Welcome to the V3 Power site
We are a renewable energy cooperative that focus on building, installing and running courses about renewable energy and appropriate technology.
Recent Events:
August
We ran a 5 day course in our Nottingham workshop with the outcome of a 2.4m battery charger destined for a remote cottage in Oxfordshire. This month we also provided power at several temporary events including Shambala festival and the camp for climate action just outside Edinburgh.
June/July - Festivals
We provided workshops and off grid power at various festivals including Sunrise, Sounds on the Downs and Glastonbury. We also ran a one day introduction to renewable energy at Ecoworks
Germany
In May V3 Power went on a trip to Germany with 3 main outcomes:
1. Alicia
A 1.2m turbine was built at Kassel University with students studying the EUREC European Master in Renewable Energy. The turbine, called Alicia, was left at the university as a demonstration.
2. Witzenhausen Maintenance
On a course last year a 3.6m turbine was connected to the German grid in a town near Kassel. The turbine was taken down for a maintenance check. Work carried out includes weatherproofing, programming inverter and adjusting rotor discs.
3. Cherry
On an impromptu 3 day course a 1.2m turbine was built in Witzenhausen and installed on a wooden monopole (our first!) in the Wagonplatz, a land project in a cherry orchard near the town.
Florence
In Mid April two V3 engineers helped a group of people build a 1.2m turbine which is destined for a derelict barge on the river Thames, more details here
Nesta
Since November last year we have been developing lesson plans to teach year 7, 8 and 9 young people basic engineering as part of the idiscover program from Nesta. In March we started delivering the classes in Manchester, London and Birmingham. The lessons consist of a bicycle generator based "scrap heap challenge", building a windup torch and (naturally) building a wind turbine. More details of the program here
Dolly
In early March we built a 1.2m 200W turbine at the Workhouse, Llanfyllin in Wales with 10 course attendees.
Environmental Playday
Pedal generator fun was had at this Playworks event on a park in St Annes, Nottingham.
Workers Education Authority
We attended a community renewables event in Calverton for Nottingham Loves Learning.
Rossport
At the end of Jan we went to the West coast of Ireland to run a course where we built and installed a 2.4m turbine. The power is being used for an off-grid house. For more details and pics see here.
Warwick
We built a 1KW machine over the course of two weekends in early Jan with the students from Engineers Without Borders Warwick. The turbine is due to be grid connected shortly.
Oscar
We built a 2.4m turbine over the course of a cold November week near Stamford which will be used to help power a mobile cinema. Pictures available here
Jim
We built a 1.2m turbine on a wet October weekend at Earthworm housing coop near the Welsh border. Pictures here. Report with videos here.
Climate Camps
V3 went on the road this summer, facilitating power from the wind and running workshops at Climate Camp Cymru in Merther Tydfil and the Camp for Climate Action on Blackheath common in London. A write up of the london event can be found here
Course at Sunseed in Spain
Two V3 engineers ran a course and built a beautiful turbine at Sunseed Desert Technology, pictures and write up here
Weekend Course in Cambridge
We recently built a 1.8m 300W turbine with a great group down in Cambridge. The turbine is going to live on a farm and be used for climate camp this summer. Pictures from the course
Sunrise Festival
V3 spent a week at the sunrise festival near Yeovil in Somerset, supplying power for a stage and running a diverse range of workshops including how to build a rocket stove, bike generators, hand built wind turbines and solar cooking.
Transition Town Sneinton Energy Festival
Transition Towns Nottingham is a movement we've been involved with for a while, and it was a pleasure to do a display about wind turbines, solar water heating, and pedal powered for this community event.
Other Projects
In the R+D department of V3 we've been looking into bike powered devices, in particular pedal powered generators using a permanent DC motors, and pedal powered smoothie makers. These are both available for demonstrations and events, and are a great way demonstating the effort needed to power stuff with your legs!
New on the Website
We now have a downloads section on our website, the purpose of which is to spread knowledge over the web by publishing "how to guides", installation manuals and other documents with info on DIY renewable energy. If you have anything you would like to put on the website, or similarly if you want information anything specific to go up there, let us know.
