I've wondered why wind setups are not that common for boondocking times.It is understandable that if one is going from place to place, taking time to set up and tear down a wind tower isn't worth the time, but for a 1-2 week vacation, it might be worth having, especially if one can get a tower high enough to use the faster winds above the ground. Even a mount that is directly on a rig may some into handy.Of course, there are other caveats (dump loads, variable winds), but even with that in mind, it can be useful for an energy source at night or during overcast weather. Noise may be an issue, but the wind turbines I've heard were not that bad. There is also the fact that the turbine + blades + tower take up space.Is there any reason that wind turbines are not that common for boondocking? Since I'm looking at building a solar trailer, I might as well see about adding the ability to mount a tower for wind energy.

I've read here about members seeing some down in Quartzsite. The smaller one's are pretty loud though. That would be my guess on the lack of use.

Main issue is there is NO "power" able to be harvested in wind speeds BELOW 7 MPH, very little can be harvested at 10 MPH and to really get any meaning full harvest 15-20 MPH winds are needed.You also need CONSTANT winds to really get any meaning full harvest.I don't know about you, but I am heading for SAFER shelter if I have constant wind speeds of 15MPH or better!You also need to have an open unobstructed area around the wind gen, that means no trees, buildings or other objects near the wind gen..Wind speeds tend to be slower near the ground also so that requires a pretty sturdy tower along with some sort of base that is not going to tip over in high wind gusts..Most of those small wind gen manufacturers tend to way overstate the output and often in small print the full output won't be achieved until you get to 20MPH + wind speeds..In a nutshell, to expensive, very little output at windspeeds below 20 MPH and to much hassle..

well I have seen the wind turbines on sail boats, so why not. now its all happy-camping

Like anything else, if they were cost effective, you would see them all over. The unvarnished truth is....... they are not.

Height is the needed element for a good wind turbine. A permanent setup should be 120' above the ground to work efficiently. That's to get above the drag caused by the objects on the ground. Do not mount one to a structure or vehicle because the noise will drive you nuts, it will resonate through the whole place.

Wind generators not common? | Good Sam Community

29 Replies

joshuajim
Explorer II
Jul 23, 2014
Gdetrailer wrote:

I don't know about you, but I am heading for SAFER shelter if I have constant wind speeds of 15MPH or better!

I can tell that you have not spent much time in the desert. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but 15 to 30 MPH sustained winds are very common out here. Yes the RV does a little rockin', but it's nothing dangerous.

I too don't believe that it would be practical for an RV, but for a permanent house it's much better than solar in this area.
Gjac
Explorer III
Jul 23, 2014
MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Well, one thing's for certain...

With a wind powered generator, you can lay in bed, with a pillow stuffed over your head and know for a fact whether the wind is blowing or not. We vets may have dreams about Hueys and Cobras.

The wind pushes harder than my wallet pushes back to build a tower strong enough to keep from toppling.
The Cobras and Heuy's were loud because they were 2 blades. I can tell you the Blackhawks were quieter because they were 4 blades and Comanche helicopter was even quieter with it 6 blades. When I hear a Cobra or Heuy I think of Country Joe and the Fish.
kccwoodworks
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
Check out Wind Blue Power. The use modified Delco alternators w/permanent magnet rotors. The cost with controller is around $300. It will produce sufficient voltage to your batteries at only 130RPM. Build your own blades from PVC pipe.
camperpaul
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
Gdetrailer wrote:
I would HIGHLY doubt that YOU would be "comfortable" inside or outside a RV with a continuous 15MPH or even 20MPH wind blowing across the BROADSIDE of said rig. Not to mention potential gusts well in excess of 40+ MPH.
No problem a few years ago when my anemometer broke indicating 94 MPH.
Everyone tends to think they are going to get something for nothing with wind power. They read the hyped up marketing brochures from these small wind gen companies selling folks a real snow job.
Agreed.
It takes a LARGE rotor sweep area to really capture any substantial power from the wind. Pretty much all of these 500W and smaller wind gens use a three blade setup and typically smaller than 3ft of swept area. That means this blade WILL HAVE to be spinning at a very high speed at the tips, this makes a lot of noise but nets very low wattage.
A windmill with 3 ft blades will have a blade swept area of ~28 ft^2.
When the blade tips break the sound barrier it does get a little noisy.
To harvest enough energy from the wind to make it worth while, it requires at least 12 ft blades (452 ft^2).
Most will start SPINNING around 7MPH but the cut in will be well above 10 MPH and when it makes it to the cut in you will be getting only a couple of watts of power..

Pretty much all of these small wind gens spec the FULL output well over 30MPH and some even as high as 40 MPH.. Anything BELOW the full rated winds peed you get MUCH LESS.
-- snip --
You do realize that if you put an alternator on a stationary bike you can provide 50 WATTS of power for as long as you can sustain it.. and short bursts of power above that..
Done that. With the correct pedal crank length and the right sprockets, it delivers about 75 Watts continuously with bursts to 150 Watts.
pawatt
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
20 MPH winds, that's just a cool breeze. We had 60 - 80 MPH wind gusts last night. Now that did some minor damage & caused many power outages.
mena661
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
Gdetrailer wrote:

I would HIGHLY doubt that YOU would be "comfortable" inside or outside a RV with a continuous 15MPH or even 20MPH wind blowing across the BROADSIDE of said rig. Not to mention potential gusts well in excess of 40+ MPH.
I LIVE in these conditions, I go to work in these conditions, I do yard work in these conditions, I take walks with the DW in these conditions, I grill burgers in these conditions, I've CAMPED in these conditions!!!! LOL! Hell, I've camped in 60 mph gusts. Now THAT gets the MH rocking but it doesn't move in 15-20 mph winds. This is NORMAL where I live. It's not an aberration, this is everyday, regular stuff. SoCal is known for its sun but not many people talk about the wind. Look up Santa Ana winds sometime. Doesn't stop anyone from camping out here. Normal stuff.

Here's the wind speed right now where I live. DW just came inside from working with the horses. Normal stuff.

http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?query=93560
Bill_Satellite
Explorer II
Jul 23, 2014
It's not a matter of intentionally camping somewhere, but if that somewhere is where I want to go I will camp there unless something dangerous is expected. 15-20 MPH winds are not dangerous and they really are not an inconvenience either.
Wind, I've been in wind! but calling 15-20 MPH WIND is just silly. That's a nice breeze which simply limits your ability to cook outdoors.
As to wind generators, most RVers are not going to be parked where these kinds of winds are available on a regular basis (but could be a good "driving down the road" source) so other, more practical options such as solar (the thing the RVers like the most!) leave the limited options available from wind in the dust.
We are currently in NV. Not much wind going on here (I have yet to see one windmill) but solar is EVERYWHERE.
Huntindog
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
Gdetrailer wrote:
I can not imagine intentionally wanting to camp in high winds.
Here are a few reasons: Deer season, Elk Season, Turkey season, Dog Trials.

These are SCHEDULED events that take place no matter what mother nature is doing... If you are gonna do it, It's time to put on your big boy pants as you gotta be prepared for anything.

I on the other hand cannot imagine going camping just to sit in my chair if the weather is nice..
I can do that at home a lot more comfortably and cheaper.
westend
Explorer
Jul 23, 2014
Average wind speed map for 30M
Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Jul 22, 2014
mena661 wrote:
Gdetrailer wrote:

I don't know about you, but I am heading for SAFER shelter if I have constant wind speeds of 15MPH or better!
Oh cmon! There's nothing dangerous about 15 mph wind speeds. If you lived in my area you'd be scared to death everyday if that was the case. Nearly EVERY evening the winds reach 15-20 mph in the warmer months here. My and everyone elses RV's do quite well. We drive in it, tow in it, I see hundreds of people going up and down the freeway in their rigs.

I would HIGHLY doubt that YOU would be "comfortable" inside or outside a RV with a continuous 15MPH or even 20MPH wind blowing across the BROADSIDE of said rig. Not to mention potential gusts well in excess of 40+ MPH.

Everyone tends to think they are going to get something for nothing with wind power. They read the hyped up marketing brochures from these small wind gen companies selling folks a real snow job.

It takes a LARGE rotor sweep area to really capture any substantial power from the wind. Pretty much all of these 500W and smaller wind gens use a three blade setup and typically smaller than 3ft of swept area. That means this blade WILL HAVE to be spinning at a very high speed at the tips, this makes a lot of noise but nets very low wattage.

Most will start SPINNING around 7MPH but the cut in will be well above 10 MPH and when it makes it to the cut in you will be getting only a couple of watts of power..

Pretty much all of these small wind gens spec the FULL output well over 30MPH and some even as high as 40 MPH.. Anything BELOW the full rated windspeed you get MUCH LESS.

I don't know about you but for me I would have a hard time keeping my camp chairs firmly planted on the ground at 30MPH..

You do realize that if you put an alternator on a stationary bike you can provide 50 WATTS of power for as long as you can sustain it.. and short bursts of power above that..

I would suggest that you go to FIELDLINES.COM and start reading instead of reading the marketing double speak form those wind gen vendors.

Recently I was camped at a beach, our campsite was 100 yards back from the beach.. Down at the beach we had one day with 18MPH constant wind with 26 MPH gusts. The wind was picking the sand up and whipping it at us, felt like I was using a sand blaster.. ON ME!

Back 100 yards at the campsite behind a sand dune the wind was just under 10 MPH and was picking up our chairs and anything else that was not strapped firmly down to a heavy object.. That day was not fun and I can not imagine intentionally wanting to camp in high winds..

Pack as much solar on as you can, much quieter and a bit more reliable than wind.