Wind Turbine Tower Assembly

Our concrete foundations for the wind turbine have been curing as we studied solar thermal and micro hydro topics. Today we began assembly of the tower. We had been working on painting the tower and cables over the past week. Even though the tower, cables, and other steel parts are all galvanized, we are putting them up within 50 feet of the fine blue salt water of the Carribean. This is a highly corrosive environment. With everything painted we hope to hold up better to the salt spray. We started hauling and assembling the tower components into place. Here are a few pictures.

Micro Hydro Power

We covered Micro Hydro electric generation in the classroom. Pete Davidson came in to discuss the hydro system which was previously installed in Stafford creek. The system was overpowered by the tremendous tidal current in the creek and Pete just finished overhauling/rebuilding it. Due to our project commitments on the wind turbine and solar thermal projects we did not have time to redeploy this system, so that is left for the next class at Forfar or Pete in his spare time. Pete has proposed a battery charging system for boats on the Stafford creek. This system would provide outreach and education for the local community. When asked about the hot pink color of the turbine Pete simply said it has always been his favorite color ;D

Solar Hot Water Heating

We spent some time analyzing the solar hot water heater installed on the Forfar motel. Prior to our arrival we had heard several reports regarding the system. It’s definitely not working, it’s definitely working, it might be working, it might not be working. The students and I discussed the system, during our class, reviewed the design, piping, flow rates, etc. We then decided on a set of changes we believed would improve the performance of the system. As a means of testing these changes we started by installing a Metrima BTU meter. This clever little device measures the temperature on the collector supply and return line, and the flow through the collector loop and reports the kilowatt hours of energy generated by the system. It is a utility grade meter. We then set about making our changes and monitoring the system. Our series of changes included 1) installing a shutoff valve in the electric tank which would require the system to draw off water from the solar tank rather than from the main water line when hot water was in use., 2) cleaning the solar thermal and PV panel driving the pump, 3) replacing the 5 watt PV panel with a 10 W panel, 4) replacing the 3.5 W circulating pump with a 10watt pump, 5) moving the thermal loop return to the electric water heater lower in the tank, and the elecric heating element higher in the tank. Through a systemeatic change and monitor approach we improved the system performance significantly over the week of our studies in solar thermal work. Pictures show the students installing the Metrima and making the first changes to the system. We improved the performance so much that we had to install an antiscald device in the system to ensure no one gets cooked in the shower.

Around Forfar

OK, we are not always talking about, or learning about renewable energy here at Forfar. We do spend time hanging out in the lodge, playing cards, domino’s, scrabble, etc, and taking in the local sights and scenes. Here are few pictures.

Terpy is a local lady who comes in each evening and set's up a small concession stand in the lodge. She offers cokes, candy, jewelry, and other treats for sale to the students.

Forfar Interns

The day to day operations of the Forfar Field Station is handled by a dedicated staff of interns. They manage getting groups on and off the station, logistics of food, fuel, and other necessities, teach classes, facilitate trips, and generally make the place go. They work hard at what they do and were very helpful to us as we worked to get our projects done.

In the backrow we have Leslie, Katie, Lindsey, Megan, Ryan (String), and Bob. In the front row we have Brock, TJ, Rob, and Ryan (Red)

Bahamian Food & Staff Pictures

The food at Forfar is good and no one but the picky eaters go away hungry. Last night the cooks prepared a traditional Bahamian supper for us. Pidgeon Peas and Rice (spiced with coconut milk), Baked macaroni and cheese, Conch fritters (think hush puppies with bits of conch mixed in) and fried grouper (fresh catch with special thanks to Ricardo Riley our maintenance chief). Yummmmmm! Here are a few snaps fo the Forfar staff.

This is Catherine White. She is a bit camera shy but agreed to a picture when I told her I'd make her famous as a cook on the internet. She takes care of breakfast each morning working with Mrs. Fowler.









Here is Portia Riley and Elthy Mae Murphy. These are the ladies who put together the AWSOME Bahamian meal for us. Portia told us she is one of 20 children in her family, born to one woman and one man. She grew up on a farm just north of Stafford Creek. Elthy lives in Stafford Creek and is the mother of three children.


This is Jan Gibson. Jan is our housekeeper in charge of the lodge. She also takes care of our laundry at the station. She resides in Stafford Creek and is always bubbly a bubbly morning person.



This is Joyce Fowler. Always stylish in the kitchen with her hat for the day. She makes all of our sandwich and sweet bread too. I heard stories that if one of the gents happen into the ktichen without their shirt on, they are likely to get a towel snapped on their backside as a reminder that shirts are required. Mrs Fowler has been with Forfar for 20+ years.



This is Maxwell Roberts (aka Daddy Cool) He provides security for Forfar in the evenings from 6:00 PM to midnight. He makes sure everything is locked down for the night and "everthing stays cool". Max is also the pastor of the Miracle Church of God in Stafford Creek.

It Never Rains on Andros In January

We woke to a clear day and set about pumping out our final anchor hole for pouring. Due to the high tide it soon became clear that we could not bail or pump fast enough to keep up with the water so we bagged the pour till the tide went down.

Back in the classroom we began our work on solar thermal systems, and then went down to study the hot water heating system at the Forfar motel. We are formulating our plan for monioting and modifying the system to improve performance.

After lunch we headed out to pour peir #4. We just finished the pour when the rain moved in. So we covered our work, gathere our tools, and headed back to the classroom looking like a bunch of drowned rats. The rain stayed with us till late in the afternoon and though we were anxious to get back out and finish our work, the weather looked iffy so we decided to wait till tomorrow to finish our concrete work.

We learned two things today. You can't fight the tide, and if you want a weather forecast ask Ricardo, not Pete. We did get to enjoy a lovely rainbow at the end of our day.