The power of wind was never more apparent to David Buchanan than during his first trip across the equator aboard an ocean freighter.
Hired out of Vancouver 55 years ago to work in the engine room, the ship he was on got caught in a typhoon while traveling over the deepest depths of the western Pacific and floundered for 13 days battling high winds and 50-foot seas that moved him and his crewmates backwards 500 miles.
When Buchanan finally got to their destination in Australia, he quit his job right way to become a chef and worked there for years. He eventually returned to his Prince George roots and in 2016 started building his first clean energy wind turbine.
Now, with his fifth prototype completed, the 77-year-old has a portable vertical-axis wind turbine capable of producing either 4,000 or 8,000 watts of electricity.
“I couldn’t believe that nobody had a practical vertical wind turbine and up until now, nobody had a vertical turbine that can make more than four of five kilowatts,” he said.
“Whereas this design, it’s just a matter of how much radius I put on it and the size of the wing. I can make anything up to 100 kilowatts. Four thousand watts will power your microwave, fridge and TV.”
Buchanan’s latest invention, the product of six months work, is mounted to a trailer he pulls with his truck. His turbine has multiple applications and could be used by farmers needing power to outbuildings as an alternative to a long cable needed to connect to the existing electricity grid. He also sees it as a viable and silent alternative, especially for people living off the grid in remote communities who rely on generators to power their homes.
Built with either five or seven wings made of Lexan polycarbon plastic, each has a flat surface on one side and curved back side that provides a combination of drag and lift to harness the kinetic energy of wind with a turbine that does not stall.
“If it was only flat you’d have a negative force on the back side, whereas having the curve and the flat together, you’re getting lift from the round side and drag from the front side.
“This particular model with the clear wings isn’t made for high speed yet, but it will be. This Lexan is really tough stuff and this is only 1/16 of an inch because I wanted to find out where the weak points were and I found them. The new models will be 1/8th because now I know 1/16th is a little too light.”
His first few prototypes had aluminum wings, which he tested up to 100 kilometres per hour running his truck at highway speed. He’s had his plastic-paneled turbine spinning at 80 km/hr, and it works even with a light breeze. The five-wing configuration has a slight pulse at high wind speeds but the seven-wing design is vibration-free and is suitable to be mounted on a building.
“I switched to Lexan because it looks better,” he said. “If you’ve got something aluminum on the horizon you’re going to see it, this one you’re hardly going to notice it.”
The movement of the panels is converted to direct current electricity which is stored in conventional car batteries. The vertical design makes it safe for birds, bats or even insects and they work in snow or icing conditions.
“We do get enough wind, you’ve got to be in an open area, of course, and if you have a property with lot of trees around a wind turbine is not your answer,” he said.
On days where there is no wind, the unit can charge controller can be hooked up to a solar panel to create additional power. A $1,000 controller upgrade will convert storage to lithium ion batteries.
Buchanan says he doesn’t have the time or the finances to turn his invention into a business and he hasn’t applied for a patent or filed any paperwork to trademark his turbine. He’d rather let somebody else go through the whole process. He’s rather have someone buy his prototypes to recoup investment costs and let them mass produce it to make his unique invention available for consumers.
“There really is nothing like it in the world, and now it’s time for people to take it from me and run with it,” he said.
His selling price for the 4,000-watt units is $16,500 for the five-wing type and $17,700 for the seven-wing configuration. The heavier 8,000-watt system, which uses sealed generators, is available for $28,500.
Buchanan can be reached through email at [email protected] or by calling 250-564-0950.
