Off to Africa

Sorry, it's been a while since I've updated my blog. Work has been going well and I've been learning a lot. On Nov. 14 I begin a long month long Journey. The Journey will start with me traveling to Mumbai, India to help solve a problem that one of our customers is having with a Mobile Communication site. Seems the wind is not up to what was needed.

This is one of the reasons I stress the importance of Hybrid systems. These are systems where you take advantage of both the Wind, i.e. Wind Turbine, and Solar. As most of us know, on a bright sunny day there's not much wind and on a cloudy day there's not much Sun.

After Mumbai I will be traveling to Ethiopia to explore the possibilities of our Hydro Turbine. Ethiopia has aims of becoming the leading power exporter in Africa. With the vast river systems in the country I am excited about the possibilities.

After Ethiopia I will visit some recent friends in Kenya. They came to visit our offices about a month ago to explore our Green power solutions. I will follow up on that visit by visiting them and exploring both wind and Hydro.

As you can see from the map below, after Kenya I will be paying visits to Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon and finally Nigeria. I am very anxious for this trip and Africa is truly one of the true untapped resources and also quickly becoming one of the leaders in Green Power solutions. Every Country I can introduce Green power to over Nuclear Power is a win in my book.

I'll write more from the road and try to do better in keeping my Blog updates.

Dates are as follows:

11/14 Mumbai

11/18 Ethiopia

11/22 Kenya

11/25 Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda

12/04 Cameroon

12/09 Nigeria

12/13 back to Taiwan

Wind Energy on the go

Today I learned about our Mobile Wind Turbine system. What it basically is is a complete Wind Turbines system in a custom formed suit case with the mounting poles in another bag. Here is the Turbine in the case:

Yes, I used Photoshop to add in the grass, figured the tile floor wouldn't make such a good back drop. But you can see the Motor, inverter, blades and even the mounting plate and wires to stabilize the poles. Oh, here are the poles in their case:

Again, with the fake grass, sorry about that but these photo's were taken in our show room. These poles are sectioned off so that you can easily reach the desired height, that is the height where the wind is.

The complete system packed up looks like this.

By now I'm sure your asking yourself, yeah, what does all this means. It means that with this system you have a 100W wind generator at your disposal any place you decide to set it up. Also that you can break it down, pack it back up and relocate it to another location easily. Here is the demo flier on the product just giving you an idea on one of the many uses for this product.

 Here is a link to a good site to let you know what you can run with a 100W wind Turbine http://www.absak.com/library/power-consumption-table .

Power to go, that's a neat thing.

Wind Power for the Bike

In a time when Enercon puts up a 7+ Mega Watt wind turbine it's sometimes good to look at the little ways we can help save the planet while enjoying the benefits of Electric gadgets.

This week we are going to be looking at the JetPro's Wind Powered Bicycle Light:

This Bike Wind Turbine offers LED lighting from the handle bar of the Bicycle. Though not offering direct light it does offer enough lighting for you to be able to see and also more than enough lighting to be seen.

With rechargable batteries it fits a need, not only for children but also for adults.

Looking to the future, we are working on releasing our second version of the Bicycle Turbine that will be able to charge a fully functional Bicycle light or recharge your Cell Phone:

This neat little device is still in the works but should be out by the end of the year.

I enjoy these new products as they show that it's not just the big boys that are making a difference. You can also make a difference in small ways. Look around, do you use rechargeble batteries in your remotes and clocks?

Go Green and stay that way!

Wind on Farms

Here in my second week working for JetPro Tech I've come across a lot of information on Wind Farms. In addition to that it seems everyone I'm talking to are looking at BIG power solutions and how to power Cell Phone towers and such. Now don't get me wrong, that is all good, any thing we can do to lower our dependency on Fossil fuels is a step in the right direction.

Since coming here one thought that has been strongly in my mind is, how come I'm not seeing more use of wind power on Farms? It was the farm that initially highlighted the use of wind power with wind water pumps. But now they run electric lines out to their pastures to provide lighting for feeding/watering areas and diesel generators operating their pumps now.

I am committed as part of my effort here in this new industry to see the smaller jobs use more green energy. It's easy to look at the big boys and say do it but we can all make a difference. If you have an outside light, then why not look at a wind/solar solution to power it. It will be a small investment for you but the savings will come and more importantly, YOU will be making a difference.

Remember, every WATT generated by green power is 1 WATT less being generated by Fossil Fuels.

A Reminder of how powerful the wind is

This past weekend Taiwan was hit by Typhoon Fanapi (interesting name might I add). It started heading north but then took a sharp turn south and hit us here in Tainan and Kaohsiung the hardest. Typhoons bring a lot of rain but also very strong winds. The winds from Fanapi were estimated to have gusts around 220kph, that could produce a lot of wind power.

But of course, anyone working with wind power should already know, when the conditions get this bad, it's time to batten down the hatches and secure everything. Wind power is a very useful resource and as with any power source, you have to monitor it and treat it with respect. I feel this past weekend was just a reminder that yes, we have a wonderful natural source for energy, but also to respect this wonderful big green planet we live on.

More on my continuing journey in Green power to come.

Harnessing water power without Damming

Just had a small lesson on our Hyrdo Turbines (see attached picture below if this blog things works correctly). Basically what it is similar to a wind turbine turned upside down, posted on Pontoons and anchored to the river bed. This means that you'll be able to harness the power of the river without the ecological affects that go with building a damn (not to mention the cost). 


Hydro Turbines are nothing new. Water wheels have been used for thousands of years for industrial use. The migration from water wheels to modern turbines took about one hundred years. Development occurred during the Industrial revolution, using scientific principles and methods. They also made extensive use of new materials and manufacturing methods developed at the time


Now the biggest advantage of Jetpro Tech Hyrdo Turbines which stand out against other suppliers is that ours are not permanently anchored. This means we don't have to lay a foundation and the Turbine is not planted in a single location. Don't get me wrong, ours is anchored, but that anchor can be pulled up easily and the turbine can be moved to another location. Also, by floating on the surface, the turbine is not affected by the water level, unless of course it gets so low that the Turbine happens to touch bottom. If that happens it's time to pack up and move on.


Wind is still the preferred method in many locations but when you find yourself located in a mountain canyon with a steady source of running water nearby then water might be your best choice.

Still in my first week but I'm excited about the opportunity and gaining the knowledge that I can make a difference. Electricity isn't a bad thing, you must have to be a lot smarter about where it comes from.

By the way, those of you owning a house or land that are reading this. There are personal 100W and 200W wind turbines on the market that can help you make a difference on your power bill (and that makes a difference on your fossil fuel burning power plant).

More to come from a man that's Turning Green (not of envy)

First Days

Ok, I started with Jetpro Technologies on Monday having done a bit of research into Wind Power and Alternative power sources. Let me assure you, there is nothing like going behind the scenes to really learn what an industry is about and what it has to offer.

In the first training class I was introduced to something called Betz' Law, which states that "you can only convert less than 16/27 (or 59%) of the kinetic energy in the wind to mechanical energy using a wind turbine". Now I had never heard of that, as it seemed pretty simple, Wind turned the blades which makes the power. The importance of this law is that is allows us to calculate a projects exact requirements when it comes to providing a wind power solution.  Ok, I am sure Betz' law will be coming up again.

The next thing I've been learning is about the complete system operation. It's not as easy as plugging your power cord into the Turbine. You see, when the wind makes energy it makes it in AC (Alternating Current) which is pumped into a Charger (much like a Battery charger, which is what it is). This Charger converts the AC into DC (Direct Current) so that it can be fed into a Battery (the Battery is important for when the wind isn't so strong). From the Battery it's fed into an inverter which once again converts it back to AC. This is then fed into the Load (or the socket depending on your needs). It seems pretty simple and actually is. It's like putting together a Jig Saw Puzzle.

Beyond the how's I've also been learning about the difference these options can make. We have many cases where Wind combined with Solar have been providing power solutions to Street Lights, Signage and commercial uses.

I will post more soon I know. It's only been 3 days but I've learned so much about this wonderful industry. I know there will be many more posts and more knowledge to share. Not to mention when I begin to start posting success stories.

Always feel free to contact me anytime you want to ask questions or learn more about Green Power or Jetpro Technologies.