Feb 19 2011
Second Wind, a Boston based company that develops wind measurement systems, has bestowed a Nomad 2 Wind Data Logger to a group of engineering students belonging to the Dartmouth Humanitarian Engineering Project (DHE), who have plans of evaluating the wind conditions in the Kigoma Region of Tanzania.
This would bring sustainable development to a remote Tanzanian region bordered by Lake Tanganyika, full of small villages, which are unconnected to the electrical grid. Molly Wilson, one of the student volunteers, stated that there was not much information available about wind conditions in the variable terrain of Western Tanzania. They were reviewing the wind velocity and the direction, along with the seasonal variations from areas that demonstrate strong seasonal correlations that correspond to rainy and dry seasons.
DHE would utilize the local knowledge and the existing wind data for selecting potential turbine locations. The students would install the Nomad on the location for a period of four to six months and gather data from the instruments that measure wind. They would then use the data gathered to make informed decisions about the wind turbine construction on that site. This initiative is a part of the DHE’s efforts for helping the development of a sustainable economic base at the Kigoma region. The engineering students create suitable technological solutions as part of their studies and student volunteers set up the solutions in the field. In Kigoma the first project by DHE was developing a cook stove, which would operate by using fuel more efficiently and give out minimum amount of pollutants. This stove could also be made from locally available materials by the Kigomo residents themselves. Other projects that were launched by the DHE were a composting latrine and an enhanced coffee stove, which could dry coffee beans with less fuel.
According to Matt McLoughlin, the Director of Tower System Sales in the Second Wind, wind was the best source of energy for a region, which was striving to become self-sufficient and at the same time have a friendly impact on the environment. The DHE project led a sustainable development movement based on local resources and needs. The students also received the benefits of the hands on approach with the state of the art wind measurement technology. He also added that they were happy to be of service by offering them the Nomad. The Nomad 2 would compile data from all the sensors and send them to users via a range of communication options such as SkyServe Wind Data Service. The Second Wind has shipped more than 10000 Nomad data loggers in 2010 to all the seven continents and each unit compiles data from more than 20 weather sensors.
Source: http://www.secondwind.com