Wind, Data, Interns, and Power In the City

Wind, Data, Interns, and Power In the City

This spring my Metro Early College Design intern at Mezzacello wanted to work on energy integration and automation systems. We looked at all of the systems and opted to explore the relationship of wind, data, interns, and power in the city. Sudman (my intern) came up with a plan and a name, #VAWT4All.

We knew we were going to need more than just power – which we get plenty of – we wanted data for Sudman’s capstone project. We chose the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) model we wanted to test and then built them at the southern edge of the property that faces busy Broad Street.

Data Mapping

At first, Sudman was daunted by how we were going to collate all of these data streams:

  • Ambient Weather
  • Traffic Patterns
  • COTA Bus Schedules
  • Voltages
  • Battery Loads
  • Tracking and Modeling Data

I am pleased to report that so far, He is doing a good job. First we needed to consider how we would mount the VAWT to the sheds at the south face of Mezzacello. We had to price conscious as we did not have grant money to pay for traditional mounting and monitoring solutions.

Menards, Airtable, COTA, Arduino, and Amazon To The Rescue

Sudman and I determined that if we made subtle modifications to 1.5″ steel pipe and fittings we could mount the VAWTs securely to the shed and still clear the roof drip ledge. The pipe is actually two 60″ sections secured to the shed with standard tees and flanges, and the top riser section is a 24″ section with a modified flange for the VAWT base.

The use of this off-the-shelf system saved us a small fortune and made installation a snap! Next we needed a system to monitor local weather conditions that could be isolated from the larger regional area. We went with a La Crosse WiFi-enabled weather system with an anemometer, precipitation sensor and temp and humidity sensors. This would allow Sudman to determine how weather conditions affected the system.

To collect data of the surrounding area and traffic conditions we went with an Amazon Blink system to provide video and snapshot data of traffic conditions at the time of measurement. Then we used Airtable to create a quick and dirty database for collected data and a web-enabled form to collect the data remotely. Lastly, Sudman donloaded the #10 COTA Bus schedule as a CSV and imported that into Airtable as a reference table for the presence of busses and impacts on energy production.

One of the immediate challenges in tracking the reaction between COTA Busses and their impact on the VAWTs was timing efficiency. COTA only publishes two of the eight stops on East and West Broad Street, 4th Street and Ohio Avenue. Sudman had to extrapolate the actual timing of the stops at Hoffman and Ohio, the two stops closest to Mezzacello.

Lastly, we built an Arduino-based module that would allow Sudman to collect voltage and battery performance data at a given time. Now he is graphing this data to determine if the Busses have any real impact on energy generation to an undisturbed space between the VAWT installation and the traffic patterns.

It is anecdotal at this point, as Sudman is tracking data until May 20th when his capstone research is due. I will be sure to follow up here with his presentation and data. I can tell you he was very excited while we were working on the install, feeling the wind from passing busses and the spinning VAWT as well as what the voltmeter was telling us.

The 3D Printing Pivot We Missed

Lastly, part of Sudman and my plan for this project was an entirely 3D printed version of the VAWT model for testing. Unfortunately it has been next to impossible to find a 300+ mm 3D printer capable of printing the complex snap-together assembly Sudman has designed. It is a real-world lesson in the limits of engaged research – sometimes you can’t hit all your targets.

To his credit, his alternative solution is pretty creative and totally Science Fair worthy. We have decided to replace the “flower turbines” (seen above) on the bioreactor here at Mezzacello with chipboard and plastic rod prototypes of the VAWT turbines to conduct tests on and make his vision of wind power anywhere for anyone a closer reality.


Lesson: Chemical Bonds and Ions

Chemical Bonds and Ions!

Lesson: Chemical Bonds and Ions
A Covalent Bond

An ionic bond

This is an important topic, lesson: chemical bonds and Ions. Bonds and ions are EVERYWHERE on an urban farm. We will need them in BioTechnology, BioEngineering, BioRenewables and BioChemistry. They make everything possible!

Let’s start by explaining what each bond does and why. Remember, an ion is NOT a bond, but can lead to bonds. Ions are change agents that put energy into or away from a system.

But First, The Atom!

A representation of a Helium Atom with two protons, two neutrons, and two electrons.

This is a basic and whimsical diagram of a Helium Atom. There are two protons (+) and two neutons ( ) and two electrons (-). Here the subatomic components are Proton, Pooh, Neutron Eeyore, and Electron, Tigger.

Not all atoms have neutrons. But when they do, they have usually a matching set! All atoms do have protons and neutrons though!

Covalent Bonds

All bonds come down to the electron. The electron zips around the outside orbital of the atom. It isn’t always a circle like this, but it is always there.

In a covalent bond, the electron is shared between two or more atoms. in the example below, we have a molecule of water. H2O is the chemical name and it means two hydrogen atoms and one big old Oxygen atom that are sharing Poohs and Tiggers!

Lesson: Chemical Bonds and Ions
A Covalent Bond

I decided to bring all the friends into this diagram. Even though Pooh and Eeyore both live in the nucleus of the atom, they still impact the bonding. That’s because atoms are magnetic + and -.

The nice feature of covalent bonds is that it is a casual bond that is easily broken. Like water (H2O) can easily be turned into steam, water or ice. It can be made by igniting Hydrogen in the presence of air, or split using electricity.

Ionic Bonds

Unlike a covalent bond, Ionic Bonds are much stronger. That’s because they are LOCKED in an atomic embrace. Think of salt or Lithium Oxide.

We can dissolve salt in water, but it STAYS as salt! That ionic bond is really hard to break apart. That’s why I used Rabbit here; He holds onto things with both arms!

An ionic bond

Ionic bonds make more complex molecules and substances possible. Remember what the levels of reality are again. We are FIRMLY in that Quantum and Virtual realm here.

Nested Realities from the Organism to the energy that animates it.

So what is an ion?

An ion is an atom that has an extra or very energetic electron on a level of the electron field that is looking for a magnetic partner. Putting it simply, ions are Tiggers looking for triggers – they want to break things apart or cause reactions to happen. Sometimes they just transfer energy, but something is always happening with an ion around.

In a battery, it’s the ions in the Lithium or Zinc Oxide cathodes that push electrons out into the current. The ions are just looking to do something so they aren’t so energized anymore. We could not exist if we did not have ions in our body making billions of reactions happen every day.

An Ion – note the charge!

Next we will talk about the entire FAMILY of atoms in the periodic table of elements.

Periodic table of life
We most definitely recycle atoms and molecules!