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Forum Index : Other Stuff : Suspended weights to generate electricity
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| greg199 Newbie  Joined: 03/11/2015 Location: AustraliaPosts: 39 |
I recently discovered this site and think it is terrific so congratulations to those of you who set it up and maintain it. I have wondered from time to time how effective a suspended weight would be in generating electricity. I'm thinking of something like this... - use a windmill (like Southern Cross or Comet) to turn mechanical gearing - the mechanical gearing would raise a heavy weight (a couple of tonnes maybe) into the air (4 meters maybe) - the weight would then be released and suitable gearing would turn a generator to generate electricity - the electricity would charge batteries or a supply a direct load I'm sure the system would be very inefficient but if the materials can be sourced very cheaply it doesn't matter. It may also take a few days/weeks to raise the weight but if the electricity it produces is almost free that also does not matter. Searches on this forum and the internet haven't produced much so far. So does anyone have any data on the viability of this or perhaps links to information sources? |
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| greybeard Senior Member  Joined: 04/01/2010 Location: AustraliaPosts: 161 |
It's also called a dam with water turbine  |
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Gizmo Admin Group  Joined: 05/06/2004 Location: AustraliaPosts: 5078 |
Yeah agree with greybeard. Using water as the weight has a few advantages. The storage can be two big water tanks, one low and one high. Water is easy to lift, using simple water pumps. To get the energy back, you can use a pelton wheel, which are very efficient. By regulating the water feed to the pelton wheel, you get a very controllable and quick reacting system. Glenn The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is right now. JAQ |
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| greg199 Newbie Joined: 03/11/2015 Location: AustraliaPosts: 39 |
Yes I did some quick calculations earlier and if my physics is correct then the system I propose is quite useless. For example: assuming we can convert 70% of the suspended weight's potential energy into electricity then to power a 100W light globe for one hour you have to raise a 5 tonne weight to a height of around 10m. That seems crazy even if I have all the (free) scrap equipment to build the contraption. I'll have to re learn some physics first and then I'll re visit my calcs to confirm - unless someone else has already done so ? |
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