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It was with great sorrow that the Handy Village Institute postponed its Annual March Small Wind Workshop, this year. Even before the government leaders issued their state and county orders to self-isolate, we were all in clear agreement that it was the right thing to do. We have chosen August 10 to 15, 2020 as our goal to reschedule our workshop. We love being able to host this extraordinary opportunity for participants to come and learn how to make a small wind turbine from scratch that can add wind power a homestead or small farm renewable energy system. We were really looking forward to working with this year's group, and hope to see everyone soon. We either really miss you, or we really want to meet you!  Chris Carter took our newest machine to the regular powder coating shop, and they balked at the color request. Fortunately, a nearby shop that works on race cars had just what we wanted. They too called it "Pepto-Bismol Pink," and offered also a choice to use "Purple Passion". Maybe the for the next one we will take them up on it! Of course, there is great uncertainty at this time about how long we will need to refrain from gatherings, as well as how many losses we may experience in our community. It has taken awhile for many in our greater community to accept that we really do need to be this disciplined about avoiding transmission of this new virus. It is also taking some even longer to accept that we probably will not be bouncing back to "normal" in the next few weeks. At present, North Carolina is on lock-down through April.  Raising the "Pink Panther" on the new tower at the almost finished Round House. Note the respect for social-distancing by the team. The tail design was also my idea. With proper social-distancing by all, work has continued on the installation of the most recent turbine built in our shop. Asked what color I wanted it to be, this time, I said "Pepto-Bismol Pink," and so it is. Some think it is more the color of borscht with sour cream stirred into it. I don't have a problem with that because I love beets! This installation is the first one in our county that will undergo inspection by the Orange County Planning and Inspections Department. We hope that their experience working with us will open the door to more turbines on local farms in the future.  Ready to take her first load on our off-grid system with batteries and solar panels, too. Our newest turbine gets to "fly" on her maiden voyage in the sky. We hope you will keep following Handy Village Institute, online, here and on Facebook. If you can make it, please join us for our next workshop. We also always hold an Open House at the shop on the evening before the final day of the workshop, so participants can show off their work to family and friends and neighbors. It is also a great time to drop by if you are thinking about taking the workshop in the future. If all goes as planned, the Open House will be on August 14, between 5 and 7 pm. Refreshments will be served, tunes will be played and sung, and families will be welcomed. Until then, please take care and stay safe. We want you to stick around a while longer!
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Spinny and Sustainable Jack launched Spinny's Theme Song at the 2018 American Solar Energy Society Conference in Boulder, Colorado, August 7, 2018, before Sven presented his renewable energy circus act.
We were pleased to once again have the participation of Tim King's family in documenting our workshops, realtime, with video. The Handy Village Institute now has a YouTube channel where you can find several videos, including a short version of the March 2018 small wind workshop and a longer version of the March 2016 small wind workshop.
Update: Alternative Energy Through Homemade Wind Turbines on Lowlander Center site. The Biloxi-Chittamacha-Choctaw, Pointe-au-Chien, and Atakapa-Istak Chawasha Indians live in a part of Southern Louisiana that is losing ground. The sediments that once replenished “uninhabitable” swamplands with silt carried from 41% of the lower United States naturally subside. But, the levee system along the Mississippi River diverts almost the entire flow of the river directly into the Gulf of Mexico, carrying the sediment with it. Canals built to service the oil and gas industries and increasingly intense tropical storms have caused severe erosion and allowed salt water to intrude where once all was fresh water. This has killed vegetation, leaving “ghost trees” and removing even more of the land. Added to that, sea level is rising.
 Homebrew wind turbine at the Handy Village Institute site on a bright day. Photo by Deborah Amaral. Today, the stand-alone power system at the Handy Village Institute received a visit from a couple of very distinguished representatives of the Randolph Electric Membership Corporation. Fred Smith, Vice President of Economic Development and Compliance, and Michael Trent, Director of Innovative Energy Solutions, dropped by along with Doc Sydnor and Nick Harper for a late morning tour. Chris Carter began with a tour of his shop, where the March 2017 Homebrew Wind Turbine Workshop participants built another machine just like the one that will be going up at Doc's Braeburn Farm. Doc's turbine was built during the March 2016 Workshop at Handy Village Institute, and Nick Harper, Braeburn Farm Manager, participated in both workshops. Chris showed the visitors this year's turbine and explained in detail how it was fabricated and the advantages of the horizontal-axis, axial-flux, air-gap alternator design.
 Doc Sydnor has had a full career in neuro-opthalmology and a lifetime of ranching cattle. He raises his own line of Red Devon cows on grass in the Cane Creek Mountains of the Piedmont region of North Carolina. You can find fine cuts of his Braeburn Farm beef in local restaurants, farmers and co |
