramp up the RPMs to generate more electricity. Doing away with the gear box simplifies the system greatly, reducing need for maintenance and oil, both costly during the lifetime of the turbine. Additionally, permanent magnets will replace the electromagnets, which require starter brushes, coils and power from the grid every time the turbine starts up. The new drive train and generator are currently being tested in Norway.

Meanwhile the blades, which are being tested in the Netherlands, have been lengthened by 40%, and made even more aerodynamic and lightweight, all in order to capture more of wind. These new 176-foot long blades are also designed to twist as they are bent from the force of the wind, which means they’ll bear less of the gusts’ brunt yet still be able to capture a large part of the energy. With the help of the new drive train and more efficient blades, the wind turbine will be able to create more power when it is turning at slower wind speeds, which means that the turbine will be able to operate more often at its max 4 MW potential and power up to 1,000 homes with renewable energy.

+ GE Wind

Via Popular Science

Read more: GE Working on Next Generation Wind Turbine That is 25% More Efficient | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World