VAWTPower Management, Inc.

Turbine in Winter

2012-01-04T14:45:00.000-07:00

Clines Corners Turbine Running with Anemometer Pole in the Foreground ....

Severe winter weather presents challenges for mechanical equipment and wind turbines are no exception. Much of the Great Plains in the central U.S. is having a cold and snowy winter. Our 60 kW turbine will need a transmission oil heater to operate when the temperature drops. We expect to have the new heating equipment installed in the next few weeks.

Turbine Before The Squall

2010-07-23T14:45:00.010-06:00

The prototype VMI VP100 vertical axis turbine generating three-phase 480 volt electricity from the approaching July storm on the western edge of the Great Plains in Clines Corners, New Mexico, USA. The eighty-three foot tall turbine is running better than ever with recent improvements including a strengthened top bearing assembly, an automatic brake wear monitoring system, and control software refinements.

Video: VP100 Wind Turbine at Full Power

2009-11-25T20:56:00.009-07:00

VAWT Paper To Be Presented at International Modal Analysis Conference

2009-11-02T14:36:00.011-07:00

The VMI Clines Corners, NM 60 kW wind turbine is the subject of a scientific paper written by D. Todd Griffith, Randy L. Mayes, and Patrick L. Hunter of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque. The paper, “Excitation Methods for a 60 kW Vertical Axis Wind Turbine,” will be presented at the 2010 International Modal Analysis Conference in Jacksonville, FL in February. (See IMAC link.)

Field-testing to validate the predicted vibration characteristics of the Clines Corner turbine was completed this past summer and provided the basis for the paper. Sandia Labs research on vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) in the 1990s laid the methodological groundwork for the current work.

Resonant vibration behavior is one of the drivers in the design of wind turbine structures. Wind turbines are the largest rotating structures in the world, and resonant conditions can exist near the operating speed and at its multiples. Finite element models, which include the rotational effects, can be used to evaluate resonance; however, especially for new designs field modal tests are necessary for validation. In this work, a field modal test was performed to assess a potential resonant condition identified from finite element analysis. The primary objective of these tests was measurement of the frequency of the tower bending modes.

The current research by Sandia Labs supports the VMI wind turbine technical development under the New Mexico Small Business Assistance Program.

Top: Computer generated Mode Shape Plot for First Tower Bending Mode of the VMI 60 kW Turbine.

Bottom: Field Modal Testing Team: Jim Mackenzie, Jerry Berglund; VMI. Todd Griffith, Randy Mayers, Patrick Hunter; SNL.

VMI To Host Booth at RENEW 09 Conference

2009-06-19T09:33:00.003-06:00

June 23 – 24 VMI will host a booth at RENEW 09 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. RENEW 09: Empowering the Land is the only conference of its kind in the nation specifically designed to match landowners, ranchers, and developers with industry leaders in the rapidly emerging, renewable energy sector. RENEW 09 is designed to be a “nuts & bolts” conference that is packed with “actionable” information on how you can best capture wind, sun and other alternative energy sources to reap an economic return.

For more information about the conference go to www.empoweringtheland.com

Sandia National Lab Testing

2009-06-19T08:35:00.005-06:00

Sandia National Lab scientist, Todd Griffith, strikes the turbine tower with an instrumented sledgehammer to excite structural vibrations for analysis.

Sandia National Lab Tests Turbine

2009-06-19T08:27:00.004-06:00

Sandia National Laboratories Analytical Structural Dynamics Department has completed two days of on-site testing and data gathering at the Clines Corners turbine site. The tests looked at the vibration characteristics of the turbine and how they compare with those predicted by their computer modeling. The accuracy of the computer modeling is critical to the design of the next generation beta VP100.

Lab personal attached accelerometers and strain gauges with glue and magnets to the turbine. Striking, pulling or rotating then vibrated the turbine structure. The resulting vibrations were recorded by the Lab’s portable data acquisition system for analysis.

Preliminary results of this week's testing confirm the accuracy of new turbine design modeling. Design of the beta turbine is largely complete.

VMI Seeks Venture Funding at Symposium

2009-03-19T15:16:00.008-06:00

VMI is to present at the 16th annual Technology Ventures Equity Capital Symposium on May 6-7 in Albuquerque. Hosted by the Technology Ventures Corp., the forum gives investors nationwide and abroad an opportunity to invest in companies commercializing cutting-edge technologies. VMI will get 10 minutes on stage to present its case and will also host a booth.

VMI is seeking $2.5 million over the next two years to finance commercializing the VP100 series of turbines.

This year's 15 presenters were selected from a pool of 52 applicants and include nine companies from New Mexico. They are working with TVC project managers and teams of advisers to develop their business plans and package their funding proposals.

More information about the symposium can be found at www.techventures.org or at http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?e=038dbf5d-5e26-4279-b8ac-63637c3fcf3c

Clines Corners Turbine Development Continues

2008-11-25T10:31:00.007-07:00

Up-grades to the VMI Clines Corners 60 kW prototype wind turbine have been installed and are undergoing testing. The upgrades include refinements to the blade attachment system, lengthening of the top torque tube, changes in the brakes, control software improvements and strengthening the lightning protection.

Initial indications are that the design changes are proving successful. If they are, they will be incorporated into the design of the new larger 75 kW turbine that is on the drawing board. The Wind Energy Technology Department at Sandia National Laboratory (Albuquerque, NM) is providing design support for the new turbine using their advanced computer modeling capabilities. The new turbine will be optimized for the maximum annual energy production and efficiency in converting wind energy to electricity.

The VMI vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are designed to provide on site electrical power to businesses, farmers, schools and government. The VMI grid-tied turbines provide cost effective electrical power to the community renewable energy market. The VMI 60 kW prototype turbine supplies electrical power to the Clines Corner Retail Center, a locally owned filling station, curio shop and restaurant complex on I-40 in eastern New Mexico.

VP100 OPERATIONAL

2007-10-25T15:47:00.000-06:00

The eighty-foot tall VP100 three bladed vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) became operational on September 24, 2007. The 480 volt three phase power from the turbine supplies the Central New Mexico Electric Coop grid in Clines Corners, New Mexico. Clines Corners is in east central New Mexico on Interstate 40 on the western edge of the Great Plains. Clines Corners was once on the historic Route 66 before the old road was replaced by I-40.

The turbine operation is fully automated and is programmed to begin generating power at winds speeds above 13 mph. The projected annual power production for the prototype is expected to be in the 50 megawatt hours per year range.

The research and development machine was built to demonstrate new proprietary technologies developed by Vawtpower Management, Inc. (VMI) with technical assistance from Sandia National Laboratory. Those innovations include cantilevered blade support unlike previous generations of guy wire supported turbines and a patent-pending blade attachment system designed to prevent blade fatigue. Site development was supported by Central New Mexico Electric Coop.

Extensive testing of the mechanical, pneumatic and electrical systems was completed in August.

TURBINE VIDEOS

2007-10-25T15:45:00.000-06:00

Videos of the Vawtpower Management, Inc. (VMI) prototype wind turbine located in Clines Corners, New Mexico can be viewed by clicking the link under the heading Links on this web page.

Operational Testing Nears Completion

2007-07-09T12:22:00.000-06:00

The prototype VP100 vertical axis wind turbine located at the Clines Corners Retail Center in central New Mexico is nearing the completion of operational testing. Normal operational modes have been thoroughly tested. Presently the lack of strong winds has prevented testing of the high wind shutdown procedure. Summer is the period of the least wind at this site.

After a very rough winter that prevented site access, a new generator was installed in April. (Scroll down to see the pictures of the generator removal and installation.) The new generator has an improved starting system and better mounting to the transmission. The generator change out took only four hours and demonstrated one big advantage of the VP100 over typical horizontal axis turbines. Our generator was changed without the use of a crane. Only hand tools and light jacks working at ground level were needed despite the generator weighing over 800 pounds. Cranes add thousands or tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of servicing wind turbines.

2007-07-06T18:10:00.000-06:00

A VMI windsmith prepares the new 1200 rpm generator for installation.

Albuq. Journal: The Eggbeater

2006-09-04T09:23:00.000-06:00

By Rosalie Rayburn
Journal staff writer

Motorists driving between Moriarty and Santa Rosa on Interstate 40 have a new attraction to eyeball next to Clines Corners. What looks like a giant eggbeater sitting in a field just east of the community's gas station, restaurant and souvenir store is New Mexico's first commercial vertical axis wind turbine.

The VP100 turbine built by Placitas-based Vawtpower Management, Inc. stands 78 feet tall with curved aluminum blades about 50 feet across at their widest point. (The first four letters of the first word in the company name stand for vertical axis wind turbine.) At that location, with average annual wind speeds of about 14 miles per hour, it will generate enough electricity for between 25 and 30 average homes.

Vawtpower Management picked the location because of its visibility, wind conditions and access to power lines, said Paul Vosburgh, an investor with Vawtpower Management. It also wanted a site close to Albuquerque to attract maximum attention, Vosburgh said. Clines Corners was the closest point to Albuquerque where winds are consistently strong enough to generate power. The site's proximity to an Interstate travel center gives drivers an opportunity to stop and see the technology, he said.

And they have.

Jeffrey Anderson, general manager of the Clines Corners travel center, said he's had inquiries about the turbine from several West Texas ranchers who thought they could use one on their property.

Vawtpower Management has signed a deal to sell power from the Clines Corners turbine to the Mountainair-based Central New Mexico Rural Electric Cooperative, which supplies about 14,000 customers.

Vosburgh and Vawtpower Management president Jerry Berglund now plan to market their vertical axis turbines to businesses and co-ops in eastern New Mexico and windy parts of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The smaller vertical axis turbines offer many advantages for customers in rural areas, Vosburgh said. Unlike the 20-story-tall horizontal axis turbines, they don't need to be turned to catch the wind and their control systems are at ground level, which makes repairs and troubleshooting easier for maintenance crews.

Vosburgh said he previously worked for Alcoa, which collaborated with Sandia National Labs to research and develop the technology. Vosburgh founded his own vertical axis turbine company in the early 1980s and sold turbines to developers who used them to produce electricity commercially in California. But interest in the technology dried up when federal tax incentives expired a few years later, he said.

In recent years, a federal production tax credit of 1.9 cents per kilowatt-hour for wind energy has helped encourage new investment in wind energy, including four large wind ranches in New Mexico. That credit is due to expire in December 2007.

Congresswoman Heather Wilson, R-N.M., who attended a recent dedication ceremony at the turbine site, said she will try to get the credit extended or made permanent. Using wind power helps reduce the nation's dependence on high-priced fossil fuels such as natural gas, Wilson said.
At present, New Mexico ranks sixth in the nation for production with 407 megawatts of wind power at four commercial wind farms. All use turbines that sit atop tall towers; their vanes rotate on a horizontal axis.

(This article was the cover story of the Albuquerque Journal’s Business Outlook section on Monday, September 4, 2006. The Journal is New Mexico's largest circulation daily newspaper.)

Successful Second Demonstration Day

2006-08-29T15:33:00.000-06:00

Saturday August 26 marked the second public demonstration of the operation of the new VP100 wind turbine at the Clines Corners Retail Center (CCRC) site. The enthusiastic crowd heard remarks by Representative Heather Wilson and Vawtpower Management, Inc. president, Jerry Berglund. Representative Wilson was presented with a commemorative plaque complete with a mounted slice of a VP100 blade.

Although the weather was threatening, the rain and lightning held off long enough for the assembly to witness the VP100 in action. The more technically curious in the crowd got a close-up view of the electrical control and power systems.

A delicious dinner of barbecue ribs and pulled pork was served by the staff of the CCRC restaurant.

Congresswoman Wilson Tours Clines Corners Site

2006-08-26T19:01:00.000-06:00

Congresswoman Heather Wilson accepts a commemorative VP100 plaque from VMI President Jerry Berglund.

Sen. Bingaman Watches VP100 Demo

2006-08-16T17:10:00.000-06:00

Senator Jeff Bingaman thanks Jerry Berglund, president of Vawtpower Management, Inc. (VMI) for the plaque commemorating the installation of the new VP100 at Clines Corners, New Mexico. Senator Bingaman watched a 20 minute demonstration run of the 60 kW wind turbine during his visit to the site this morning. The Senator was joined by over forty people including representatives of the electrical industry, local government officials, utility officials, Sandia Laboratory staff and investors.
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

Sen. Bingaman & Rep. Wilson to visit Clines Corners Site

2006-07-30T15:45:00.000-06:00

Senator Jeff Bingaman (ranking Democrat on the Senate Energy Committee) and Congresswoman Heather Wilson (Republican on the House Energy Committee) will help commission the Vawtpower Management, Inc. (VMI) VP100 wind turbine at the Clines Corners Retail Center. Their congressional commitments in the Washington required scheduling them on two different days during their August recess.

Senator Bingaman will tour the Clines Corners site on Wednesday morning August 16th between 9:00 and 11:00 AM.

Congresswoman Wilson will join us on Saturday afternoon, August 26 between 3:00 and 5:00 PM, for a western barbeque at the Clines Corners turbine site.

During the scheduled activities, members of the New Mexico Congressional Delegation will discuss federal energy policy and its impact of on the economic development in rural New Mexico. Paul Vosburgh of VMI will outline the plans to commercialize the new wind conversion technology. The engineering staff of VMI will show off the innovative features of the turbine. Jeff Anderson, general manager of the Clines Corners Retail Center, will speak about the Center’s expansion plans.

Invited guest to the commissioning activities include direct participants in the design, development, fabrication and installation of the innovative vertical axis wind turbine. Advocates, investors and potential partners and customers will be welcome in Clines Corners on one or both days.

Testing To Continue Through Summer

2006-05-16T13:26:00.000-06:00

Structural, electrical and pneumatic testing will continue through the summer on the completed 60 kW vertical axis grid-tied wind turbine in Clines Corners, New Mexico.

April 12, 2006 proved to be the big day in the final assembly of the Vawtpower Management's new VT100 prototype wind turbine. The final assembly of the turbine began early in the morning with the installation of the top torque tube and strut assembly. Then the three 46 foot long blades were attached to their struts with hinge pins designed to allow movement between the blades and struts without transferring stress to the aluminum blades. The three blades mounted on the top torque tube form a turbine that is 50 feet across.

Previously the blades had been fabricated on site by Vawtpower Management. Each blade was cut to length from a straight blade blank. Then each blade was bent a total of 26 times to the desired curve. Finally, each blade was fitted with two hinge ends that were epoxied in place.

2006-04-13T11:51:00.000-06:00

Turbine Top Looking South With I-40 in Background
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

2006-04-13T11:49:00.000-06:00

Completed Turbine Stands 80 Feet Tall
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

2006-04-12T11:52:00.000-06:00

Final Blade Lifted Into Place
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

2006-04-12T11:40:00.000-06:00

Tower Top Bolts Checked
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

2006-04-12T11:35:00.000-06:00

First Blade Top Hinge Pin Installed
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

2006-04-12T11:32:00.000-06:00

Top Torque Tube Bolted In Place
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

2006-04-12T11:31:00.000-06:00

Top Torque Tube Guided Into Place
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

2006-04-12T11:30:00.000-06:00

Top Torque Tube Rigged For Installation
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

Windsmiths Are Tough

2006-01-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Work continues on assembly and testing through the winter in Clines Corners, New Mexico.
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

Lightning Strikes Expected

2006-01-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Cary Lane of Energy Concepts installs the copper grounding ring which provides the ground reference for the tower lightning protection.
© Vawtpower Management, Inc. 2006

Grid Tie Powered Up

2006-01-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Tower Mated to Foundation Bolts

2006-01-29T16:59:00.000-07:00

28 Yards of Concrete in the Hole

2006-01-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

Air Foils (Blades) Completed

2006-01-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Foundation Rebar Cage Readied

2005-09-02T13:05:00.000-06:00

Jerry Berglund, chief engineer of Vawtpower Management, Inc., stands next to the VP100 foundation reinforcement bar cage at the Clines Corners turbine site.

Building Permit Issued

2005-08-31T16:07:00.000-06:00

The State of New Mexico's Construction Industries Division issued the building permit for the Clines Corners Wind Energy Demonstration Project on August 23, 2005. Ground breaking for the turbine foundation will begin as soon as adequate supplies of concrete can be secured. The foundation will require about 21 yards of concrete. Portland cement used in making concrete is in short supply.

Blade Blanks On Site

2005-07-20T13:38:00.000-06:00

The 51 foot extruded aluminum turbine blade blanks were delivered from the Arkansas factory in July. The 14 inch wide blade has a wall thickness of one quarter inch and weighs about ten pounds per foot. Three of the blanks will be trimmed, bent and attached to the Clines Corners turbine tower.

Coop to Help with Clines Corners Project

2005-06-03T14:08:00.000-06:00

The Central New Mexico Electrical Cooperative (CNMEC) board of directors unanimously approved the participation of the Coop in the Clines Corners Wind Energy Demonstration Project. The board designated the Coop operations manager, Ronald "Tooter" Davis, as their point man to work with Vawtpower Management, Inc. at the May 26 Coop board meeting.

During the meeting, George Cook, lead partner of the Clines Corners Retail Center, described his plans to grow Clines Corners into a major crossroads village. The electrical needs of the development will expand from its present load of about 1000 MWh per year. Part of the increased load will be supplied by the VP100 now under construction. The retail center is already one of the largest loads on the CNMEC system.

2005-05-06T11:43:00.000-06:00

Conceptual view of VP100

Clines Corners Wind Energy Demonstration Project

2005-05-05T09:11:00.000-06:00

The first 60 kW vertical axis wind turbine manufactured by Vawtpower Management, Inc. (VMI) is being assembled west of the Clines Corners Retail Center and immediately north of Interstate 40 in Torrance County, New Mexico. Clines Corners is 62 miles east of Albuquerque toward the Texas border.

The major components of this wind energy conversion system were delivered to the Clines Corners site from VMI's factory on April 15. The VP100 Model 60 being installed in eastern New Mexico is designed for high altitude (7,000 feet/2,200 meters) and modest wind resources (14 - 16 mph/6-8m/s average) sites.

The VP100 range in capacity from 50 kW to 150 kW and operate at or close to the end user of the electrical power (distributed generation). The VP100s are targeted for use by rural electric cooperatives, ranchers, farm irrigation pumping and other rural users in the Southern Great Plains.

VMI's VP100/60 was developed in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture Conservation and Production Research Laboratory in Bushland, Texas, and United States Department of Energy Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Sandia Labs will instrument the Clines Corners turbine to analyze and confirm operating and production performance.

The VP100 is an evolutionary design descendant from earlier wind conversion machines developed by Sandia Labs, the National Research Council of Canada, the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA), Agway, the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, FloWind and Vawtpower, Inc.

VMI has chosen Clines Corners as its marketing center for the VP100 turbines for the Southern Great Plains area. It hopes to grow with Clines Corners and become an important employer in Torrance County. Vawtpower Management, Inc. is headquartered in Placitas, New Mexico.

2005-04-29T11:44:00.000-06:00

VP100 top torque tube struts are assembled by Vawtpower Management technicians in Clines Corners, NM.