Wind generator?

[bgallinger]

Custom30....I have a friend who uses 2x 125w Solbian solar panels. He says they deliver all the power he needs on his 42 Catalina. I'm wondering if I blew away $1400 + installation costs for this Silent Wind generator!

[Obi Wan]

Originally Posted by Dhillen

Depending on the model you get the loud noise for free but pay for the vibration. Others work on the opposite principle.

Dhillen

That's funny....

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by bluemotion

I would stay away of them, to expensive in the relation of the output. Specially mine the Silentwind 400 plus. The builders performance curve was promising but the realitiy is disappointing. Output Windgenerator in one Year 9,2 Kwh, output 200 Watt Solarpanels over 77 Kwh in the same Time.There are better soures to gain energy, like solarpanels oder hydrogenerators.

Greetings

Bluemotion

Bluemotion, you're the only one I know of who has put in the instrumentation and made a direct comparison of the realities of solar vs wind. The only thing missing from your posting is what is the size of your solar array??

[svrodeorm]

Just a reflection on this thread.

Happy windgen owners: New Zealand, Labrador

Not so happy: Germany etc.

No news, but they do need some wind to produce.

Personally I am happy with my windgen (Kiss) and 250 W of solar panels( a bit old by now but orientable!)

This is about max on a 35' cruiser for practical installation. It disturbs my estherical preferance quite a lot, but allows us to run the fridge a few hrs a day( we are in the tropics.

The important thing for me is that we never have to fire up the engine just to charge. Hate that, period!

The Kiss is what the name suggests, and puts out a lot in + 15 kts and is still among the quietest units around.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

Bluemotion, you're the only one I know of who has put in the instrumentation and made a direct comparison of the realities of solar vs wind. The only thing missing from your posting is what is the size of your solar array??

200 watts as it says in the post.


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[zboss]

15 knots winds our silent wind gives me 3 or 4 amps an hour, 24 hours a day.

If you are seeing lower voltages then it's because at the same time you are charging your fridge and freezer are pulling down your voltage . Average installations of fridge and freezer will use just about as much power a day as the wind gen puts out during an average 12to 15 knot wind day.

You cannot depend on wind alone to charge if you have a fridge freezer unless that fridge freezer has an optimal design and installation.


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[MarkJ]

You only get 15 knots day in, day out in the trade wind areas. And in them sensible people try to anchor out of them!

I use my wind generator to give me 2 to 4 amps/hour at night in the trade wind areas.

Solar during the day

Noise? Hideous! WHAAAAATTTTTT?

[barnakiel]

It is up to you what you do with the juice BEYOND the regulator. Still, as others mentioned, it takes stable wind to supply directly to any equipment that needs continuous supply. As a minimum, use a minimalistic Ah battery as a buffer of sorts.

b.

[GILow]

If by "online" the OP means can they take the battery out of the equation and run some system or device directly, I would say the answer is no, the output is way too variable. But the same goes for solar. Even if the battery is very small, it will be needed, neither wind nor solar produce a reliable enough power source to drive much at all without the buffering effect of a battery. I would say solar produces a steadier output overall, but still not steady enough.


We have the Aerogen 6, similar to El Pinguino's Aerogen 4. The boat misspent her youth in the trade winds where the Aerogen was a vital and effective bit of kit. The owners would turn on the watermaker (pursurvivor 35) and untether the Aerogen (the A6 needs to be tethered when not in use) and the heat dumps (2 x what El Pinguino describes) would mostly only get slightly warm. They describe the sound of the watermaker chugging away with the slight cogging rumble of the Aerogen as one of the most relaxing noises they know. When you are a week from land I imagine it was rather pleasant to hear the water tanks topping up.


Anyway, horses for courses, the merits of wind gens have been argued a bit on CF, and if there was one conclusion I drew from wisdom on offer it was that it really does depend where on the planet you are sailing, just as Neptune's Gear points out.


(another) Matt

[StuM]

Do I really still have to do this?

"15 knots winds our silent wind gives me 3 or 4 amps an hour, 24 hours a day."

"I use my wind generator to give me 2 to 4 amps/hour at night in the trade wind areas."

[MarkJ]

Ok, ok, I was just being simple because the OP is asking basic questions.

To OP: delete references to 'hour'

Unless its in a good rock song. That doesnt include Justin Beiber, who, by the way is StuMs favorite singer...

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by StuM

Do I really still have to do this?

"15 knots winds our silent wind gives me 3 or 4 amps an hour, 24 hours a day."

"I use my wind generator to give me 2 to 4 amps/hour at night in the trade wind areas."

Only if the wind blows at a consistent 15 knots per hour.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

That doesnt include Justin Beiber, who, by the way is StuMs favorite singer...

You just made me throw up in my mouth a little.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by StuM

Do I really still have to do this?

"15 knots winds our silent wind gives me 3 or 4 amps an hour, 24 hours a day."

"I use my wind generator to give me 2 to 4 amps/hour at night in the trade wind areas."

Relax Stu! Maybe we just do it to see how you react


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[zboss]

Originally Posted by Vasco

Only if the wind blows at a consistent 15 knots per hour.

Which is true in the places we most need it... The Bahamas in winter and spring.


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