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Sure. But naturally the same laws work in a vacuum cleaner. 2000W motor creates a certain wind speed related to the physical dimensions. And the generator speed is not limited to the rotor speed.

I'm just curious about the difference in costs between these two "machines."

by kjr63 on Thu Mar 3rd, 2011 at 12:57:48 PM EST
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A vacuum cleaner is not a reversible transducer, due to turbulence or something.  I think it's similar to the feynmann story about sprinklers in swimming pools.

Oh, and vacuum cleaner motors are universal motors, which don't make very good generators.  You generally want either an externally excited motor, a permanent magnet motor, or a synchronous AC motor for good generation capacity.  These are more expensive.

And then there is synchonisation with the grid, stability, remote control, self protection in high winds, abrasion (the vacuum cleaner turbine is in a dust free environment - I once tried to use my mum's vacuum cleaner without the bag, with a second pipe from the blow hole out the window.  It lasted about 5 minutes before it seized up.)

by njh on Thu Mar 3rd, 2011 at 06:49:45 PM EST
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Obviously generator and vacuum cleaner motor have a somewhat different construction. However, motors and generators are so similar by design that it is hard to believe significant cost difference between them. And naturally there are other costs than just motor. But so has a simple vacuum cleaner.

Anyway, Jerome's graph includes transfer price? That's half of the overall price, so the actual (end) production cost is in fact about 40e/MWh.

by kjr63 on Fri Mar 4th, 2011 at 02:09:18 PM EST
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Cheap motors are cheap.  But they don't make good generators.
by njh on Tue Mar 8th, 2011 at 05:02:43 PM EST
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