Wind Generator Recommendations?

[RBEmerson]

Talking with someone about wind turbine design in general, one unexpected source of noise is the air coming from the blades and striking the mast supporting the turbine. With the right (or wrong...) circumstances, the air mass between the blade disk and mast can resonate and make any, otherwise minor, noise louder. One of the changes in the Air Marine, for example, was to slightly tilt the rotor disk slightly, relative to the mast, to avoid the worst of this resonance.

In talking with people about their Four Winds unit, they mentioned that the blades of their wind turbine were damaged in a storm; something hit them. With all of that in mind, I suggested checking your unit to see if anything happened to your blades.

[Bash]

...is that it works all night.

When we anchor I tell the crew that any noise they hear coming from the wind turbine is the sound of an engine not running.

Wise cruisers don't think of solar vrs wind. They think solar + wind.

[camaraderie]

A plug for the 4 winds. Great output in 10 kts. which is what you should be most concerned with. Low noise and brushless generator. You need big blade designs like the KISS and 4-winds if you want usable output in the winds you normally get in protected anchorages. Everything works great in 15kts and up...but that is not what you get in most anchorages mostr of the time. Check this 4 winds chart out:



Since it is DONE by 4 winds...I suggest you disregard their results for their unit...but look at the other brands at 10 knots. Look at the KISS vs. the Airmarine...that is 2 amps difference...in 24 hours of 10 knot winds that is the difference between 96 amp hours and 48 amp hours!!
My own experience with the 4Winds is closer to the KISS curve than is drawn but still EXCELLENT output.

Just some more food for thought.

[Bash]

...a problem with the big-blade systems is how they perform in big-wind situations. Check this out regarding KISS failure

BlueJacket: KISS Wind Generator Failure, Belize

With home waters in SF bay, I opted for the Air Breeze precisely because of how it handles wind of 25+ knots, which for me is a typical summer sailing day. But just as every boat is a compromise, so is every wind generator. So I've had to sacrifice a bit of low-wind productivity in order to assure high-wind stability for the system.

[RBEmerson]

Originally Posted by bashful

...a problem with the big-blade systems is how they perform in big-wind situations. [...]

Um, I'd take that with a grain of salt or two or three. Four Winds units have larger blade disks than the three blade units (e.g., KISS). I've spoken with Four Winds owners whose units have weathered hurricanes or at least winds strong enough to, in one case, bend the supporting mast and, in another case, hurl debris that finally broke blades. Which isn't to say I'd care to just walk off, before a storm, and leave a Four Winds to its own devices. But if it has the mechanical speed brake installed, there is some hope the unit will survive.

As to the KISS, its one big design flaw is the thermal cutout blocking the electric brake. Once the breaker pops, the only way to arrest the blades is to turn the disk parallel to the wind and grab a blade. The brake won't work until the breaker cools down and resets. Bad design flow...

[claire]

Air-X 3 year warranty: it works

We arrived in Bundaberg, Australia, shipped our Air-X to the Melbourne rep for Air-X, and got it back, fixed, 10 days later in Mooloolaba. Total shipping cost: AUD 35.
We are happy customers again, hoping the new electronics they put in will last at least another 3 years.
I am hesitating now, to order these cheaper "silent" blades: TLG Windpower Products, replacement blades for AIR 403, AIR X, AIR Marine, Land AIR, TLG-403-MM rotor blade
although I just noticed they have become "unavailable" since I last checked on them.
Anybody has experience with these blades?

[theonecalledtom]

Originally Posted by Bash

Wise cruisers don't think of solar vrs wind. They think solar + wind.

Sounds like the truth of the matter!

I frequently walk past a lonely Gemini with a Rutland913 on the back. If there's wind that thing is moving and if theres a gale you can hear it but it's not annoyingly loud (more of a hum than a shriek).

Seeing it create all that electricity for no reason makes me sad but perhaps its owner will return one day and make use of it.

[bobfnbw]

IN the recent practical sailor wind gen review, they rated the superwind 350 as the best overall, ahead of the kiss and airbreeze.

anyone have expirance with the superwind 350?

[GordMay]

Testing the Power Curves of Small Wind Turbines ~ by Paul Gipe
Testing the Power Curves of Small Wind Turbines : by Paul Gipe

More Wind Turbine Articles by Paul Gipe
Archive of Articles on Small & Household-size Wind Turbines by Paul Gipe

[RBEmerson]

The only experience I've had with the Superwind, as mentioned earlier in this thread, wasn't super.

[Zanshin]

Originally Posted by Paul Willems

...So now I can buy a D400 for a good price. I found a lot of positive info on the internet. It is hard to interpretate the windgens...

I am very happy with my D400 and it supplies a lot of power, even in lower winds found at night in anchorages. But it is a very heavy beast and I think that can make a difference on smalle boats; I had an especially thick mounting system made for mine.

[c.spots]

It wouldn't be a problem except for the freezer - but it has to stay. My solar panels keep up unless there is a cloudy day or other electrical items being used - such as when sailing. They put out a huge amount of power, unless they are shaded by the boat.
I am considering three options, but can't afford all three:
-More solar panels, but in locations that won't be shaded when the main ones are.
-Another alternator and smart regulator on both engines. Both engines have 80 amp alternators, but with dumb regulators. I usually just run one at a time.
- A wind generator. This wasn't on my list until recently, but now in Grenada, I can appreciate the trade winds. I checked out the boats at anchor in Prickly Bay today, and the D400 was amazingly quiet. But, once you add the regulator for it, it is about twice the price of most of the others, and much heavier. It probably has somewhat better output too, especially at higher wind speeds (more than I need).
Unfortunately, the companies don't want you to compare their units with others, since they use different measurements. Most of us don't care how many watts the unit puts out at 60 kts wind speed, but are more interested at the output between 5 and 15 (20?) kts.

Other than the D400, the price is amazingly similar for the three options.
Any suggestions? I have read the 07/2007 Practical Sailor article but it didn't compare all the units out there now.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by theonecalledtom

I frequently walk past a lonely Gemini with a Rutland913 on the back. If there's wind that thing is moving and if theres a gale you can hear it but it's not annoyingly loud (more of a hum than a shriek).

That Rutland 913 is far more quiet than my Air Breeze. But in a 20-knot wind it's only generating 90 watts, while my unit will be producing 200. Is it more quiet? Certainly. But it's more quiet much in the same way that the eight-horse outboard on my dink is more quiet than the twin 454s on the Cigarette zooming past.

Likewise, that D400 is twice as powerful as my Air Breeze. But it's also twice as heavy and more than twice as expensive. How do they compare?

[RBEmerson]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

I am very happy with my D400 and it supplies a lot of power, even in lower winds found at night in anchorages. But it is a very heavy beast and I think that can make a difference on smalle boats; I had an especially thick mounting system made for mine.

We have since installed a D400. At 15 kg (33 lbs) "heavy" isn't a description be taken ...ah... lightly. Putting the thing on the mast was not a job for the weak and faint of heart.

But it is quiet! We've only had a chance to check it out in winds of about 15 kts but at its loudest, the sound is like wind in the pines and not at all intrusive.

Output is in line with the published curve:
10 knots wind speed produces 40 watts
15 knots wind speed produces 120 watts
20 knots wind speed produces 190 watts
25 knots wind speed produces 280 watts
32 knots wind speed produces 400 watts

Nonetheless, we'll be mounting a solar panel, too - might as well gather all the "free" electrons we can!

[RBEmerson]

Having now experienced the D400 at higher wind speeds (close to 30 kts in gusts), it actually quiets down at about 20 kts - going from the "wind in the pines" noise at 10-15 kts to something much quieter. And, of course, it helps that the wind in the rigging covers that up. But overall, I'm pleased with the D400.