12V Wind Turbines.

[merc the berc]

I am interested in buying a 12v wind turbine for my truck, to be used mainly in the winter months when there is little or no sun to charge the batteries via the solar panels.

Has anyone got any experience with this set up?

Will i need a second controller for the batteries, separate from the solar?

And more importantly, are they any good?

Thanks in advance, for any replies :cheers:

 

[Deleted member 5816]

I am interested in buying a 12v wind turbine for my truck, to be used mainly in the winter months when there is little or no sun to charge the batteries via the solar panels.

Has anyone got any experience with this set up?

Will i need a second controller for the batteries, separate from the solar?

And more importantly, are they any good?

Thanks in advance, for any replies :cheers:

You need to speak with Maingate he has much experience of them

Alf

 

[n brown]

i had one on a pole screwed to my van once- noise drove us crazy !
probably made better now,or half the folk in the local marina would be mental !

 

[maingate]

You need to speak with Maingate he has much experience of them

Alf

And it is for sale Alf.

£100 will buy a Rutland 504 complete with regulator, mast, guy ropes and pegs.

Apply within.

 

[Deleted member 2636]

half the folk in the local marina would be mental !

If they're anything like the frightful creatures at our local Marina, they are - most of them would give Nazis a bad name (not joking)

 

[slingshot2000]

Errrrr, I think the Nazis already had a bad name ????

 

[maxi77]

The smaller wind generators like rutlands are quite quiet unless they are needing a major overhall. They have though relatively low outputs and need a near gale to give their full rated output. The higher output ones can be quite noisy especially in gusty winds. They usually need their own regulators as they have mechanisms for dumping excess powerand avoining overspeeding.

Prices seen to have come down a bit but watt for watt solar is still cheaper. Also remember it is light not heat that makes solar work so a sunny winter day gives almost as much as a sunny summer day.

 

[alcam]

Errrrr, I think the Nazis already had a bad name ????

I think that was the joke

 

[maingate]

The smaller wind generators like rutlands are quite quiet unless they are needing a major overhall. They have though relatively low outputs and need a near gale to give their full rated output. The higher output ones can be quite noisy especially in gusty winds. They usually need their own regulators as they have mechanisms for dumping excess powerand avoining overspeeding.

Prices seen to have come down a bit but watt for watt solar is still cheaper. Also remember it is light not heat that makes solar work so a sunny winter day gives almost as much as a sunny summer day.

Your last paragraph is not really correct.

If your solar panel is flat on your roof then it will do hardly anything in Winter at these latitudes. The panel needs to be freestanding to be effective and even then it is only for 6 or 7 hours in short Winter days. I know this because I used a freestanding 90 watt solar panel for a number of years and with the help of an Ammeter, worked out the optimum angle of the panel for Winter and Summer. I also monitored the output when laid flat in Winter, it was tiny.

Having spent a few weeks in Scotland in May, my turbine would probably have outperformed a solar panel in most 24 hour periods. Remember that the wind blows 24 hours a day. Anyone who uses (or has used) a wind turbine notices the wind more than others. The last 2 years have generally been windy, this year especially so.

My information is not hearsay or read on the internet.

 

[maxi77]

Your last paragraph is not really correct.

If your solar panel is flat on your roof then it will do hardly anything in Winter at these latitudes. The panel needs to be freestanding to be effective and even then it is only for 6 or 7 hours in short Winter days. I knohis because I used a freestanding 90 watt solar panel for a number of years and with the help of an Ammeter, worked out the optimum angle of the panel for Winter and Summer. I also monitored the output when laid flat in Winter, it was tiny.

Having spent a few weeks in Scotland in May, my turbine would probably have outperformed a solar panel in most 24 hour periods. Remember that the wind blows 24 hours a day. Anyone who uses (or has used) a wind turbine notices the wind more than others. The last 2 years have generally been windy, this year especially so.

My information is not hearsay or read on the internet.

But even so you need 10 knots of wind to start a wind generator and at that 504 mentioned below will give you .2 of an amp, not an earth shattering amount. For almost all wind generators they do not reach there headline out put till you get to 30 knots, almost a full gale. Many of the higher out put generators are noisy, as you would know if you have lived in a marina. When I had a boat I did a lot of research on wind generators, and at the prices then not enough amps per pound for me. Yes if you want optimum output from solar you have to work at it but the same applies to wind. The standard fitting just sticking of the roof of the van is losing a couple of knots of wind speed and it really needs to be on a high guyed pole away from the van. At the end of the day they both give power and they both have plus and minus points and it has to be the users choice depending on his needs.

And having depended on the wind to move I know just how often it doesn't appear as well, just like the dam clouds.

 

[merc the berc]

Thanks for the replies, i think i'll need to do a little more research before i part with my hard earned....

 

[maingate]

But even so you need 10 knots of wind to start a wind generator and at that 504 mentioned below will give you .2 of an amp, not an earth shattering amount. For almost all wind generators they do not reach there headline out put till you get to 30 knots, almost a full gale. Many of the higher out put generators are noisy, as you would know if you have lived in a marina. When I had a boat I did a lot of research on wind generators, and at the prices then not enough amps per pound for me. Yes if you want optimum output from solar you have to work at it but the same applies to wind. The standard fitting just sticking of the roof of the van is losing a couple of knots of wind speed and it really needs to be on a high guyed pole away from the van. At the end of the day they both give power and they both have plus and minus points and it has to be the users choice depending on his needs.

And having depended on the wind to move I know just how often it doesn't appear as well, just like the dam clouds.

Never ever seen one stuck on a van roof ..... for the reason you outlined.

If you had read my post that said I had one for sale (at a very low price to a fellow member), you would have noticed I included a sectional mast (5 metre), guy ropes and long angle iron pegs.

 

[maxi77]

Never ever seen one stuck on a van roof ..... for the reason you outlined.

If you had read my post that said I had one for sale (at a very low price to a fellow member), you would have noticed I included a sectional mast (5 metre), guy ropes and long angle iron pegs.

That was simply a general comment rather than an attempt to criticize you, in fact Marlec actually show their units mounted on the back of a van, just poking over the top, and I have seen several similarly mounted. Of course they work but not just as well just as horizontal mounted solar panel are not optimal. Indeed your price is quite reasonable compared to the retail price. As ever the mounting bits seem to be disproportionately expensive

 

[Teutone]

my solution, stick MORE solar panels on the roof. I have 2x 130W panels and even parked under trees on a campsite in full shade I didn't need EHU. I agree the output on a cloudy day isn't great but so far I have had enough battery even on a full day of rain and clouds.

 

[iampatman]

my solution, stick MORE solar panels on the roof. I have 2x 130W panels and even parked under trees on a campsite in full shade I didn't need EHU. I agree the output on a cloudy day isn't great but so far I have had enough battery even on a full day of rain and clouds.

Not trying to be argumentative but surely if you're in the shade it doesn't matter how many panels you have on the roof. They aren't putting a charge into the LB. Maybe if you have a large battery bank you will "last" longer than someone with just one small LB but fully shaded solar panels really won't do much.

Pat

 

[Teutone]

Not trying to be argumentative but surely if you're in the shade it doesn't matter how many panels you have on the roof. They aren't putting a charge into the LB. Maybe if you have a large battery bank you will "last" longer than someone with just one small LB but fully shaded solar panels really won't do much.

Pat

even on a cloudy day I have 2-3A charge. Good enough to recharge during the day when little electricity is used.

with one Leisure Battery we lasted 3 days even before I had the solar panels. Now we have 2 Leisure batteries and 260W of Solar with 2x 110Ah Batteries.

I guess I will find out when autumn/winter comes how good the setup really is.

 

[Deleted member 3011]

in fact Marlec actually show their units mounted on the back of a van, just poking over the top,

that is so you can generate power when driving along the road.

 

[maingate]

That was simply a general comment rather than an attempt to criticize you, in fact Marlec actually show their units mounted on the back of a van, just poking over the top, and I have seen several similarly mounted. Of course they work but not just as well just as horizontal mounted solar panel are not optimal. Indeed your price is quite reasonable compared to the retail price. As ever the mounting bits seem to be disproportionately expensive

A few years ago I met someone in Scotland with a van conversion. He had set his 504 up in a decent breeze but complained to me that he had never had any worthwhile output from it. He had just copied the pictures you speak about. I never said anything to him but luckily he left a couple of hours later. Only then did I erect mine on its mast and charged my batteries overnight. :dance:

 

[Obanboy666]

my solution, stick MORE solar panels on the roof. I have 2x 130W panels and even parked under trees on a campsite in full shade I didn't need EHU. I agree the output on a cloudy day isn't great but so far I have had enough battery even on a full day of rain and clouds.

I agree 100%.
Why arse on putting up a turbine & mast when solar is fit and forget.
I only had roof space for a 70 watt panel but with a tracer controller, 210 amps of battery and 100% led lights I can comfortably manage for days on end if on a site spring until autumn and that's watching Sky TV for 6 hours a day which is a large drain on the batteries.
When wilding I tend to move daily and would imagine putting up and taking down a turbine every day would be a right chore.

 

[hextal]

Yep, from my hazy recollection of aerodynamics at university I think wind speed has to be measured more than 10m above ground level because (leaving aside obstacles etc) the frictional effects of the earth cause the speed to drop from 10m to zero at ground level at a near inverse exponential rate.

In fact, I don't think 10m is where full wind speed is reached, so much as a practical lowest height for measurement. I seem to recall that the speed curve doesn't get near flat until circa 100m (though my memory is goldfish like at best).

As such I'd suggest that at van roof height or similar you're likely to be getting maybe half if actual wind speed. Then taking into effect the large distances that obstacles can disrupt the airflow for, I can see there not being too many locations where that wouldn't further reduce wind speed at the turbine.