Biggest and best Wind Generator?

[TheSailingBeard]

Good afternoon all,

I've been digging through a bunch of old threads - but I was curious what the newest and most popular models are for wind generators?

I have a 40ft Cat, and lots of room off the back to mount either one or two large turbines. I have 990aH of Lithium, so the more the merrier.

Also - can you parallel these into a single MPPT? I have Victron system so my plan was to feed it in through a Victron device to I can capture the data direct, but wasn't sure if I could parallel two of them together, after their own control device.

Thanks in advance!

[gallatin1988]

Recently, I've been looking at the Superwind 350, http://www.starboardsun.com/
It might not be the biggest but it might one of the best.

[HankOnthewater]

Hi Sailing Beard
Biggest may not be the best.
I don't think there is a lot choice in upmarket (meaning non-chinese) models, and not many models have been released over the last 15 years. That is indicating a trend.
You might find that most cruisers now favour solarpanels, which are easier to mount, silent, cheaper and no maintenance.
Disclaimer: I have 2 wind generators, and 4 largish solar panels

The question regarding controller. I would say that depends on the brand/model/type of wind generator you buy. I must say, I have never seen 2 wind generators using the same controller.
You mentioned Victron. I am not aware that Victron makes controllers suitable for wind generators.

Last comment, one has to be careful with the combination of LFP and wind generator, as I have not seen any wind generator controller that suits LFP batteries......, but maybe there are and I have not been looking. My windgenerator is charging via the LA starting battery.

[SailingHarmonie]

If you have not totally maxed out your solar capacity, you should not consider wind. On a dollar per kilowatt delivered, solar wins, hands down. That's why there has been so little new in the wind market. It just does not make economic sense for a cruising boat.

Look closely at the data presented by manufacturers and fan boys. Wind can show a high instantaneous output, but over 24 hours--it sucks.

[gallatin1988]

You should check out this site as well https://globalwindatlas.info/en

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by TheSailingBeard

I've been digging through a bunch of old threads - but I was curious what the newest and most popular models are for wind generators?

Most popular is probably no wind generator at all. If you aren't a brainless eco-zealot, you will have made an analysis of the various ways to charge your batteries in your preferred cruising area and the associated costs. In areas where solar is great, wind is often not so great and vice versa. You also should consider the shadow the generators drop on your solar panels. For these reasons, you see less and less boats with wind generators.

I got rid of both wind generators on my boat instead of refurbishing them, but YMMV.

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by TheSailingBeard

Good afternoon all,

I've been digging through a bunch of old threads - but I was curious what the newest and most popular models are for wind generators?

I have a 40ft Cat, and lots of room off the back to mount either one or two large turbines. I have 990aH of Lithium, so the more the merrier.

Also - can you parallel these into a single MPPT? I have Victron system so my plan was to feed it in through a Victron device to I can capture the data direct, but wasn't sure if I could parallel two of them together, after their own control device.

Thanks in advance!

If you've never had a wind generator before, get used to listening to noise. The quietest ones still make noise that gets amplified in the boat. With the improvement in efficiency of solar over the last 20 years, I don't really believe there is any need for a wind gen any longer. back in the 1990s sure it was a decent way to get 10 amps of charging when PV wasn't very good. but now with bi facial panels you can easily get far more production with not noise and vibration (or danger)

[Madehn]

Im going to do something novel and give the OP my answer to his question instead of promote my own opinion or call him names. Seriously “brainless eco zealot” ? Polite much??? In my opinion the D400 is a pretty good unit. Yes solar has improved and I have 1.2kw on my boat but they don’t do crapcat night. I get a little if the moon is bright 😀😀😀. Your boat your money your choice. Best of luck with your decision.

[donradcliffe]

The D400 may be one of the better wind generators, but $3000 buys a lot more solar power without the noise and the maintenance.

[wholybee]

Why do people always think either/or?
Solar doesn't work at night, or when it is overcast and raining. Get both, so on sunny nice days, the solar works, and on rainy windy days, the wind generator works.

If you MUST choose one, then get solar first. But that doesn't mean there is no reason to get wind also.

[Briis]

Yes, solar is the way to go, but they don’t generate at dark which is around half of the time.

Wind gen is a good support and a gap-filler for this.

I’d check out Silent Wind Pro generator. As the name says - whisper quiet unlike some out there that make a lot of annoying noise. Silence in operation is a must IMHO.

https://www.silentwindgenerator.com/...twind-pro-12v/

No affiliation, they just caught my eye with their aim on silent operation.

[Fore and Aft]

The D400 would be the most common wind generator I see, followed by the cheap Chinese wind generators that you can buy for around $650.
I personally have a Rutland 914i and have been happy with it. Wind generators have certainly fallen out of fashion. Just the other week on Facebook I picked up another Rutland 914i that looks brand new for $200. It came with the yacht the owner purchased and he didn't want to mount it on the deck.
Personally, I like to have as many charge sources as possible and a wind generator on a pole doesn't interfere with anything on our yacht.
Cheers

[MIRELOS]

my observation is that two wind generators don't work, I see it on a lot of boats and only one is working while the other is idling....
I have a Superwind; not the biggest but it is the most silent, I have to look up to see that it is working

[MicHughV]

Ha, back in the day, I had a windbugger hanging in the rigging....the prop must have been 4' in diameter, it was a two blader and when the wind picked up, you could hear it a mile away.
But, in it's day, it was quite popular and did the trick for me for years as one had to keep the beer cold at all times.

[TheSailingBeard]

Thanks for the input all.

I am well aware of the benefits and advantages of solar. I currently have around 800w, and I'm going to be augmenting that with another 600w.

That said, I do like to have some alternate sources. When I'm doing long passages and have a lot of sails up, much of the panels are covered. So if I have a bunch people on the boat, I'm going to be drawing 400-700w on average while underway with autopilot on - which will have my batteries down to zero in a day or so.

As for the Victron question, my plan was to use the Solar controller mainly to bring down from 24 or 48v, into my system voltage of 12v, and also be able to capture the data as I do so. This would also lower the conductor size I need to run to the generators as well (mainly just for easy of fishing it).

With all of that said, I'm not married to adding on a wind generator. I simply want to explore that the best options are, and then evaluate from there.