I need a means of driving a 3 horsepower induction motor re-purposed as an induction generator which would coincide with specific cost-effective parameters. I ran the numbers in an excel spreadsheet and realized that the amount of gasoline or diesel required to run an engine appropriate for a 3 horsepower generator consumes more fuel per hour than is economical when the electricity is sold back on the grid. Over a month period, here's what I calculated:Run time in Hrs: 300.00 (10hrs a day, 30 days)Gallons per hour: .30 (1/3rd gallon per hour avg. consumption for 5hp engine)AVG output KW: 2.00 (3 horsepower generator)Fuel in gallons: 90.00 Price of fuel $/gal: 3.50Kilowatt-Hrs: 600.00Energy Cost: .08Net Profit: -270.00I've considered using a pressure cooker, wood pellet stove, and compressor pump as steam engine for an economical way to produce long-term torque, but am not sure how to modify the pump to operate as a steam engine. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks
You are up against economy of scale. The power company produces millions of kW-hours, so they can sell it to you much cheaper than you can possibly generate it. And with a lot less pollution. Your only chance is to use solar cells or a wind turbine, but even there, the payoff period for the capital expense is 20 years or more, unless you have very favorable conditions. And the equipment used to synchronize with the power line and generate your power must be approved by the power company. I doubt they would approve your home made generator. In fact even with approval, it takes an expert to get it working correctly.
Synchronizing an induction generator to the grid is a major problem. Forget it.
If you are serious about selling power to your utility; ask if they will accept inverter output. If so, an inverter can lock phase with fairly simple circuitry. Using HD diode isolation simplfies voltage matching. You would be wiser to generate low voltage DC from solar panels or a wind turbine. (Noise and pollution free.) Talk to a utility rep first to learn their requirements.
