A new prototype of wind generator will be installed in the Concordia area. The developer expects a common semi-truck to deliver all the parts needed for construction. The tower depends on hydraulics and cables and can be lowered to the ground for assembly and repair.
Earlier this week Russell Gagnon, a reporter for Concordia's Blade-Empire newspaper wrote a story about one of the wind turbines located in Cloud County. That turbine is far from a run-of-the-mill turbine like we see being transported through Jewell County on Highway 36. We found his story interesting and trust you will enjoy this condensed version. If you want to read the entire story, check out the Blade-Empire's website or obtain a copy of the paper in which the full story was published (www.bladeempire.com/news).
His story follows:
It's been a familiar sight for those traveling south of Concordia on Highway 81: about seven miles from town a unique-looking, massive wind turbine is down on the ground.
A component failure in the wind turbine – a second-generation prototype – resulted in it being brought to the ground for repairs. Unlike standard wind turbines which are assembled and lifted into place using a massive crane, this turbine has its own built-in hydraulic system that allows it to be raised and lowered.
"It's a second-generation turbine, but the first prototype of this design with the little blades," said Debbie O'Hara, the chief marketing officer of BarberWind Turbines, LLC, based in Greenville, South Carolina. "There was a component failure on a part that was not manufactured in Kansas. That's been re-engineered, and we've now completed 100 percent of manufacturing and 95 percent of construction."
A work crew has been working on the blades and resizing the cables, and hope to have the work completed within the next month. O'Hara said the testing of the blades was done at a wind tunnel in Lawrence, Kansas. The last step will be to restore the electrical service needed to run the software.
The BarberWind turbine is the brainchild of Gerald "Jerry" Barber. Degreed in physics and chemistry, at the age of 25 he became the youngest high school principal in the state of Ohio. Barber left the academic world to start, own, and operate the second-largest amusement ride manufacturing company in the United States for 18 years. During this time Barber received 38 U.S. patents, twenty-two of which were produced commercially. In addition to amusement rides, his patents cover a variety of fields from military to child safety. His most widely known patent - the "Free Fall" amusement ride - can be found in almost every amusement park and large carnival worldwide.
Barber became interested in renewable wind energy 10 years ago when he learned current wind turbine design incorporates a large gearbox in the nacelle at the center of the blades. Barber understood that a large gearbox would always break down, so he began developing new technology for wind energy with a focus on eliminating every costly element and every maintenance-ridden feature of current technology.
Barber created the BarberWind 800kW, a rim and tire-driven turbine. The turbine has 64 spokes (cables), and each spoke has 20, 5-foot by 8-inch blades. The 1,280 blades individually pitch automatically to customize the twist for current wind conditions. The turbine utilizes tire-driven technology borrowed from Ferris Wheel technology to harvest energy from the rim rather than the hub. As the rim spins, it turns the tires on the generator platform, and when the tires turn, they power the generator. The turbine does not have a gearbox. A gearbox costs upwards of $400,000 to purchase and requires heavy specialized maintenance. Hot oil and cooling fans housed inside the nacelle need to be refurbished or replaced every 5 to10 years at a cost of up to $300,000. This drives up insurance costs because fire inside the nacelle is one of the leading risks and costs of current turbines.
We've all seen the extended semi trucks towing massive sections of a standard wind turbine. The BarberWind turbine ships in standard 40-foot containers anywhere in the world.
In the upright position, the turbine can withstand winds up to 135 mph. In its lowered position, it can withstand a Category 5 hurricane up to 155 mph.
Lee Barber, the son of the man who designed the turbine, is in Concordia supervising the final stage of construction. "This is a second-generation prototype, so we're kind of writing some of the user's manual as we go," he said.
O'Hara said the company has orders for the revolutionary turbine worldwide. And they are proud the prototype is being tested in north central Kansas. "We love being in Concordia," she said. "We plan on being up and running in two or three months, and we're going to have a little party. We want people to come out and visit the site."
The full story is available at: https://www.bladeempire.com/news>
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