Industrial Design Forum

Anyone know what they hope to do yet? Post ideas in this thread to clarify....


I'm looking at distributed small-scale generators. The idea is that a group of houses share the capital cost and maintenance of a small wind turbine in an optimal position. This feeds electricity to the grid utilities (and unfortunately currently doesn't receive a standardised price in NZ- this should improve soon....), who then distribute it normally. The houses continue to receive power bills from their conventional utilities but pay them off using the profit gained via their shared generator.

The beauty of the system is that the generators are not directly fed into their owners houses, so must only provide a given average of capacity per month. The grid will act as a buffer to supply/demand.

It obviously takes years to actually pay off the overheads (although sponsorship and subsidies are possible), but these loan repayments would in essence replace power bills -The scheme would provide a monthly income able to offset both the turbine maintenance and conventional power bill. More important would be the qualitative benefits, the knowledge that one is providing the grid with as much renewable energy as is being consumed. And of course if the owners move house, they still have their own generators- so paying off the investment and receiving the benefits thereof can continue regardless of home ownership.

I'd also like to really consider the relationship of the wind turbine to the landscape, think about kinetic sculpture etc.

uhhh.. sorry for being longwinded (heh)

Could be an interesting idea. As a starting point i tihn kit was billy who did some research into wind turbine's for researhc methods, he'd be the man to talk to.

as farr as ideas for major....... not realy worried at this point.
I mean Lyn was saying a few weeks ago that when searching for ideas for major to just be on the look out for porblems. so yeah

sounds good nick it'll be a challenging project, lots to do, but looks like u have a really good understanding of the situation

u might want to be carefull that u don't know to much about it and end up having tunnel vision through the resaecrh phase.

anyway goodluck to u's all and make sure u have fun. its easyer that way

Great subject Nick with major relevants at moment. As Ed says the research phase is used to thrash out ideas such as the one you have and this might be one of many under that subject. good stuff though.

hey had an idea a while back. how about architectural attachement or appendages that have the ability to create energy through the use of mini generators. such as a line up of mini wind turbines along the ridgeline of a roof no bigger than 100m high.
I guess it would all come down to cost and efficiency of small generators

The Parlimentary Commission for the Environment published a report on microgeneration potential in NZ last month, a parallel to my own literature review. It suggests that standalone small wind as above is not feasible where grid connection is assured (I postulated comparative costs, but moral superiority). However, the report finds favour in roof-mounted wind turbines of 1 - 1.5kw capacity, as a private relief on grid reliance.

I've changed tack a bit, approaching low impact housing from an Industrial deisgn perspective. So yeah, the above is just one aspect I could look at.

There was this, Myles: http://inhabitat.com/2006/12/11/new-gree...-building/

It sounds like your well on the way Nick. Good stuff.

Yo, It ant long now until we are into it. How are people going on with getting ideas? Any of you Grad's got random ideas? & whats the story with Jeff does anyone know if he's gonna be around this year?

Aye what

hooowwwwwwzit

i dont have any really strong ideas to bring to the table (yet that is).

i did have this idea of a sleeping pod thing that u could have in the work place or where ever . have a power nap to improve productivity etc...

but then last night i saw the exact fucken thing on 3 news nightline.....damit

Hey Team,

Thought you would be keen to check this link out http://www.productdesignforums.com/index...=3902&st=0 - on major project topic choices !! haven't read it all but from what I have, it would have made a big difference to me last year. Also try this http://www.productdesignforums.com/Top-T...t1627.html - some links to the best discussions threads from productdesignforums. Should be good for stimulating some ideas from.

Keep us uptodate with your progress.

H

Cheers Hayden- I guess the idea is to identfy potential in a problem , rather than make a better version of a current solution.

Went up north last week, Omaha has been developed to the point where the area behind the dunes is almost covered in nouveau-riche McMansion-Bach sprawl. Complete with fully tarsealed street networks and overdone lighting etc. It was also almost deserted, being the off season- so I was thinking about expanding into summer accomodation, and how to avoid such an inappropriate impact on the landscape. I suppose that is another problem idea for the moment then.

One thought was river vehicles with ultra-low draft (I think Dave was talking about something similar in the sustainability thread) which are like house boats, and hang around in the coastal estuaries/rivers instead. You could shelter them somewhere in the off-season, or even sail them closer to home. Perhaps have a land-based waste managment point. They'd be a bit smaller than baches, but self-powered and could be quite customisable and more comfortable than traditional houseboats- built to a lower cost with a simple boxy structure like moular housing. You could maybe freight them to an initial general location on a rail/road flatbed from the factory, then cruise around inlets/coastal areas using wind power. Could be cool to interlock them with others somehow, to make up little flotillas of semi-permanent artificial reefs. I want to be quite conceptual with this but make it possible from an engineering standpoint. And avoid the tendancy to speak out of my fundamental orifice :-P