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Variable Input Electric Generator

Engineering TV interviews John McDonald, CEO of EXRO Technologies, a clean energy company that has invented, designed, and prototyped the world's first Variable Input Electric Generator (VIEG, pronounced veej). Electrical generators are very efficient when the energy source spins their shafts at a pre-specified speed and torque, but their efficiency drops precipitously when the energy source varies up and down. Rather than connecting a string of individual legacy machines together through mechanical gearing, the VIEG is a single machine made up of a series of paired coils combined with high-speed electronic switching. Current modeling estimates show double digit gains in economic output (depending on configuration) after installing a VIEG rather than a traditional generator in a typical MW class wind turbine. For more information, go to: EXRO Technologies.

Hosted by: Lou Frenzel Videography by: Curtis Ellzey Edited by: Curtis Ellzey

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Published Jun 01 2009, 07:00 AM by CurtisEllzey
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  • Comments

     

    Allan Gale said:

    Who got the $$ for this add?  Waste of time...never told how generator worked or if it even works.  Where is the data to show that it has a performance, efficiency, weight, cost or operational benefit?  

    Your video engineering concept has such great potential why did you waste it for a  ?product?  and add with no technical proof?

    July 20, 2009 2:15 PM
     

    CTYankee said:

    It's a pull-chain speed control generator. -- Cool!

    Seriously, I know it sounds condescending, but it's actually a clever idea.

    I don't see any real reason that a high pole-count armature and stator couldn't be reconfigured on the fly.  Maximum of 6 IGBT's or HEXFET's per coil would do the trick.

    July 23, 2009 1:04 PM
     

    Anwar Soliman said:

    John McDonald's discussion of EXRO's VIEG was great. Windtronix is looking for something similar to VIEG for its residential Vertical Axis Wind Turbine( 8-10KW).

    July 24, 2009 12:53 PM
     

    Star said:

    See www.cleanenergytechnologies.net and there multi-stator technology, already working and proven, we use them in our turbines.

    August 17, 2009 2:44 PM

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