Trinity Ecopower LLC

Trinity has expanded somewhat...
The economic state of the area makes the renewable energy system something of a luxury, so I have added a studio to the capital generation.
Having been an artist of sorts my entire life, I have decided to put some attention into the laser engraving and etching side of things.
I'll be setting up small "displays" here and there throughout town where I am on personal acquaintances of many of the business owners. Just to generate a little interest in the capabilities of what my laser studio has.
Aiming somewhat in the direction of the tourism industry that actually has a lot of exposure, maybe some tourist trinkets are in the future...
Here is one of my etched mirrors I made a year or so ago.

After a couple of burn-outs on the big wind turbine, I have had it in limp mode for about 15 months as I figured a way to let it run without over-doing it.

It seems I have found a solution with my current limiting modifications in the control system that will allow full power operation without pushing the capacity in high winds.

So the rotor is back on the 6 blade configuration and this has increased the usable power output due to lower wind speed cut-in.

When it had only three blades, it required 15 to 20 MPH winds to start turning. That has been reduced to under 10 MPH and the operating torque from the wind is also doubled. Max speed has not changed, the blades self-limit at around 1200 RPM, well within the safe limits of the alternator and structure.

While I had it lowered for service, I also added a slip ring module so the power cable is no longer subjected to the twisting that occurs here as the winds change direction throughout the day. Slip rings are a standard on the product line, I just haven't used them on the prototypes before. I wonder why I waited so long?

The small turbine that is in testing for the backpack system will be getting a slip ring module soon as well.

Well... It certainly has been a minute or two since my last update.

Life kinda gets in the way of these projects at times and another costly curve ball came a week ago that set me back on development. There was supposed to be a major battery upgrade to my system here as the three group 27's seem to not be holding up very well. Granted, they are cycled at least once a day, and the cycling adds up over time but they really should still maintain the minimal draw I have at night for at least a couple of days. Lately, from what appears to be a full charge, they last maybe 6 hours. Unacceptable.

My plan was to get a couple of Trojan L16's, which together in 12 volt configuration would provide 400 AH, as compared to the 300 AH I am supposed to have with the 27's. I'll be making the change eventually, but after I get the back window of my truck replaced.

As for the development of the portable system: the back pack wind turbine is coming together well. I may have to tweak the gearing on the generator side of things, as the new safer turbine is a vertical shaft type and it rotates much more slowly. So there needs to be gearing to increase the generator RPM to be useful. The advantage is that the horizontal plane allows for much higher torque at lower speeds.

At the same time, I am also developing a sun tracker for the bigger solar arrays. A lot of that was delayed because I lost my welding generator last spring and all welding projects came to a sudden halt. It has been replaced just a couple of weeks ago and I am getting set up to continue with these projects.

More to come...

Still here folks... Looking forward to this summer. Current plans are to get things moving again and rolling out the new "backpack" design. I have the bugs worked out and am just digging up suppliers for the materials.

Complete "backpack" systems, include a 50W solar panel, 100W wind turbine. A 250 W inverter with USB output as well. A 75 AH battery and all of the necessary hardware to put it all together in one plug and play backpack sized system*, light enough to carry almost anywhere.

*When in transport, not in use

Odd... I know I had posted an update a short time back. it seems to have disappeared.

This winter is a harsh test on the power storage capacity on the prototype system. Not a lot of wind this year and the Sun is obscured much of the time, not to mention only shining for about 9 hours a day right now. I have the generator run a few hours a day to cook and clean, so it also runs a charger for the batteries. They still hold me over through the nights but the colder temperatures really limits their stand-by time. It may come to needing to put them inside the cabin somewhere, but I have not yet decided where and how, to minimize the amount of space the system would take up. Currently, I am leaning toward the space by the water tank. I'll have to put it on wheels to move it out for servicing, but it is at least an option.