For this project we propose to cover the use of wind turbines as a renewable source of energy. The paper will go into detail about implementing these wind turbines domestically. This topic will cover a variety of subtopics related to wind turbines. One of the most important subtopics covered will be describing how wind turbines are able to convert wind into usable electricity. The paper will also provide a comparison amongst other popular renewable sources of energy such as solar power. In addition to these subtopics, the components that make up wind turbines and their uses will be discussed in detail. In summary, the topics discussed in this white paper will give the reader a good understanding of the technical aspects associated with domestic use of wind turbines.
There are many different types of wind turbines that can be used in a domestic application. Domestic wind turbines range from Vertical axis styles to regular windmill type setups. These types of turbines are capable of generating anywhere from 1.2 kW to 5 kW which can be up to 60% of a home’s energy needs. The first site I came to in my research was www.MariahPower.com. This site is mainly about a vertical axis style turbine called Windspire. This unit is capable of generating 1.2kW. Another site with good information is www.swiftwindturbine.com. These turbines are more of your typical windmill style turbines. Their biggest model is capable of generating 1.5kW. Another site www.bergey.com, has many different styles and models to suit your needs depending on what you are looking for. As you can see there are many possible sources out there so when we actually start the research on this project we will have to go through them and find the most credible ones by looking at reviews about the sites.
Our primary audience would be pretty much any interested in implementing wind turbine energy for domestic use. This would most likely be the actual home owners themselves or people looking into implementing this kind of technology for domestic use. Our secondary audience would most likely be the contractors or engineers that are most likely going to actually building and implementing wind turbine technology. These are the people that are going to be advising our primary readers on the benefits and costs of implementing wind turbine technology into their homes. The tertiary readers, for our specific situation, would be our peers. In a real life situation the tertiary readers would probably include big energy companies or companies that would be offering this sort of technology to their customers. The gatekeeper, for our situation, would be the teachers of this course. In a real life situation our gatekeeper audience would probably be the government or some organization that regulates and sets standards for this type of technology.
Our design is going to be revolved around our audiences’ needs. While we will target the understanding of the potential home owners, we will also focus our documentation on the technical performance of the device. We will achieve this by supplying the technical audiences with the proper data, graphics, and any helpful technical representation such as graphs. Providing the home owners with the problem and solution, the information given in our white paper will help our audiences chose the best alternative to their energy problems. We will offer data related to energy efficiencies to their homes and the overall environment and also present home owners potential cost effectiveness. We will present the home owner audience with the same graphical approach, but in a simple relationship to what they might understand.
Our group will divide the responsibilities equally. All four of our members will focus on one individual element and then collectively work on the final white paper draft together. Ben is in control of the group activity reports, Young is responsible for the thumbnail design, Bobby is in charge of the research blog, and Brian is working on the Gannt Chart.
Group 2 Proposal Feedback
There are several areas in which proposal needs to be clearer and more specific. Additionally, I am confused as to how this white paper meets the assignment guidelines.
For starters, you need to have a much more focused audience in mind; "pretty much any interested in implementing wind turbine energy for domestic use" isn't going to cut it. You need start with the document itself. Not just anybody reads white papers. Is the audience a private or public institution? Is it a large or a small organization? Each of these insitutions and organizations makes decisions differently and has different needs, expectations, values, and resoures. These are questions you need to answer before you begin researching and writing.
Keep in mind that the purpose of a white paper is to evaluate competing solutions for a specific problem, so that the reader can make an informed choice. Solution options are mutually exclusive, so the decision-making audience is only going to select one. For a white paper, you must identify a specific problem, but your proposal doesn't quite do this. It appears to be structured as a set of instructions or a collection of tips towards implementing wind turbines. What is the specific problem you address, and then what are the pros and cons of the competing solutions to that problem?
Imagine if the specific problem you were addressing was that the mother of a middle-class family of five people did not know what mid-sized sedan to buy. The corresponding white paper would present the strengths and weaknesses of the different makes and models (based upon cost, gas milage, room, features, etc.), but ultimately the audience is just going to select one of them, not buy them all. With your topic, you seem to be identifying different issues (electricity, heating/cooling, laundry) and then presenting tips for each one. The reader doesn't have to choose one option from many, because pursuing one option doesn't preclude him or her from pursuing the others. Indeed, you suggest that the reader should do them all.
This white paper would evaluate the pros and cons of the different options so that the audience can make an informed decision about selecting one based on his or her situational needs. That's what you're after.
Note: at one point in this proposal the author slips into first person. Remember, in all of these group documents, to be consistent.