Installing The Power Predictor
I finally got round to installing the Power Predictor yesterday after performing a 24 hour test, as recommended in the operating instructions. Unfortunately I didn’t test the 6m extension cable, which has turned out to be faulty so I have erected the mast with only the 5m of cable which came with the Power Predictor. This means that I won’t be able to keep an eye on the current reading, but this shouldn’t pose any problems because I need to leave the Power Predictor on the mast for at least 30 days, before I can generate my online power report.
Prior to testing, the first task was to install the 9v PP3 battery which involves unscrewing the black plastic nut on the cable below the data logger, and carefully easing the logger out of its housing. I found the best way to do this was to gently push the cable at the base of the logger casing upwards, whilst gently pulling the logger upwards simultaneously.
Installing The Battery
Once the logger had left its housing, I inserted the battery and then pushed the logger back inside.
Set Date & Time
Once the battery has been inserted, the device does a countdown from 5 to 1, and then shows the current time, which is easily changed using the 2 buttons on the top of the device. Once the date and time have been set, the bottom row of the display shows two readings; the left reading is for wind speed and the right reading is for solar energy.
The Mast
You might remember from my first post, that Stockport Radio Society use the land at Common Barn Farm for radio contests, so we were quite fortunate that the Radio men were happy to install the Power Predictor on the top of their mast. Luckily, they have just finished a big worldwide competition and won’t be requiring the mast for 5 weeks, which leaves plently of time for me to gather some wind speed data to generate the Power Report. The mast can actually be erected to 60 ft, but this requires a great deal of time setting up and installing many guy ropes, so for the purpose of monitoring the wind speed, the mast was erected to about 45ft with just 3 short ropes.
The Mast
As you can see, Common Barn Farm is located in quite an exposed position
Erecting The Mast
Power Predictor Attached To The Mast
The Power Predictor bracket must point to North. If you look closely you will see a white label on the arm of the bracket which has an arrow pointing to North printed on it.
Erecting The Mast
The Mast Fully Erected At 45ft (approx 13 metres)
To accurately measure the wind speed, we really need to leave the Power Predictor for 12 months, changing the battery regularly, but my plan is to test 2 or 3 different locations at various heights for short periods of say 1 to 3 months. My next post won’t be until mid to late to Jan, as I am away on holiday for 3 weeks at the end of December. When I get back, I will upload the data to the Power Predictor website and let you know the findings of the Power Report, which will include carbon savings and annual energy generation estimates, as well as advice on which turbine to install.
For more information on the Power Predictor by Better Generation, please their website here: http://www.bettergeneration.com
