Dear Gene, You may be interested in a device that I borrowed from a friend, a yachtsman, to calibrate my windsock.
It is called the 'Silva Windwatch' and it measures transient and maximum (gust) wind speeds in km/h, m/s, mph, beauf, and kts. You will be pleased to know that I successfully calibrated my windsock in m/s and then in km/h. You will be less than pleased to know that I remember the calibration in km/h because the numbers were simpler without any decimal fractions. I left the other units well alone: millipicohours, beautifuls, and kilotonne-seconds are not my bag! I don't know the prices of the Silva Windwatch, but they have a web address at http://www.silva.se Cheers, Pat Naughtin CAMS Geelong, Australia on 2002-08-04 09.54, Gene Mechtly at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Yesterday, I bought a 24 volt, wind turbine from the Bergey Windpower > Company of Norman, Oklahoma. It is Model XL.1 which generates electrical > energy at a maximum rate of 1200 joules per second at optimum wind speeds > between about 12 m/s and 14 m/s. > > A factor in my selection of a Bergey XL.1 was the design specifications > and performance measurements in SI units. > > I explained this selection factor to the Bergey Company by writing: ... > > "Another factor was the superior quality of Bergey Web pages, including > use of SI (metric) units of measurement and SI symbols in *first* place. > My compliments to the Bergey engineering staff for designing in SI units, > the standard measurement language of world markets." > > More complete specifications for the XL.1 in round SI units *first* (some > *only* in SI units), are posted at <www.bergey.com>. > > I plan to use the turbine and solar PV cells to charge a 24 volt lead-acid > battery (four Trojan golf cart batteries) which will feed a Trace 4000 watt > inverter for selling surplus energy at 230 volts ac to the Eastern Illini > Electric Cooperative. The co-ops' meter will then run in reverse when our > grid load is small and there is strong wind or sunshine or both. > > The opportunity for alternative energy generation and sale to utility > companies is now required by law in many States, and is (was) in > conference committee as a possible Federal law for all 50 States. > > Was this provision passed by Congress late this week? I don't yet know. > > Fast track authority for foreign trade deals *was* approved to the delight > of President Bush. I hope this will make it easier for the DoC to "lock > in" requirements for SI in trade agreements unobstructed by opponents. > > Gene. >
