1. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Bringing Light to the Edge of the World: blueEnergy's Adventures Building Micro Wind Turbines on the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua

2. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Background Products and Services A Look at a Typical System Nuts and Bolts of the Turbine Customers Get Involved and Contact

3. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Where?

4. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Background What is blueEnergy and what does it do? Family history in Nicaragua Interest in wind power blueEnergy the idea: MIT Development Entrepreneurship class Birth of blueEnergy: a 501(c)3 public charity with a twist Where we stand today Where we are headed

5. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy The blueEnergy Approach Focus on building lasting, local solution: - Use appropriate technology - Build local capacity - Long-term commitment Understanding and respect for local way of life blueEnergy’s systems are implemented using a variety of models, each of which can be characterized along the following dimensions: Location (urban, semi-urban, rural), constituency served (private, public), ownership (blueEnergy, private, public), management/operation (blueEnergy, private, public), and physical configuration (battery charging station, fixed battery bank, dual-use).

6. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy The blueEnergy Turbine Base design from Hugh Piggott of Scoraig Wind Electric; school of “heavy metal” Designed from the ground up for ease of construction, robustness and optimized for energy production in low winds Axial-flux alternator vs. more common radial-flux designs Ease of construction -> ease of maintenance -> low-cost over lifetime

7. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Background Products and Services A Look at a Typical System Nuts and Bolts of the Turbine Customers Get Involved and Contact

8. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy blueEnergy Products

9. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy blueEnergy Services

10. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Key Points Isolation: A brief history of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua blueEnergy is nonprofit with a focus on sustainability not on maximizing sales On a technical note: The difference between power (W or kW) and energy (Wh or kWh): - Power: The rate of doing some useful work. It is an instantaneous measurement; by analogy, can be thought of as water flow rate into a storage tank. -Energy: The amount of power expended (or generated) over a period of time, i.e Energy = Power x Time; by analogy, can be thought of as amount of water stored given a specific flow rate over a specified time period.

11. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Background Products and Services A Look at a Typical System Nuts and Bolts of the Turbine Customers Get Involved and Contact

12. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy The Nuts & Bolts of the Wind Turbine Blade Rotor

13. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy The Nuts & Bolts of the Wind Turbine Alternator

14. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy The Nuts & Bolts of the Wind Turbine Body and Tail

15. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy The Nuts & Bolts of the Wind Turbine Tower

16. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Background Products and Services A Look at a Typical System Nuts and Bolts of the Turbine Customers Get Involved and Contact

17. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical blueEnergy System

18. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical blueEnergy System Wind Turbine and Tower 12 ft diameter rotor (6 ft blades), 3-phase, 24 V wind turbine 60 - 100 ft tilt-up tower; lattice towers only used in cases where space is limited because of high cost Anchors for guy wires are a mix of rebar mesh, metal bar, concrete and dirt and are generally 6 ft deep, 2 ft across, 4 ft wide

19. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical blueEnergy System Power Center System regulation, energy storage and energy conversion Community charging station vs. fixed battery bank PV modules generally integrated into power center structure

20. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical blueEnergy System Power Center Charge controller - BRAIN Batteries - HEART Breakers and dump load - SECURITY

21. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical blueEnergy System Household Not physically tied to power center due to cost of distribution lines over great distances Home electrification kits available from blueEnergy through micro-loan program in partnership with ADEPHCA Users carry batteries to charging station and charge them for a fee

22. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical Energy System: Cost Fixed SystemCharging Station Home Electrification 12 ft diameter, 24 V turbine (rated 1 kW at 12 m/s) @ $1,500 + 60 ft tilt-up tower @ $1,500 N/A 100 W solar panel @ $700 N/A 60 A capacity charge controller @ $250 10 A, for low voltage disconnect @ $25 440 AH (x8 Trojan T-105, 220 AH, 6 V) @ $1,200 N/A 105 AH Trojan 27 TM @ $110 2,400 W, 24 V (Xantrex DR2424) @ $1,000 N/A $500 (breakers, wiring, etc) $45 $1,500 $10 $500 $10 $2,500 (5 year operator training and servicing agreement: site visits every 6 months @ $250 per visit) $2 per charge $11,150 (does not include tax) $8,950 (does not include tax) $200 + charging fee (does not include tax) Misc. Parts Installation Transport Service TOTAL

23. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical Energy System: Cost Comparison

24. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical Energy System: Power Curve

25. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical Energy System: Wind Resource Monthly variations: August, September, November are low months; December, January, February are high months Site variations: Wind resource is highly site-dependent; a study should be performed at each site where a considerable energy system investment is to be made Power in wind is related to cube of wind speed => doubling of wind speed means eight times the available power

26. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical Energy System: Energy Production February is an above average wind month Average per day turbine production over the year: ~ 3,200 Wh 100 W solar panel will add ~ 350 Wh per day Average total daily energy production of 3,550 kWh Energy Production for blueEnergy 12 ft Turbine (@ 60 ft height) - February 2 to February 23, 2007 NOTE: Data was not collected on February 5, 12, 18, 19

27. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy A Typical Energy System: Energy Use As shown in the previous slide, a typical system produces 3,550 watt-hours of energy per day on average. Assuming a 90% Charge/Discharge Efficiency, What Can You Do With 3,195 watt-hours of Energy? You could run a light (15 W) or a radio (15 W) for 213 hours You could run a light (15 W) and a radio (15 W) or a small high-efficiency refrigerator (30 W) for 106 hours You could run a laptop (40 W) or a small television (40 W) for 80 hours You could run 3 lights (45 W), a radio (15 W), a laptop (40 W) and a small high-efficiency freezer (30 W) for 24 hours - i.e. all day

28. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Background Products and Services A Look at a Typical System Nuts and Bolts of the Turbine Customers Get Involved and Contact

29. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Potential Customers Rural communities beyond the reach of the electrical grid and semi-urban communities with unreliable electrical grid Development organizations that need energy for their projects but don’t have expertise or capacity in this area: FISE, FADCANIC, Catholic Church Health organizations that need energy for their rural health clinics but have no expertise or capacity in this area: WHO / OPS, MINSA Small business owners that require backup or primary power Individuals

30. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Current Project Sites

31. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Background Products and Services A Look at a Typical System Nuts and Bolts of the Turbine Customers Get Involved and Contact

32. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy Get Involved Volunteer (http://www.blueenergygroup.org/MainPages/GetInvolved.html) Tell Your Friends, Family, and Colleagues About blueEnergy Donate (http://www.blueenergygroup.org/MainPages/Donate.html) Attend a Turbine Building Workshop (http://www.scoraigwind.com)

33. Google TechTalk Mountain View, California - May 3, 2007 local people, local materials, local energy For more information and to help support our important work, please visit: www.blueenergygroup.org Mathias Craig, Executive Director San Francisco, California, United States mathias.craig@blueenergygroup.org Tel: +1 (202) 744 - 5840 Fax: +1 (801) 730 - 9576 Watch for us on CNN Heroes airing in mid-July! Contact Us Special thanks to Steve Weis and Google for inviting me here today