Wind generator!

[lewisericeric]

Thanks Jelunga . What is the maximum wattage for the 910? This one I'm getting is 400 watts but to be honest unless it's in a gale force situation I'm not expecting that! However what does attract me is that wind can be 24/7 and with coming up to winter , solar isn't, maybe 5 or 6 hours at the very very best. Even coming into September now I've noticed a huge change in my solar ability.

 

That's why I'm getting it - not to expect miracles, but I believe that a little bit of everything: solar, wind and engine will benefit me overall. Nothing is a one stop shop but put a few different ingredients into the pie and I should be ok over winter now I'm no longer on shoreline

[jelunga]

Thanks Jelunga . What is the maximum wattage for the 910? This one I'm getting is 400 watts but to be honest unless it's in a gale force situation I'm not expecting that! However what does attract me is that wind can be 24/7 and with coming up to winter , solar isn't, maybe 5 or 6 hours at the very very best. Even coming into September now I've noticed a huge change in my solar ability.

 

That's why I'm getting it - not to expect miracles, but I believe that a little bit of everything: solar, wind and engine will benefit me overall. Nothing is a one stop shop but put a few different ingredients into the pie and I should be ok over winter now I'm no longer on shoreline

My thoughts toi. Wind can blow through the night. Sun does go to bed. A littje is better than nothing. .

[wannabe]

I have often considered a wind genny, but more as a white noise generator. What with SWMBO snoring, and the dogs doing that "dream barking" in their sleep number all night, I think the gentle noise of a wind genny might drown some of that out.

 

 

 

 

 

.

You've almost convinced me about wind power

Almost............ lol

[Laurie Booth]

Julynian's link (see post above) shows a wind turbine, but I was amused by the text, obviously translated into English from maybe Chinese? :-

 

Wind is in nature inexhaustible energy, but also not pollute the environment is one of the energy.Changeing the wind energy to power energy is used in industy production and normal life,which is human ideal energy acquisition modes...

 

Not that I could get anywhere near translating anything into Chinese . . .

不，我能得到附近的任何地方把任何东西到中国

[lewisericeric]

It arrived. It's the size of a small aircraft....

[Ex- Member]

It arrived. It's the size of a small aircraft....

 

Just make sure you bolt it down well

 

 

 

[lewisericeric]

Will do !!!!

[Grace and Favour]

I hope your project takes off!

 

 

Edited September 5, 2012 by Grace & Favour

[Higgs]

I've had a Rutland 913 for years. It's absolutely the quietest thing on the planet. I swear, one day I'm going to take it out of the box and fit it.

 

On the practical side. I've had a foot made for it with a pivot - to be roof mounted. Intend to fit the foot with bobbin type dampers.

 

I'm going to fit it, before it becomes eligible for V&A. Manana.

[lewisericeric]

LEWIS'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[JDR]

LEWIS'!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you Inspector Morse?

[Barry]

Are you Inspector Morse?

 

Morse would have gone........

 

LEWiiiiiiiiiiis

[Lesd]

Regarding the noise/vibration, I found that much of the noise is transferred down the steel guy wires so even if you use thick rubber on the mounting brackets you'll still get plenty of vibration. Try to think of a way of having some kind of rubber link in the guy wires (without compromising the safety) and I think you could make it a fair bit quieter.

[nb Innisfree]

Regarding the noise/vibration, I found that much of the noise is transferred down the steel guy wires so even if you use thick rubber on the mounting brackets you'll still get plenty of vibration. Try to think of a way of having some kind of rubber link in the guy wires (without compromising the safety) and I think you could make it a fair bit quieter.

 

Nylon ratchet straps instead maybe? Would need to put a few twists in to stop them vibrating in the wind.

[Smelly]

Mount it to a bulkhead rather than on the roof. Some Landrover engine mounts tapped into the stern bulkhead were a good start.

[Scooby]

I have a rutland 913, its been laid on the roof for nearly a year, dont like the noise it makes down the boat, much happier with the solar.

[IainW]

Pictures please!

[Scooby]

Pictures please!

 

 

[lewisericeric]

Hi guys

 

We mounted ours on 48mm scaffolding on scaffolding brakcets which are mounted onto the rear bulkhead rather than on the roof directly.... Behind the brackets is some 7mm rubber too and so far the noise inside is minimal and not annoying at all really. Kind of just sounds like a car in the distance sometimes or a distant washing machine! Ha!!

 

The annoying thing is the controller and most other wind controllers..... Unlike the outback we have for the solar panels, theres no screen to show how many amps or anything I'm getting at any one point.... So don't even know if I've wired it up correctly and I'm getting a bloody charge to the batteries.

 

All there is on it is a flashing light to show that it's spinning! Argh

 

So.... On the same pole I'm thinking of getting one of those weather stations.l.l I can mount the wind sensor underneath the wind generator and have the screen in the saloon and then know at any given moment the wind speed and convert that into how many watts/amps I'm getting as per the instruction manual for the generator. Why not just look at a weather site you say? Well I did today and it said average wind speed was 12mph and gusts up to 20. Went to a friend nearby who has a weather station and it was only registering 1.6mph so a weather station of my own would give a bit more of an accurate reading....and allow me to geek out even more

[blodger]

I am sorry to say if it is not noisy it is not charging!

 

Stick a 4amp ammeter in line to see the trickle charging. You will probably find you do not need the wind charge regulator. At least the Rutland 200 regulator has neon voltage indicators for 1 or 2 banks.

[lewisericeric]

Already tested and it is charging. Also, Last might when it was quite windy it there was a big increase on the voltage screen when I would switch the regulator 'off ' and then back on and batteries were charging overnight whereas beforehand they would start losing SOC from about 8pm at about 4% an hour.

 

I think a lot of noise is down to people incorrectly or poorly installing them... there was only a bit of noise from the vibration, but nothing to be alarmed or annoyed about

Edited September 7, 2012 by lewisericeric

[blodger]

Already tested and it is charging. Also, Last might when it was quite windy it there was a big increase on the voltage screen when I would switch the regulator 'off ' and then back on and batteries were charging overnight whereas beforehand they would start losing SOC from about 8pm at about 4% an hour.

 

I think a lot of noise is down to people incorrectly or poorly installing them... there was only a bit of noise from the vibration, but nothing to be alarmed or annoyed about

Mine is OK if I leave the 4 stays a bit slack but with time a rumble has developed in the bearing. Unless it is more than rumbling the charge rate is pretty insignificant. I found the regulator was always cutting off charging; Had it repaired once under warranty but when it went the same way again I took it off and canibalised it to show the relative voltages of two tractor batteries and a caravan leisure battery at an off grid location

[lewisericeric]

Not really sure how vibrations from a pipe can have an effect on the voltage from the alternator in the generator and being sent to the batteries via the cables??

 

Like I say, hit me with 30+ mph winds and it might be a different story but nothing to be alarmed of yet.

[blodger]

Not really sure how vibrations from a pipe can have an effect on the voltage from the alternator in the generator and being sent to the batteries via the cables??

 

Like I say, hit me with 30+ mph winds and it might be a different story but nothing to be alarmed of yet.

 

I was referring to the transmitted noise/vibration being less if the holding up tackle is left a little slack, output unaffected.

 

Yes, it is nice to see a few free amps flowing through but wind always seems to be in gusts so the amps needle fluctuates in accord and to the tempo of the blades spinning.

[Arthur Brown]

Try to fit the wing generator pole where it cannot cast a shadow over the solar PV panels even a fine line shadow can reduce the solar PV to close to zero.

 

There are lots of direct reading DC ammeters to indicate charge current.

 

Any form of free electricity is good news especially as we get to the less solar friendly months.