Fresh i hope. Off grid ebike touring, wind recharge. ~0 kg.

That's a ingenious wind turbine (kite) design! Coming from someone who's had wind turbines on a continuous basis for over 30 years FWIW. I'm waiting for someone to rig up a micro hydro e bike charge system next! I could do it....but like solar and wind, it would be a lot of extra stuff to pack around for somewhat minimal power. To me anyway, given the current state of the art, PV is the most feasible by far. No moving parts is hard to beat, shade also.
 
Thanks Craneplaneguy,
It's open source hardware ... So I am expecting you to make one now and please tell me how it went.
Compared to the other Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES = science of flying wind turbines)
This one avoids all the rubbing / running / actuating / sensing nonsense... It's mostly just rag, string and a bike.
There are still some interfaces between hard parts like the crank and soft line parts which need progressively smoothed .
The middle ring of kites folds down really neatly to the size of a 26" mtb tyre. I managed to take it in my backpack to a conference on AWES. Everyone else needed a truck to show their system... If it could be brought at all.
 
This could be one approach, cost and weight aside (!) it could be as simple as finding a fast moving stream and "throwing it into the stream" (making sure it was able to turn freely) and tieing it off to a tree. Obviously it could get more complicated then that pretty quick, but the great thing about hydro is it's 24/7 nature. Mine's putting out 300+ watts into the grid as I type, and has been for a couple months now. Before the stream slowed down, from April to July or so, it puts out 800+ watts into the grid. About 32-34 amps at 24 VDC. But, a pelton wheel type like I have requires piping etc, hardly practical.
 
Interesting idea there, flying a kite to put the wind turbine up in the better air flow.

As a balloon pilot,, I know,, get just 50 feet up and the wind is really different, more speed, more power. Wind might be 5 mph on the ground, but come in to land, you will be going 15 mph when you touch down.

As for just putting a sail on a bike and sailing down the road, fine,, if the road is about 200 yards wide. But a 12 foot strip of asphalt is mighty narrow for tacking. Once in a blue moon though in a car, on a bike, you can gain efficiency from the lift, even from a pretty shitting air foil like the body of a car. when the wind is just at the right angle to the road.
 
If you have a large solar generator and if you are travelling in a more or less sunny region you can harvest PLENTY of power from the sun.

details can be found here:

http://www.sunrider.fr/bilan-energetique-du-suntrip-de-la-libellule/

Best day was more than 3,000Wh

http://bernardcauquil.fr/sunrider_communication/dossier_presentation_partenaires_bernard_cauquil_suntrip.pdf
 
rodread said:
I have charged my bike @ over 300w with a kite system.
[youtube]https://youtu.be/WYl-Y2791l4[/youtube]
Used the power to ride over 100 kite miles worth and make a few cups of tea.
I'm developing the tech further to make a product out of it.
It's an open project. join in.
Click to expand...

You are my hero rodread. A very cool start. much better than my concept, and you have ACTUALLY done it.

1/ its single sided, not both sides of the crank - much simpler bar vibration, see below

2/ Your "Airborne Wind Energy Systems (AWES = science of flying wind turbines) " (hmm, a searchworthy acronym) has the ability to tap in to way more windpower than the cruddy handkerchief sails my scheme was limited to.

OK, how you have done it weighs a ton, but i still think simple ropes would do.

A bit of a fail on the camera tho, excuse my ingrate manners. Try as i may i couldnt get a decent look at the mechanism at the pedal crank, but very clearly, it was unworkably unbalanced. Do you have any other film of it?

BTW folks, i found the youtube version seemed clearer - better res?

I hope you get some input from engineers here on the final link to the crank.

In this respect, i still think there is a lot to like about somehow stringing the bike up, like its part of a springy spiders web. As we now know (AWES turbines climb high into clear air like a kite). The bike only has to be just clear of the ground, so it isnt banging into solid earth - just tugging on ~3 guy ropes. Excellent shock absorption.

Failing that, if the front wheel and tire were guyed to the ground, then the bikes native suspension could be used to good effect re shocks. The bike can still swivel on the head stem.

Just saying folks, I dont think it works for mid-drives, given the freewheel thing. Only rear hub motors w/ regen afaik. A pity, as mid drive sure sounds best as a tourer to me. Any solution?

The Xiongda dual speed rear hub may be doable as a touring hub motor tho.

I imagine it also helps to have the ability to gear the final chain drive to the motor via derailleurs to suit.

I wonder if a common flexible drill driveshaft could help with the vibration? Similarly, quick release pedals/pedal cranks - maybe they just get in the way when wind charging.

I think the military should be very interested in this. A light means of power in the field, albeit very visible. Cruising yachts too.

It bears noting methinks, that e.g., a NORMAL?; 500wh battery would charge from the wall socket at ~100w (.2C). Warts and all, our hero has managed 3x that. Point being, whatever its faults, they are details. The concept of equivalence to a home charger is not only proven, in those conditions and in early incarnation, it is exceeded by a big factor. All with gear adding ~nothing to the riders load. From what i see here, 500 watts seems very doable with the rocking sorted.
 
An amusing and profound incident?

People insist on feeding my dog crap "treats".

We have cheesels"" here in oz, fluffy rings an inch/3cm round~

He gagged swallowing one whole, spat it up on the path on a windy day, it gets caught by wind and rolls briskly and perfectly along the path, with him in hot pursuit.

Eureka?

Remember those contraptions where the rider sits, slung inside a rim that rolls around him and along the road?

Maybe one could be contrived to sail along the road like a cheesel?
 
Thanks cycleops612

It's been an obsession for quite a while now.
The science of Airborne Wind Energy says that we should be able to generate all of the worlds energy safely with flying turbines really cheaply.
The engineering of Airborne Wind Energy says aye right. That's no easy.

There are loads more videos of my projects on my youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2eAHVBBCoO19xBuGOY73Zw

I twitter updates and #AWES @rodread and post on http://www.windswept-and-interesting.co.uk

My main obsessional focus is on the benefits of network forms ... what happens when you combine loads of kites in the right way.
The rig for the bike mount in the ground can be as light as taking off the saddle and ramming the post in the ground...(in other vids)

Please share and join... It's an open project for a good reason.
 
Yes, I can see the potential power of it, but where it is outstanding, is that it is light, foldable and portable - i.e., offgrid power or recharging you can actually carry on an ebike.

A petrol generator is barely liftable afaik.

expensive 250w (1kwh pd in mid latitudes - not much compared to your initial 300w per hour, night or day if blowing) roof solar panels are ~10kg (dearer ones are lighter I know).

Getting a bit wild and crazy, but a subsistence farmer has the makings of a workshop with battery and motor and PTO. He could go to his remotest field, set up his kites, and get some pretty useful work done, drilling/grinding/winching/pumping/spot welding../..

Exciting stuff. Ta for the links.

u sound u heart is in the right place. We in the west are inclined to forget how hard it is for most on the planet, and their limited budgets. A bonus I like a lot, is this could realistically help billions. Apart from investing in an ebike for essential family/farm transport, the rest could be manufactured at village or cottage level, very cheaply.
 
rodread said:
Thanks cycleops612

It's been an obsession for quite a while now.
The science of Airborne Wind Energy says that we should be able to generate all of the worlds energy safely with flying turbines really cheaply.
The engineering of Airborne Wind Energy says aye right. That's no easy.

There are loads more videos of my projects on my youtube channel.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2eAHVBBCoO19xBuGOY73Zw

I twitter updates and #AWES @rodread and post on http://www.windswept-and-interesting.co.uk

My main obsessional focus is on the benefits of network forms ... what happens when you combine loads of kites in the right way.
The rig for the bike mount in the ground can be as light as taking off the saddle and ramming the post in the ground...(in other vids)

Please share and join... It's an open project for a good reason.
Click to expand...

A humble suggestion that may be fresh.

It sure seemed the tricky bit was driving the pedals/vibration.

Given plentiful natural power, some waste is ok.

So what about a simple friction drive from the kites to the regen hub motor wheel`s tyre. (I am sure your concept of the mechanism is better than mine.) This would make the pulling wind force in line with the bikes frame, which is swiveling like a wind vane on the steering head set.

easier bike tethering and less vibration.

What i like about the bike idea is an ebike vehicle, can also serve as a generator, without adding ~any weight. Pretty cool if u need both, but can only afford one at the moment, or if u need; light, free, mobile power, or offgrid recharge - like an extended camping trip.

My background is more economics. If your ideas are to become a reality, it sure helps to not do things the hard way.

By using an ebike as a reference starting point, you tap into a mass market for components that have all the capabilities you need, incredibly cheap and good.

controllers: generation, cruise control, torque simulation (CVT simulation), flywheel storage, programable, ~solid state, 1 kw... - its abilities just go on and on - for a lousy $10-50usd

frames, chains, axles, bearings, brakes, transmissions... - its a vast market of a billion+ consumers, so the bits for your meccano set are; mass produced, proven, cheap and excellently engineered.

u could do worse than adopt them as a paradigm for a starting point for your contraptions for a better world.
 
rodread:

"The science of Airborne Wind Energy says that we should be able to generate all of the worlds energy safely with flying turbines really cheaply.
The engineering of Airborne Wind Energy says aye right. That's no easy."

Well yeah, but we live in a world where it pays to use over 4kg+ of diesel for 1 kg trawler catch, to mine 10 tonnes of ore for 1 oz of gold, ...

"All the worlds power" is simply a function of supply, demand and price. if supply goes up, price goes down, and demand goes up. Hey, maybe we can afford to move that mountain after all.

whats great is its distributed power. no grid, meter or capital required. a poor villiage could do lights, computers, ebiking.... - light duty stuff, and w/ modern batteries, rarely need an ICE generator.
 
Thanks Cycleops612

E-bike tech was a great match for this test. And this showed rotary kite power can be applied as a symbiotic tech. Which is brilliant (and an Open Hardware tech now!! bonus!!)
I'm going to move the tech on to the next phase now however
I'm building a much more dynamically aligned ground generation station with better power to weight... And another kite ring set too.

Hopefully authorities would stop kite tech before it gets to a situation where markets take over (AGAIN) and enough applied bike tech means stealing all of the terraWatts the atmosphere can pump out.

The efficiency of this tech very likely comes with scaling. There are studies going on into this.
Yes it is very distribute-able. We shouldn't all have a bike on our roof though. There are more energy efficient ways to adopt this kite tech.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top