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Energy and Sustainability

March 2009

A Sustainable, Safer, Easier Alternative to Wind Electric

Matt Overeem

March, 2009

Supervisors: Gunilla Britse, Ola Eriksson, Fan Zou

Examiner: Liselotte Aldén

Gotland University, Visby, Sweden

A Sustainable, Safer, Easier Alternative to Wind Electric


Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 1 of 21
Cover Photo: Windmills at American Wind Power Center, Lubbock, Texas
Cover Photo Source: http://www.southplainscollege.edu/ppress/issue_2_05/spotlight/spotlight_2_05.htm

Executive Summary

The need to offset greenhouse gas emission has exploded in the number of opportunities
to provide renewable energy systems to developing areas around the world. Large and
small-scale wind electric systems are being installed in these developing areas on an
increasing level. Unfortunately, the local people may not have the skills or capability to
install, operate or maintain the sophisticated wind-electric systems that the industrialized
nations are providing. This paper attempts to offer an alternative to the sophisticated
systems presently used by suggesting that we step back and consider the capabilities of
the local people when we offer a wind power alternative. This paper will suggest a wind
power solution that is easy to install, operate, maintain, and still serve the same purpose
as the latest wind-electric systems. This paper will outline the capabilities of a wind
power solution using compressed air instead of electricity as the energy source.

A Sustainable, Safer, Easier Alternative to Wind Electric


Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 2 of 21
Table of Contents
Cover Photo: Windmills at American Wind Power Center, Lubbock, Texas ........ 2
Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 2
Table of Contents................................................................................................................ 3
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 4
Wind Power – A Brief History ........................................................................................... 5
Figure 1 - Typical Water Pumping Windmill ......................................................... 6
Figure 2 - Halladay Windmill from 1850's ............................................................. 6
Over-Reaction to a Simple Problem ................................................................................... 7
A Simple Answer................................................................................................................ 8
Figure 3 - Single Purpose Windmills for Water Pumping or Grain Grinding ........ 8
Figure 4 - KIJITO Wind Air Lift Pump.................................................................. 9
Figure 5 - BowJon Turbine ..................................................................................... 9
Figure 6 - Airlift Technologies Windmill............................................................. 10
Figure 7 - Koenders Windmill .............................................................................. 10
Figure 8 - Average Windspeeds (m/s) for Select African Countries .................... 12
Figure 9 - Example of an Air Storage Tank.......................................................... 14
Figure 10 - Air Operated Impact Wrench ............................................................. 15
Figure 11 - Air Operated Hammer Impact............................................................ 15
Figure 12 - Air Operated Drill .............................................................................. 16
Figure 13 - Air Operated Pistol Grip Drill............................................................ 16
Figure 14- Air Caulking Gun................................................................................ 16
Figure 15 - Air Shears........................................................................................... 16
Figure 16 - Air Operated Vortex Tube Devices for Heating or Cooling .............. 17
Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 18
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 19
References......................................................................................................................... 20
Informational Websites..................................................................................................... 21
Endnotes............................................................................................................................ 21

A Sustainable, Safer, Easier Alternative to Wind Electric


Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 3 of 21
Introduction
In many areas of the world, there is no local energy supplier, no electricity, no electric
utilities, no power lines and no reasonably foreseeable electric connection to the rest of
the world. How can this be? How can we as a people have ignored this for so long?

Now that the industrialized countries of the world have recognized that, our climate is
changing. Changing for the worse, partially because of our use of fossil fuels to create
our electricity. How can we stop the newly developing areas of the world from adding to
the chaos and forthcoming disaster?

Experts from the European Union (EU) met and debated how they can reduce the
greenhouse gases that are threatening the world. The EU has formulated an Emissions
Trading System (ETS) that allows member countries to offset their current emissions of
greenhouse gases by providing for non-polluting, renewable and sustainable energy
projects in developing countries.

The intent of this paper is to suggest and advocate for a change in how renewables,
specifically windpower is being used. While the use of windpower is applicable in many
developing nations, on developing nations is not widespread and this paper will use
mostly data from sub-Saharan Africa since more data is available. This is not to suggest
that the change advocated cannot be applied elsewhere as well.

High poverty levels especially in rural areas are a significant challenge that faces East
Africa. Based on the national poverty threshold, the number of people living in poverty
in Kenya is estimated to have risen from 11 million (48% of the population) in 1990 to 17
million (56% of the population) in 2001. Most poor households (87%) live in rural areas.
Of these, subsistence farmers account for over 50% in Kenya. Efforts to reverse poverty
trends have been inadequate, as poverty levels continue to rise. In Tanzania, surveys
indicate that poverty is more prevalent in rural areas relative to urban areas. About 60%
of rural population is poor compared to about 39% of the urban population.a

Many of these projects involve the use of wind electric turbines that are installed to offset
the use of diesel generators for making electricity. These installations rely heavily on
foreign expertise, as the developing country usually does not have the expertise to install
or maintain such modern systems. Many of today’s turbines involve the use of
computerized supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. How can a
developing area that may be poorly educated provide for such systems? Usually they do
not and the area becomes dependent on outsiders. The cycle of poverty and education are
not broken. How can the world assist these developing countries and still use a
renewable and sustainable resource such as wind?

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Renewable energy technologies (RETs) can play an important role in poverty reduction
in rural areas in the region. The Energy, Environment and Development Network for
Africa (AFREPREN/FWD) reports that this is especially true for RETs that operate on
the basis of solar, thermal, mechanical and animate power, i.e. non-electrical RETs.

This paper will focus on the positive aspects of wind power for developing areas but not
by using wind electric with all of its sophistication and modern technology. Good, old-
fashioned wind power, a non-electrical RET, but using modern technology and producing
an ancient energy source – air. This technology is easy and safer to install, operate, and
maintain for a simple, developing culture.

Wind Power – A Brief History


Wind has been harnessed to lift water for more than 2000 years, first in China and the
Middle East, and spreading to Europe. The energy in moving air, wind, can be converted
to either mechanical or electrical energy. Recently, use of wind energy to generate power
has been given more attention than ever before.

With wind pumps, moving air turns a "rotor", and the rotational motion of the blades is
transferred to harmonic motion of the shaft, which is used to pump water or drive other
mechanical devices such as grain mills. Depending on the terrain, some types of modern
wind pumps generate electrical energy to drive pumps. Water from wells as deep as 400
meters can be pumped to the surface by wind pumps.b

2009 marks the 155th anniversary of the wind pump in America. At one time, there were
over 100,000 water-pumping windmills in the United States. In Africa, there only a few
thousand windmills installed for water pumping and less than that for electrical
generations.

Windmills generally consist of two types, with the classification depending on the
orientation of the axis of rotation of the rotor. Vertical-axis wind turbines are efficient
and can obtain power from wind blowing in any direction, whereas horizontal axis
devices must be oriented facing the wind to extract power. Most windmills for water-
pumping applications are of the horizontal-axis variety, and have multi-bladed rotors that
can supply the high torque required to initiate operation of a mechanical pump.
Windmills can also be used to generate electricity, but electricity-generating units usually
consist of vertical-axis rotors or high-speed propeller rotors, due to the requirement for
Low starting torques. The following sketch illustrates a typical water-pumping windmill.

A Sustainable, Safer, Easier Alternative to Wind Electric


Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 5 of 21
Figure 1 - Typical Water Pumping Windmill
Source: WIND-POWERED WATER PUMPING SYSTEMS FOR LIVESTOCK WATERING,
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2009

Figure 2 - Halladay Windmill from 1850's


Source: http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/windmill%20history.htm accessed on March 14, 2009

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March 2009 Page 6 of 21
Over-Reaction to a Simple Problem
While the industrialized countries of the world are developing larger and more
sophisticated wind turbines to produce electricity, this is just adding to the problems of a
developing area. With all good intentions, modern small and large-scale wind electric
systems are being installed as part of relief and other programs to aid these areas.

The problems that the author sees with this is that the grateful recipients are not
adequately educated or trained in the installation, operation and maintenance of these
sophisticated systems.

Despite training the communities on wind pump installations and maintenance, pumps in
remote areas have not been maintained to the required standards since the trained
technicians either leave the area to seek employment elsewhere or are technically
incapacitated to carry out their work effectively (Harries, 2002). Technicians and buyers
are often unfamiliar with wind pump technology, and pumps in remote locations often
break down because of a lack of servicing, spare parts, or trained work force. Pumps
installed by churches, not for profit groups and government are more affected due to lack
of community involvement and ownership and often wait for the installing group to come
back and fix any mechanical problems.c

Whether the wind electric system produces DC or AC power, 12 volts or 600 volts, the
recipients are not used to electric power and are not able to properly support their multi-
year life expectancy. While there are no figures or study data on the following, the
author sees that these systems whether they are wind electric or photovoltaic or a hybrid
are often left to rot or waste away if the installation has any failures. To the author, this
is a common sense response to a nomadic way of life, if it does not work and you cannot
fix it; then you leave it.

Can this attitude and culture of indifference be overcome? Yes, with many years of
learning and adaptation as this is how the rest of the world evolved. If you follow the
history of electricity you will see that for the first 100 years of its known existence,
electricity was the subject of experimentation and failures. Once a successful experiment
brought useful items like lights and motors, the public’s use of electricity took off on its
meteoric climb. Technologies and innovations came and went. Thomas Edison
originally proposed the use of direct current (DC) for the consumer to use while Nikola
Tesla promoted the use of alternating current (AC). Tesla won out with AC current with
George Westinghouse’s assistance but this change in technology left a lot of Edison’s
equipment to waste away.

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Today, the need to reduce our energy use is coming to the abandonment of the
incandescent light bulb in favor of the more energy efficient compact fluorescent but this
may still yield to the newcomer, the light emitting diode (LED). As improvements are
made, the past or the failures are abandoned. So too will this happen as the indigent
peoples who are not capable of repairing their sophisticated equipment abandon it.

What these developing areas need is power but do they really need modern electricity?
The answer is two-fold. Yes, they need useful power to get things done and in some
cases, they need electricity.

I am suggesting that everyone step back and consider providing a simpler method of
using the wind but incorporate modern advances in to its use. The use of a wind turbine
that produces compressed air is my answer to the needs of the developing areas of the
world.

A Simple Answer
The technology to use wind to pump water, grind grain or to do other useful tasks has
been around for centuries. I am advocating that we take the efforts of modern wind
turbine design but rather than use it for a single purpose, adapt it to use if form multiple
purposes. I am recommending that the windmill be adapted to power an air compressor
rather than an electric generator to create a more useful and safe energy supply that a
developing culture can more easily use and maintain.

Figure 3 - Single Purpose Windmills for Water Pumping or Grain Grinding


Source: http://www.freefoto.com/images/1450/02/1450_02_14---Windmills--Kinderdijk-Kinderdyke--
Holland-The-Netherlands_web.jpg accessed on March 14, 2009

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 8 of 21
The change from an alternator or generator to an air compressor has been successfully
done for years from manufacturers like BowJon, Airlift Technologies, Koender
Windmills and Harries Manufacturing.

The most commonly used wind pumps in East Africa region are of the Kijito type (see
figure 3), manufactured by Bob Harries Engineering Ltd (BHEL) in Thika and come in a
range 8 – 26 feet of rotor diameters.

Figure 4 - KIJITO Wind Air Lift Pump


Source: http://www.afrepren.org/images/gallery/Renewable%20Energy%20Kijito%20Wind%20Pump.jpg
Accessed on March 14, 2009

Figure 5 - BowJon Turbine


Source: http://www.cisolar.com/CatWindPump.htm accessed on March 14, 2009

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 9 of 21
Figure 6 - Airlift Technologies Windmill
Source: http://www.airliftech.com/specs.htm accessed on March 14, 2009

Figure 7 - Koenders Windmill


Source: http://www.koenderswindmills.com/ accessed on March 14, 2009

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 10 of 21
So, how would this non-electric wind turbine work? Quite easily as air compressor
technology has been around for a long time.

There are several kinds of air compressors--reciprocating, screw, centrifugal. The current
airlift wind turbines use a reciprocating piston compressor. It has a piston moving back
and forth in a cylinder to compress the air. The turbine blades turn the shaft that move the
piston up and down in the cylinder compressing air and releasing it to the system. This
one piston assembly is called a stage or in this case a single-stage unit. d

The cheapest compressors are single-stage units--they have one piston and cylinder. The
air from the atmosphere is sucked into the assembly, compressed then sent to the tank.

Next come two-stage compressors, which have a low-pressure stage and a high-pressure
stage. The air from the first stage is compressed again by the second stage, which gives
more pressure with less stress on the unit. It is easier on the compressor to take air from 2
atmospheres to 4 than it is to go from 1 atmosphere to 4.

Most of the air tools being considered for use are powered by air pressures from 1 psi
like the Di Pietro motor to 90 psi. For the most part a two-stage air compressor can be
used to power most air tools. The compressed air is stored in a reservoir sized according
to how much compressed air one would likely need.

Air compressors are uniformly measured by the amount of cubic feet of air produced, or
Standard CFM (SCFM). SCFM is defined as the measured flow of free air and converted
to a standard set of reference conditions (14.5 PSIA, 68 Degrees F, and 0% relative
humidity).e The table below is adapted from the Jenny Compressor Company
(www.jennycompressor.com) and lists the air volumes needed for various air tools.

Air Tool Description Average CFM @ 90 PSI


Angle Disc Grinder - 7" 5-8
Brad Nailer 0.3
Chisel/Hammer 3-11
Cut-Off Tool 4-10
Drill, Reversible or Straight-Line 3-6
Dual Sander 11-13
Framing Nailer 2.2
Grease Gun 4
Hydraulic Riveter 4
Impact Wrench - 3/8" 2.5-3.5
Orbital Sander 6-9
Ratchet - 1/4" 2.5-3.5
Ratchet - 3/8" 4.5-5
Rotational Sander 8-12.5
Shears 8-16
Speed Saw 5

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 11 of 21
The Jenny Compressor Company suggests that you add 30% to the average CFM to
obtain the needed CFM. Therefore, if you needed to run an air grease gun 2 hours per
day, you would need 4 CFM or approx 1248 cubic feet of compressed air at 90 PSI. (2 x
60 minutes x 4CFM + 30%).

How much energy can one obtain from a windpowered air compressor?

I will use data taken from Airlift Technologies specificationsf. The Airlift turbine with a
10-foot diameter rotor produces 10 to 15 cubic feet of compressed air per second (CFS)
in a 10-12 mile per hour wind. The simple conversion to meters per second from miles
per hour is 1 mph = 0.45 m/s; so 12 mph is equal to 5.4 m/s. Fifteen CFS amounts to 900
cubic feet of compressed air per minute. Remember the air grease gun that need 1248 CF
of compressed air, or roughly two minutes worth of wind produced compressed air to run
the device for two hours.

Comparing the windspeed needed to produce 15 cubic feet of air per second (cf /s) at (5.4
m/s); you can see from the table below that this windspeed is available in at least a
quarter of the African countries studied. For this example, we will use an estimated
output of 10 cf/s to reflect a windspeed of approximately 5 m/s that reflects about ½ of
the countries.

Figure 8 - Average Windspeeds (m/s) for Select African Countries


Source: Karekezi, S. and Ranja, T. (1997). Renewable Energy Technologies in Africa. London, Zed Books

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
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Ideally, one should consider at least one year’s worth of detailed meteorological data in
conjunction with the wind turbine’s specifications to determine expected energy yield.
However, for a rough estimate the average over a year can be estimated by using the
following formula:

P = 0.5 * AV3 x 8765 hours

Where P = average power output in watts (W)


And V = yearly average wind speed in meters per second (m/s) at rotor height.
And A= area which is pi x radius squared

Using two different diameters for this example, a 3-meter (roughly 10 feet) and 5 meters
(roughly 15 feet) to represent the current available air lift turbines;

For the 3-meter diameter turbine (1.5 meter radius)

P = 0.1 * (1.5 * 1.5 * 3.14159) * 53 * 8,765 hours / year

P= 0.1 (7.0685) * 125 * 8,765 /1000 = kWh/y

P= 0.1 * 7.0685 * 1095.625 = 774 kilowatt-hours / year

For the 5-meter diameter turbine (2.5 meter radius)

P = 0.1 * ( 2.5* 2.5 * 3.14159) * 53 * 8,765 hours / year

P= 0.1 (19.635) * 125 * 8,765 /1000 = kWh/y

P= 0.1 * 19.635 * 1095.625 = 2,152.25 kilowatt-hours / year

We obtain an average power yield per year at 5 m/s of between 774 to 2,152.25 kilowatt
hours per year. To convert this to horsepower, you would use the conversion 1 kilowatt
= 1.34 horsepower. The air lift turbines could produce between 1,037 to 2,883.95
horsepower per year or roughly 8 horsepower per day. Since most loads would not be
run 24 hours per day, the 8 horsepower could be compared to running a 1 horsepower
motor for roughly 8 hours or a ½ horsepower motor for 16 hours, etc. This rough
calculation does not figure efficiency losses but is intended to illustrate that a small 5-
meter air lift turbine can provide useful energy where there was none before. At the 10
cfs output of the compressor the 5-meter air lift could produce roughly 4,800 cf of
compressed air, enough to run an air-powered speed saw (5 cfm) for over 15 hours per
day.

If the turbine rotor diameter doubled, you would obtain eight times as much energy (the
law of the cube) so a 10-meter turbine could provide roughly 2.5 horsepower per hour.

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 13 of 21
How does producing this much energy make it safer, easier and better for a person in a
developing area? First off, the turbine installation does not require a lot of effort for
siting when compared to a wind electric system that needs to capture as much energy as
possible from the wind. The tower for an air lift turbine can be lower to the ground thus
lowering installation and repair efforts.

The most significant aspect is that the individual is dealing with compressed air and not
electricity. There would be no batteries, inverters or other electronic controls that are
dangerous to the inexperienced and untrained. With air, the main concept is to keep the
compressed air contained. The main training effort would be to check for and eliminate
air leaks.

Wait a minute, hold on you say. What can an individual do with compressed?
Compressed air lines can be easily run as there is no polarity to watch for and nor is there
a need to be concerned for shorts or connections to ground. An airline can be rigid pipe
or flexible plastic tubing.

What about storage? Compressed is easily and safely stored in rubber, steel or other
cylinders. Again, the worst that could happen is the air leaks out or the cylinder bursts.
There are no chances of electrocutions or electrical fires. Storage tanks are currently
readily available in all shapes and sizes.

Figure 9 - Example of an Air Storage Tank

However, you ask, “What can I run with compressed air?” All kinds of things can be run
with low-pressure compressed air. Below I have compiled a few tools that are currently
run by compressed air. I envision that a whole series of household appliances can be
adapter from these tools for household use. Picture the air drill below being converted to
a household mixer/blender. All of these devices can be used in a home or business.

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Figure 10 - Air Operated Impact Wrench

Figure 11 - Air Operated Hammer Impact

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 15 of 21
Figure 12 - Air Operated Drill

Figure 13 - Air Operated Pistol Grip Drill

Figure 14- Air Caulking Gun

Figure 15 - Air Shears


Source for figures 10-15: http://www.mountaintool.com.tw/ accessed on March 14, 2009

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 16 of 21
The use of compressed air is safer, easier to install and maintain and to understand for a
developing area. Many currently available air tools can be used as-is or converted into
household appliances.

Wait, what about driving motors or producing the electricity needed for those appliances
that cannot be run from compressed air. In 2004, an inventor named Angelo Di Pietro
perfected a rotary piston engine. The significance of this engine is that it runs on
compressed air. Di Pietro has adapted a golf cart to run off his engine using only 1 PSI of
pressure and this cart can run for about 16 kilometers on a 100-liter cylinder of
compressed air.g Di Pietro has adapted carts, scooters and a boat to run off his
compressed air motor. Therefore, if there is a need to drive a motor of any kind, be it an
electrical generator or a lathe, the Di Pietro rotary piston air motor is a possibility.

The last aspect of a complete non-electric compressed air system would be to provide
heating and cooling using compressed air. For many years, an interesting air technology
has been used to provide either heating or cooling from compressed air. This technology
is based on the vortex tube invented in 1930 by a Frenchman Georges Ranque.h

There are many companies around the world making vortex tube heating or cooling
devices. Compressed air is injected into a vortex tube that creates a mini-tornado within
the tube separating the compressed air into two streams – one hot and one cold.
Compressed air coming into the vortex tube at 70 degrees Fahrenheit ( 21 degrees
Celsius) comes out either as super cold air at -30 degrees Fahrenheit (-34 degrees
Celsius) or as heated air at 170 degrees Fahrenheit (76 degrees Celsius). So appliances
can be made to heat or cool rooms, food, or people using the vortex tube technology and
compressed air. Below are pictures of various vortex tube devices.

Figure 16 - Air Operated Vortex Tube Devices for Heating or Cooling


Source: http://www.newmantools.com/vortex.htm accessed on March 14, 2009

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 17 of 21
Discussion
This paper has outlined how a windpowered air compressor can be used to convert the
energy in the wind into useful energy. Useful energy that can be used for tools and for
heating or cooling. Current airlift wind pumps exist that can power air tools and other air
motors that would be useful in developing areas.

The use of a low drag turbine such as outlined in this paper are easier to install as they do
not need to be installed as high as possible. Their basic design allows the turbine to be
installed at most any location. While a properly sited turbine will always perform better,
the windpower air compressor is designed for a harsher environment. The turbines do
not have complicated electronic controls or features that some wind electric systems.
This style of wind turbine has been actively produced for over a hundred years and some
of those turbines are still around and working. Durability and long-life is a feature of the
modern turbine that produces compressed air. Air compressor have also been around for
almost as long a period and are designed for long-life and harsh environments.

The use of compressed air at low pressures is safer than electricity. It is safer because it
does not involve batteries that could explode, sophisticated control devices that need
adjustment or repair, invertors or other charge controllers that may need adjustment or
repair. If the compressed air tank leaks, find the leak and seal it. This is a fairly
straightforward and easy to understand. The repair parts are not complicated electronic
parts; they are plumbers tape or a wrench to tighten a loose fitting.

The technology to transfer compressed air from one spot to another for use is again,
straightforward and simple to install, operate and maintain. The technology is a pipe or
piece of tubing rated sufficiently to handle the sir pressure involved. These turbines do
not use high-pressure air. Recall the Di Pietro air motor that uses 1 psi of air pressure. A
good garden hose or air hose is sufficient to handle this pressure.

Is there a danger of electrocution or fire from using compressed air – No. The worst
problem that could occur is that you lose your air. Rather than have the local people
worry if they had the correct cables wired and sized properly, you would have a single
airline with a valve that turns the air on or off when needed. Again, to fix a leaking
airline requires tape or tightening not an electrical engineering degree.

Would the parts be available to a local area in the future? It is my belief that the use of
windpowered compressed air technology is simpler and cheaper to use when compared to
a wind electric system of any size. Air hoses, clamps and tape will suffice with
compressed air while a battery, tape, proper wire in the correct size, disconnects and
fuses may be hard to acquire in developing areas. Compressed air is a simpler
technology – easy and safer to use, easier to understand and operate, easier and safer to
maintain.

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 18 of 21
Conclusion
The use of wind power to assist developing areas around the world is essential to the
future of both the developing area and to the world at large. The use of wind electric
systems in developing areas is an example of over reaction of an industrialized world to
solve the problems of the lesser fortunate. This paper addressed the difficulty in siting
wind electric systems, the complex systems using advance electronics and technology
which the developing areas are not yet capable of installing, operating or maintaining.
This paper outlined an old technology with a modern twist – the use of non-electric
windpower to produce compressed air. The use of compresses air has been around for
over a hundred years and can provide the same or better comforts and basic needs for a
developing area with a safer, easier to install, operate and maintain technology.

Modern windmills are available to produce compressed air that can be used to heat, cool,
and even to fuel our vehicles. Compressed air is safer than electricity and easier to
understand.

The answer for our developing areas is indeed blowing in the wind and by capturing the
wind and using it in the form of compressed air, we are providing a zero emission,
sustainable, renewable resource to the world.

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Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 19 of 21
References
Balla, P. (2004). Potential Contribution of Non-Electrical Renewable Energy
Technologies (RETs) in Poverty reduction in Kenya. AFREPREN/FWD
Secretariat, Nairobi.
Harries, M. (2002). ‘Disseminating Wind Pumps in Rural Kenya – Meeting Rural Water
Needs Using Locally Manufactured Wind Pumps’, Energy Policy, Vol. 30
Numbers 11-12. Special Issue – Africa: Improving Modern Energy Services for
the Poor. Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Ltd
Harries, M. and Pallister, T. (1999). ‘Kijito Wind Pumps – A Trademark Developed
from a Farming Background’, Solarnet Vol.1, No.1 January – April 1999. P14-16.
Nairobi, Solar Energy Network
IGAD (2004). ‘IGAD Energy Profiles: International comparisons of pumps found in the
international markets’. Accessed on March 14, 2009
http://igadrhep.energyprojects.net/
ITDG (2004). ‘Wind Pumping: Technical Brief’,
www.itdg.org/html/technical_enquiries/docs/windpumps.pdf accessed on March
14, 2009. Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG)

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Informational Websites
http://www.windmills.net/

http://www.malibuwater.com/Windmills.html

http://www.windmill.com/

http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/

http://www.afrepren.org/about.htm - Energy, Environment and Development Network


for Africa (AFREPREN/FWD)

http://igadrhep.energyprojects.net/ - IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on


Development) is a regional development organization in Eastern Africa.

http://www.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/AirliftPumps.pdf

http://www.airliftech.com/airlift1.pdf - air lift windmill

http://www.mountaintool.com.tw/ - air tools

http://www.engineair.com.au/index.htm - rotary piston air motor

http://www.newmantools.com/vortex.htm#vortex - vortex tube technology for heating or


cooling

Endnotes
a
“The Potential Contribution of Non-Electrical Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) to Poverty
Reduction in East Africa”, 2005, Energy, Environment and Development Network for Africa
(AFREPREN/FWD)
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http://www.ironmanwindmill.com/windmill%20history.htm accessed on March 14, 2009
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“The Potential Contriution of Non-Electrical Renewable Energy Technologies (RETs) to Poverty
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http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4610510_air-compressor-work.html, accessed on March 20, 2009
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http://www.jennycompressor.com/howtochoose.html, accessed on March 20, 2009
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http://www.airliftech.com/airlift1.pdf accessed on March 14, 2009

g
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h
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A Sustainable, Safer, Easier Alternative to Wind Electric


Matt Overeem, Gotland University
March 2009 Page 21 of 21

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