Andrew H Mackay

29 November, 2005

GRAHAM Sinden, Aaron Priest and David Thomson protesteth too much? The reality is that I am right and they, including the scientific community at large, are just plain wrong.

Without getting too technical, Mr Sinden says: "The capacity factor of a wind turbine (or any other conventional or renewable electricity generator) simply expresses the output of the generator over a given time period (typically one year) as a percentage of the theoretical maximum output of the generator over the same time."

He goes on to say: "Furthermore, it is not possible to calculate the hours of operation of the wind farm from the capacity factor alone - a wind turbine with a capacity factor of 30 per cent does not mean that the turbine operates 30 per cent of all hours."

Calculating the hours of operation is precisely what you can do in Denmark. Maybe they have the wrong kind of wind over there!

Readers are invited to go to the Danish Wind Power Association's website where they will read the correct definition together with a worked example - http://www.windpower.org/en/tour/wres/annu.htm

I have reproduced the relevant paragraph in parenthesis below.

The Capacity Factor

Another way of stating the annual energy output from a wind turbine is to look at the capacity factor for the turbine in its particular location. By capacity factor we mean its actual annual energy output divided by the theoretical maximum output, if the machine were running at its rated (maximum) power during all of the 8766 hours of the year.

Example: If a 600 kW turbine produces 1.5 million kWh in a year, its capacity factor is = 1500000 : ( 365.25 * 24 * 600 ) = 1500000 : 5259600 = 0.285 = 28.5 per cent.

Capacity factors may theoretically vary from 0 to 100 per cent, but in practice they will usually range from 20 to 70 per cent, and mostly be around 25-30 per cent.

The Vestas V66 wind turbine operates at full capacity in a wind speed band of 16m/s to cut-off @ 25m/s so perhaps Graham will tell us just how often the wind blows within this band. He will not tell us, because this figure represents the traditional way of determining the true capacity factor. The answer lies between 6% and 8%, but this will never be confirmed by any representative of academia because it exposes the extent of the confidence trick that is being played upon us all! In the unlikely event that this letter ever
receives an answer it will certainly contain the usual BWEA approved flimflam on reworked 'capacity factor'

Mr Sinden goes on to make the point that different types of generators operate over a range of capacity factors with UK nuclear the highest at 71 per cent (it is nearer 90 per cent in the US). This means that a UK nuclear power station generates at its rated (maximum) power for 71 per cent of the year. However, as I have said before GENTECventuri will generate at its rated (maximum) power for 100 per cent of the year. Clearly, this will make all other forms of generation obsolete.

Graham Sinden then explains why all the other generators have low mid 50s capacity factors. Generators are routinely switched of for planned maintenance, at other times because of mechanical failures or because there is no demand. It is quite disgraceful that nuclear plants have such a low capacity factor in the UK. The reason for this is on the supply side where fission creates (controlled) heat in vast quantities, to heat water, to raise steam, to run a steam turbine generator set. A steam turbine given a constant supply of dry steam will generate for up to eight years without any maintenance whatsoever.

Hitherto, it has not been possible to achieve a 100 per cent capacity factor because of crass and unimaginative thinking by our scientists and boffins over the years. The basis of GENTEC venturi is to use tidal stream energy just to heat water to any desired temperature, in order to raise steam to run steam turbines. There will, of course need to be planned maintenance on the marine side of the primary process but GENTEC venturi will still generate at full capacity even with all the venturis out of water for several hours at any one time.

Another bonus is that, because my invention generates at full capacity 24/7, off peak hydrogen can be produced in huge quantities and shipped all over world to run converted natural gas turbines and for transport.

Perhaps Graham Sinden should take a long hard look at GENTEC venturi to save him, and his colleagues, any further embarrassment when UK plc has to buy back this technology from the North American company that understands just what GENTEC venturi will do.

It is certainly not very scientific to dismiss any idea that will solve our growing energy crisis as being "too good to be true, so it must be". My invention will stand any scientific scrutiny you care to throw at it, and then some.

The question that has to be asked: "Is the scientific community big enough to eat humble pie and admit that it has been spending £billions looking in the wrong place to overcome the intermittency problem?"

Aaron Priest must be clairvoyant when he says: "If Mr Mackay's invention is as good as he says it is, there will no doubt be a stampede of energy companies, utilities and venture capitalists beating a path to his door."

Paths are been beaten as I write, none originating in this country of course, but that is how we treat all great wealth creating inventions.

David Thomson's stout defence of the soon to be obsolete wind turbine is to be commended. But even he must agree that a machine that delivers electricity 24/7 at full capacity is a much better machine than a daft wind turbine. Wind turbines could be re-engineered to deliver electricity long after the wind has stopped blowing but they would still remain an intermittent source of supply, why bother?

The sad truth is that, despite the work that has gone into this giant wind farm on Shetland the outputs will never justify laying a cable to the Scottish mainland.

It is worth noting that I am giving away this invention to any country that wants it. This simple idea is too big to put into the hands of one greedy corporation to exploit. I find it all rather strange that nobody, in this visionless and depleted nation, is prepared to look this particular gift horse in the mouth.

The only way to bring my invention to the fore is for like-minded people to club together and buy working GENTEC venturi units to exploit the natural resource - tidal stream. In doing so, they will alter the mind set of those who lack the imagination to realise that wind power does not attenuate the damaging effects of global warming one iota.

Andrew H Mackay
Greenheating Systems Limited
Causewayside
Glenaldie
TAIN
www.greenheating.com