Production of electricity by wind power 🌍

PRODUCTION OF ELECTRICITY BY WIND-POWER.

AT the last meeting for the session of the Philosophical Society of Glasgow, Professor Blyth described a practical experiment which he made last summer in the application of wind-power to the production and storage of electricity. As far as he knew, the first suggested application of wind power to the production of electricity was by Sir William Thomson at the York meeting of the British Association, although no doubt the idea was in the minds of many people before then. During last summer he (Professor Blyth) had an opportunity of making a practical experiment. He erected a small windmill for supplying electric, light by means of storage cells to a small cottage in the village of Marykirk, where he spent his summer holiday. The windmill was of the old English type, and was erected in the garden. The tower consisted of a wooden tripod firmly fixed in the ground, and strongly braced together by bars of wood. The wind-shaft stood about 33 feet above the ground, and carried four sail-arms at right angles to each other, each being about 13 feet long. The dynamo, an old form of Burgin, was driven directly from the fly-wheel by means of a rope, and a workable speed was attained even when the windmill moved at a comparatively slow speed. The current from the dynamo was employed to charge twelve electric power storage cells, which supplied the incandescent lamps in the cottage. As yet he had only used at one time ten 8 candle-power 25-volt lamps, but he found that storage for more could be quite easily obtained. One day, when a good breeze was blowing, he stored as much in half a day as gave light for four evenings of about three or four hours each. As yet, however, he had not had time or opportunity to test fully the capabilities of his arrangement. For one thing he required a more suitable dynamo, and a much greater storage capacity, so as to take advantage of all the wind blowing, and, when this was dose, he had no doubt whatever regarding the complete success of his experiment. While charging the current passed through a cut-out arrangement which immediately disconnected the cell from the charging circuit when the dynamo ran below a certain speed. In this way the windmill could be allowed to run day and night, as it would only store when a certain speed was attained, and the cells were effectually prevented from discharging themselves through the dynamo even should it stop. On several occasions he had used the stored electricity to drive a small turning-lathe, and he had begun to make a light form of carriage to be driven by the same. He preferred wind power to water, because the latter was usually tied up. The landlords had not yet claimed a right over the wind, although a place that had a good draught might come to have a money value.