Monday 2 November 2009

Full steam ahead


Not that Archie produces any steam, but after the driest October I can remember (well certainly dryer than last October) we have the first of the winters rain and Archie producing over 40kWh again.

Our main problem at this time of year (and this year we are ready and prepared) is the amazing amount of dead wood, leaves and other vegetation (and pallets) that come down the Sett and Goyt and get trapped by the intake.

On a daily basis until the end of the month volunteers will be getting kitted outed in the ever so fashionable waders (see pic to the left !) and removing debris from the intake.


It is surprising the increase in power you will get from clearing the intake - this morning at 8:00am sharp we cleared the intake and soon the output was up from 25kwH to over 45kWh - well worth the effort !

The other positive news to report is after working closely with High Peak Borough Council and after input from many 'experts' we have had the restrictions lifted on running Archie overnight - the control systems are now configured to automatically shutdown at the power output level that has in the past produced some noise.

We will continue to monitor the improvements we have made and keep you updated on this blog.

3 comments:

Vambac 11 said...

Please explain what is meant by what you term as 'experts'

Vambac 11 said...

Please define the term 'experts'

Whewell said...

An expert is someone who by either studying a subject or indepth experience in a particular field becomes kwowledgeable to the point where his or her knowledge is deemed to be valuable within that field.

Wikepdedia goes into more detail : An expert ( Audio (US) (help·info)) is someone widely recognized as a reliable source of technique or skill whose faculty for judging or deciding rightly, justly, or wisely is accorded authority and status by their peers or the public in a specific well-distinguished domain. An expert, more generally, is a person with extensive knowledge or ability based on research, experience, or occupation and in a particular area of study. Experts are called in for advice on their respective subject, but they do not always agree on the particulars of a field of study. An expert can be, by virtue of credential, training, education, profession, publication or experience, believed to have special knowledge of a subject beyond that of the average person, sufficient that others may officially (and legally) rely upon the individual's opinion. Historically, an expert was referred to as a sage (Sophos). The individual was usually a profound thinker distinguished for wisdom and sound judgment.

Experts have a prolonged or intense experience through practice and education in a particular field. In specific fields, the definition of expert is well established by consensus and therefore it is not necessary for an individual to have a professional or academic qualification for them to be accepted as an expert. In this respect, a shepherd with 50 years of experience tending flocks would be widely recognized as having complete expertise in the use and training of sheep dogs and the care of sheep. Another example from computer science is that an expert system may be taught by a human and thereafter considered an expert, often outperforming human beings at particular tasks. In law, an expert witness must be recognized by argument and authority.

Look up expert in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Research in this area attempts to understand the relation between expert knowledge and exceptional performance in terms of cognitive structures and processes. The fundamental research endeavor is to describe what it is that experts know and how they use their knowledge to achieve performance that most people assume requires extreme or extraordinary ability. Studies have investigated the factors that enables experts to be fast and accurate.[1]