Wind Generator?

[Sourdough_Biscu]

Solar and batteries. I get it. That's the standard suggestion. But, I've also spent many nights in windy conditions. Would love to charge at NIGHT too! Or cloudy, windy days.

Does anyone have any experience with wind? Seems like there was a lot of interest around 2013/14, but it seems to have died down. So, maybe wasn't really feasible?

I have heard the "issues" are: noise, vibration, storage. And, cost. I THINK most of the "big" systems are more expensive than solar panels for the same amount of wattage.

The "perfect" wind generator (for MY needs) would generate just a couple amps. Almost a maintenance charge.

Bob

[magicbus]

Yo do have to use caution when adding a second alternator or even increasing the size of a single one. I had a Cummins QSB5.9 on our boat and they had specs for how much you can increase a single alternator and how to install two so they balanced each other. It is all about the wear on the main bearings.

Dave

[MrWizard]

X2
The alternator is an engine load, abet a small one, all things considered

The wind turbine is a resistance/drag load, going against the wind is what makes it turn

It's only free, when your sitting still , and the wind is blowing

I prefer the alternator

[DallasSteve]

From a practical economic standpoint neither the alternator nor a roof turbine will give you free energy when driving. They both will convert the gasoline/diesel into electricity, but it's not free.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

Few wind machines can withstand a 60 mph wind. It may be more economic to add a 2nd alternator, or an external diode to the existing alternator.

Gjac wrote:
I don't like to camp in the wind or sun, much prefer a shaded forested site in the summer. Maybe another option to put back some amps is a roof mounted turbine type system that will generate higher amps when traveling to your next camp site at 45-60 mpg.

[Gjac]

I don't like to camp in the wind or sun, much prefer a shaded forested site in the summer. Maybe another option to put back some amps is a roof mounted turbine type system that will generate higher amps when traveling to your next camp site at 45-60 mpg.

[valhalla360]

wa8yxm wrote:
The major issue with Wind is noise. but some systems are not all that noisy (Alas I'm not expert enough to say which) also you have the size and wind load on whatever mast you use.

But they do make 'em. And they do work, ,It is windy where I am just now.

I've yet to come across one that isn't an issue on a windy night (parked next to them in the boat). The tone may change but they all seem to get noisy when the wind is cranking....which of course is when they can produce some reasonable power.

[centerline]

wind generation was about the only option several years ago, and a lot of sailboats had them installed at one time, but since solar has advanced as far as it has, the small wind generators with their continual required maintenance is becoming obsolete...
when one takes into account the cost and maintenance of solar vs a wind generator, the solar will win every time...until you get up in size where the generator output is measured in kws rather than watts...

[free_radical]

Sourdough Biscuits wrote:
Solar and batteries. I get it. That's the standard suggestion. But, I've also spent many nights in windy conditions. Would love to charge at NIGHT too! Or cloudy, windy days.

Does anyone have any experience with wind? Seems like there was a lot of interest around 2013/14, but it seems to have died down. So, maybe wasn't really feasible?

I have heard the "issues" are: noise, vibration, storage. And, cost. I THINK most of the "big" systems are more expensive than solar panels for the same amount of wattage.

The "perfect" wind generator (for MY needs) would generate just a couple amps. Almost a maintenance charge.

Bob

I understand these are quiet and most eficient design..
http://www.windside.com/tech_facts/measuring

[wa8yxm]

The major issue with Wind is noise. but some systems are not all that noisy (Alas I'm not expert enough to say which) also you have the size and wind load on whatever mast you use.

But they do make 'em. And they do work, ,It is windy where I am just now.

[DallasSteve]

valhalla360 wrote:

DallasSteve wrote:
Maybe this is more practical than wind. Seriously. I'm looking for a way to exercise when I'm camping. Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone and not kill two birds like wind generators sometimes do.

Amazon: Pedal generator

If you read the specs, this only puts out 20w. I'm assuming that is peak output so figure closer to 10w plus some losses converting to 12V, so less than an amp going into the battery bank.

You could build a real pedal powered charger but an average adult can put out only around 100w if pushing hard for an hour. That's about 8amp-hr into a 12v battery (not much for an RV battery bank that might run 200-600amp-hr). World class cyclers can only get that up to around 400w for an hour or about 32 amp-hr. Keep in mind this is pushing hard for a full hour. 20 minutes at a leisurely pace will be far less, might only generate 1 amp-hr.

Thanks for that analysis. I supposed that the output would be small and mainly my post was in jest. However, if the price wasn't so high I would consider doing it as I am serious about finding ways to get exercise on the road. We will probably do a combination of hiking, biking, gym membership, and some stretch bands and light weights in the RV.

[GordonThree]

Buy a harbor fate for a few hundred and call it done.

[Fizz]

I can’t see using any peddle power without a flywheel attached. Have you ever tried a cheap exercise bike, hard to keep a good rhythm.

[valhalla360]

DallasSteve wrote:
Maybe this is more practical than wind. Seriously. I'm looking for a way to exercise when I'm camping. Maybe I can kill two birds with one stone and not kill two birds like wind generators sometimes do.

Amazon: Pedal generator

If you read the specs, this only puts out 20w. I'm assuming that is peak output so figure closer to 10w plus some losses converting to 12V, so less than an amp going into the battery bank.

You could build a real pedal powered charger but an average adult can put out only around 100w if pushing hard for an hour. That's about 8amp-hr into a 12v battery (not much for an RV battery bank that might run 200-600amp-hr). World class cyclers can only get that up to around 400w for an hour or about 32 amp-hr. Keep in mind this is pushing hard for a full hour. 20 minutes at a leisurely pace will be far less, might only generate 1 amp-hr.

[valhalla360]

We do both boating and RV'ing. Wind is quickly dying out as a marine application also and marine is a far better use case as coastal areas are often more windy and when anchoring out trees and hills blocking wind is less of an issue.

Problems:
- Vibration and noise is very much a real issue.
- There is a fairly narrow band where they work. Below 10mph, they put out negligible power and really don't put out significant power until over 15mph. Above 20mph, you often have to stop and lock them in place if there are gusts so they don't tear themselves apart.
- In an RV application, you would need to install and remove it every time the RV moves.
- They are much more expensive compared to enlarging the solar system (particularly if you only need a couple amps 12v), which can be permanently installed and requires almost no attention.

The idea of producing power at night sounds great but the predictability (even with cloudy days) of solar wins out.