Wind Energy at the Farm

It all started with searching for most optimal energy source for the farm without spending too much. We did not want to go for Grid energy due to its cost and waiting time.   The technology should provide clean energy, be available, affordable and easy to implement.  We considered Solar, Steam, Wind and finalised on Wind energy.  Then we brought anemometer to start measuring the wind speed and plotted the graph. With only 60 days of plotting, we decided to go for a windpump.  Evaluated 3 vendors and select ABS (Advanced Bolting Solutions) due to its cost, simplicity and other factors.

http://radhamuralifarms.blogspot.in/2013/12/wind-energy.html
http://radhamuralifarms.blogspot.in/2014/01/energy-for-farm-from-where-it-will-come.html
http://radhamuralifarms.blogspot.in/2014/02/finally-it-is-wind-pump-for-farm.html
http://radhamuralifarms.blogspot.in/2014/03/wind-speed-at-nachankulam-83-days.html

From January to June it has taken around 6 months to place order, fabricate, finish, transport and install. There were many hurdles that we crossed in this journey, with only a gut feeling guiding throughout. Till this time, our farm workers were using a handpump and irrigating the few hundred plants. Villagers and passerby would have ridiculed our agriculture pursuit. I sincerely thank that team for having the courage to pass through. Now that phase has gone past.  Very soon we will have overhead tank and water with pressure to do meaningful cropping.  We have already put 50 Nos. Banana trees.  Neighbors have already started peeping inside.

Today we are proud that we have a shining wind pump rotating even for smallest wind speed and pumping water from 100 feet depth all through the day and night.  I hope this water is sufficient to irrigate few acres.  Our local teams have faced all kinds of issues and now they are master in servicing the tower, it at all anything happens. Nearby town workshops and welders know about this project and have contributed.  Even the original manufacturers cannot understand the transformation and adaptations that have been carried out on the structure so far and so quickly to make it work in this harsh climate.

Foundation Planning. ABS  will provide measurement. Given above is simple translation

ABS tower is neat, economically viable and good for dry land farmers like me.  Rest of the story is through chosen pictures as below.

1. Decide the place of tower. It must be right on top of the borewell.

2. Train the people with simple diagrams so that they understand that installation requires 12 Meters and 15 meters empty space on either side.

Just a sketch to show team how to pull tower up

Workers Digging Pits for Foundation pillars

Foundation ready with Bolts

Fabrication

Fabrication

Tower Welding

Passionate ABS engineer Chaitanya posing

Transport to the Farm

Packages arrive and get unloaded

Tower will sit on this. The hand pump will be removed. Thank you handpump

Galvanised Stell Propellers assembled

Propeller assembly.

Assembly of the main moving parts called rotor

Tower Assembly. There are many adjustments required

Finally the Tower is pulled up. Pulling was a precision job.  Everyone was concentrating. Therefore no one took photographs.  My crew had to help and take care of safety. Otherwise pulling the tower up is done through A frame, wire rope, stay wires pulled by men on opposite side etc. There is no one method, you need to use every safety precaution as per situation. We asked electricity board to switch off the electricity in adjacent poles.

Team had to find some jugad solution to anchor the tower because it fell short of bolt already in concrete. There was a mistake in template and actual fabrication Wind speed was so high and we did not want to take any chance. Wanted to make sure tower is anchored properly because people have to climb up. This idea is courtesy local welder. I painted with red oxide after welding.

The Site in evening

Fine tuning was required at transmission gears. Due to heavy wind, bolts have to be once again checked

My mother  (84) and her sister (79) on inspection tour

Wind Pump from another angle

Water emerging from the pump, being scattered by wind

We tried directly connecting a hose and started irrigating. We have not built a overhead tank, which work is underway. Intend to put a 1000 liter tank on steel frame and allow water to flow from wind pump. So that there is free flow. Then with gravitational pressure of the tank, we will connect hose pipes

Team had already called for a tracktor to plough the farm to prepare banana plantation. Foreground few saplings are already laid for which Kandan got bashing from experienced farmers. They said the gap is very less. He just laughed.

Finally a Selfie with my wind pump in background before starting off to my work