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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Electrical Questions >> Connecting turbines to the grid... https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1319548275 Message started by Joiner on Oct 25^th, 2011, 2:11pm

Title: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Oct 25^th, 2011, 2:11pm

Two turbines, "maximum output" 1.5MW.

Could poles be used to carry the wires the 2 Km to the grid?

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by wozzy on Oct 25^th, 2011, 7:13pm

cant see why not!

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Oct 25^th, 2011, 7:30pm

That's what I was afraid of! :(

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Lectrician on Oct 25^th, 2011, 7:32pm

It will be in the planning app! Usually they will be forced to place them underground, certainly all the ones our way have had this as a clause.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by CWatters on Oct 25^th, 2011, 10:57pm

They would probably prefer poles/pylons as they are cheaper and the losses are less than for underground cables.

There will also be small buildings for transformers/substation. Possibly also a permanant monitoring mast.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Lectrician on Oct 26^th, 2011, 7:19am

Modern Turbines these days, certainly of that size, will have the inverter and TX in the base of the actually turbine. If there are an array of Turbines there will be a building somewhere to marshall them all (or their groups), meter it and export it. Often TXing upto 132kVA if you had several MW generated.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Oct 26^th, 2011, 7:51am

From the Scoping Brief it appears there will be just the one "sub-station" of 50 sq.m stated dimensions.

The line will cross three roads (two B-roads, one A-road), so doubt they'll go to the cost of burying it.

At the moment it's just the pp for the anemometry.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Lectrician on Oct 26^th, 2011, 11:28am

We have just had 22 turbines errected here - Just one substation, all cables trenched from turbines to substation under the temporary roads which were built to build the turbines.

The 132,000 volt cable from the substation to the grid was moled in, and very impressively done. It is moled under a large hill and below a dual carriageway where they dug a huge pit in a field to change direction, here it is moled under a load of fields to an old railway line (now a cyle track). It is trenched up this cycle track, and then goes inside a large modern bridge, down the other side, trenched a hundred metre or so, and back down to be moled under a huge roundabout, a river, and a link road, emerging again in a field to turn 90 degrees and moled under a link road and up into the bulk intake point. Must have cost a fortune!

http://www.devonwindpower.co.uk/fullabrook-wind-farm

[gallery]Lectrician/1307823978.jpg[/gallery]
[gallery]Lectrician/1304286693.jpg[/gallery]
[gallery]Lectrician/1304280849.jpg[/gallery]

RED - MOLED
GREEN - TRENCHED

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Oct 26^th, 2011, 11:48am

Thanks for the link, Lec. It was very useful. :-/

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by CWatters on Oct 31^st, 2011, 12:01pm

http://www.thisiswesternmorningnews.co.uk/mind-panorama-ndash-listen-turbines-noise/story-13697583-detail/story.html

Extracts..

Quote:

Never mind the panorama – listen to the turbines' noise

Plans for a giant wind-farm in North Devon always inspired blot-on-the-landscape style concerns, says environment journalist Martin Hesp – but now all 22 turbines at Fullabrook have been erected and tested it’s the problem of noise that is causing a nightmare for some local residents.

Quote:

Sue Pike's bungalow is just 600 metres from one of the 110-metre turbines at the new wind-farm and she says: "It is dreadful – the main sound is like a huge great cement mixer going around – then you get the loud whoosh and also whistles and hums.

Quote:

Local MP Nick Harvey is so concerned over noise complaints that he recently added a special online survey to his official website.

"This was launched three weeks ago after Nick visited residents up at Putsford who have been complaining about noise problems, vibration, loss of TV reception, flicker etc, now that the farm is almost completely operational," said Mr Harvey's press officer, Anthony Tucker-Jones.

He added that North Devon Council's Environmental Health Department was about to conduct site analysis at five locations in response to residents' concerns.

The results of Mr Harvey's online survey will be collated soon, but the site is still getting about two returns a day and his office says the response has been huge.

Quote:

..it was made clear at the public inquiry that the turbines would breach the accepted noise guidelines and now that the turbines are operating the local people are reporting problems, especially at night when it appears that the classic 'swish and thump' of 'amplitude modulation' is preventing some of them from sleeping with their bedroom windows open.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by TIMBA-WOLF on Oct 31^st, 2011, 4:58pm

Joiner wrote on Oct 25^th, 2011, 2:11pm:

Could poles be used to carry the wires the 2 Km to the grid?

Latvians are stronger dear chap......LOL! ;D ;D

and these things are never going to be a financial boon.... if fact they are a money pit!!!!!!!!!!

(and that comes from a guy , where one of his many companies makes the damned things.)

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Lectrician on Oct 31^st, 2011, 6:08pm

We are low enough not to see these turbines, but we do often walk up amongst them as we have done for many years prior to them being built.

In my opinion they are mechanically silent (no humm, no cement mixer type noise etc) but do make a very noticeable "swish, swish swish" noise we carries pretty far! The shadow flicker is also very noticeable when walking and driving around the country lanes, quite un-nerving when driving through it, the shadows running down the road can be a little dis-orientating at first!

It will be interesting to see what happens with regards these compaints!

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by big_all on Oct 31^st, 2011, 7:25pm

did you watch wind farm wars ??
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00zn463

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Nov 1^st, 2011, 7:37am

Wish to hell it was still available to watch because it was essential viewing for anyone faced with such a development - not least to show just how nasty the developers can get if anyone gets in their way because they're on Jihad. Crack-head greenies off their heads with self-righteousness.

The people whose lives they destroy are considered nothing more than collateral damage. >:( >:( >:( >:(

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by CWatters on Nov 1^st, 2011, 8:43am

Quote:

the shadows running down the road can be a little dis-orientating at first

Try it on hoeseback.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by big_all on Nov 1^st, 2011, 11:14am

i watched an episode i recorded on bb3 or4 about 3am lol recently
i have seen all the episodes and this was the first or second it obviously wasnt last week otherwise it would be avalable

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by CWatters on Nov 1^st, 2011, 11:52am

I think I still have most episodes recorded on my Foxsat box but haven't investigated how to get them out of that yet. I think it's easy if i can find a USB drive and if they aren't HD.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Lectrician on Nov 1^st, 2011, 3:34pm

Joiner wrote on Nov 1^st, 2011, 7:37am:

I watched the series and can remember one woman cosultant saying to the group of concerned residents something similar to:

"So you think wind power is good, but don't want it on your door step.
You think we need to find somewhere where it will cause minimal
disruption to people and their homes, and affect as few people as
possible?" She pauses.......... "I think we have found it".

I was kind of on the fence up until that point!

In her way of thinking, a hamlet of a dozen people upset is better than putting them in a town where a dozen thousand could be upset!

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Nov 1^st, 2011, 4:52pm

That would have been the infamous Rachel Ruffle, the scheme project manager at the time. The last episode showed her in her true colours.

Al, you've got me trawling through the TV listings now, just in case.

Colin, if you do manage to get them off, would you be prepared to burn them onto CDs for me? I'd send a load down to you if you PM your address.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by big_all on Nov 1^st, 2011, 8:51pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/2011/05/windfarm-wars.shtml

looks like i recorded it on the the fifth of october and watched it about a week later ::)
"Sorry, this programme is not available to watch again . (why?)

Last broadcast on Wed, 5 Oct 2011, 03:25 on BBC One (see all "

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Nov 1^st, 2011, 9:02pm

For a short while it was available on one of those web sites that re-broadcast other people's programmes. I watched the first one, phoned around and told a load of people where to find it and when they looked it had been taken off. Probably copyright issues. Real shame.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by big_all on Nov 2^nd, 2011, 12:49am

Joiner wrote on Nov 1^st, 2011, 9:02pm:

its bound to appear as a repeat within the next 6 months as most programs do ::) ::) ;D

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Lectrician on Nov 2^nd, 2011, 7:13am

Yea, keep an eye on the BBC's other channels during the night!

Oddly though, when doing repeats, they often do not put the series up (like one a week or something), they just play a random episode!

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by CWatters on Nov 2^nd, 2011, 7:36am

Joiner wrote on Nov 1^st, 2011, 4:52pm:

Colin, if you do manage to get them off, would you be prepared to burn them onto CDs for me? I'd send a load down to you if you PM your address.

Will try and give it a go at the weekend. I probably have some blank discs somewhere.

I've read that the Foxsat records them in a strange file format (.ts?) but that the VLC Player can play them.

Title: Re: Connecting turbines to the grid...
Post by Joiner on Nov 2^nd, 2011, 9:58am

Good man. Already have VLC downloaded to play a CD of an excellent film Londonman sent me about Spitfires, well, Alex Henshaw actually, but he is 'Mr Spitfire'.