Costco: Coleman 400w Wind Turbine $399

[George_SD]

https://www.costco.com/coleman-400w-...100846242.html

The Coleman 400W Wind Turbine is designed for land and marine location battery charging. The lightweight and compact design enables the turbine to offer power without the need for professional installation. Built for harsh conditions, it is an integral part of any off-grid power solution.

Features:
Powered by wind, the turbine is designed for charging 12-volt deep-cycle batteries typically found in boats and off-grid cottages, as well as for use as emergency back-up or remote power source
Integrated charge controller; automatically shuts down the turbine when the batteries are charged to minimize wear
Fully weatherproof to use for a variety of outdoor applications
Ideal for land and marine location battery charging
Made with lightweight cast aluminum that ensures high durability and is fully powder-coated for marine applications
Power rating: 400W
Carbon fiber blades
Easy “do-it-yourself” installation, assembly required

Features:
Fully Marine Grade Powder Coated Finish
Fully Weather-Resistant Design
Low Wind Start-Up Technology
Aerodynamic Design to Assist With Efficiency and Low Noise Emission
Easy Installation

Includes:
3 x rotor blades
Manual stop switch
Integrated LED charging indicator
Mounting hardware

Not Included:
Pole Tower Kit

Specifications:
Dimensions (L × W × H/D): 27 in. × 44 in. × 44 in.
Weight: 18 lb.

I have 100w Coleman solar panel from Costco and it works great so far.

[Allied39]

There's a lot of hate on CF for wind gens. Intolerance and stupidity in perfect harmony. One idiot even advocated throwing lines into peoples wind gens.....dangerous activity to partake in, damaging peoples boats.

I LOVE my wind gen, an old air X. I appreciate you posting this. My air X has been in operation for over 14 years, but if I needed a replacement I would without a doubt try one of these out, couldn't go wrong.

Thanks again, Fair winds!

[seandepagnier]

there are a lot of 400w turbines. Many look very similar, but this does not mean they are at all comparable.

For solar, at least you typically get something between 14-23% efficient. The cheap panels are at the lower end, and you will likely know if you are at the top.

For the wind turbine, you should read closely the review there, because no way to tell from the picture what kind generator, regulator, or even other details like the bearing etc. Many reports of chinese clones with very poor performance and short life.

The other thing is.. there is a huge potential for small (micro?) wind which is what we find interesting on boats. There is a guy in denmark? who came up with a new design which I personally find very interesting. It produces a lot more power and weighs a fraction of the typical type:
https://kitex.tech/

For example, a standard wind turbine doesn't do much in light wind, when it is spinning, it is turning fast enough to be dangerous to things that fly into it like birds or your fingers, it is difficult to dismount, it is a bad place for windage in a storm at sea. it reduces upwind sailing performance. They typically cut off above 30 knots which is a shame. They also weigh quite a bit, and overall efficiency is really quite low (10-15%) when betz limit (theoretical) is 59%.

I built a smaller size wind turbine which uses a belt to allow for a much lighter and cheaper motor and recorded 10 amps in 25 knot gusts, however.. I I had issues with belt alignment, so it's not a really easy problem and I have many other more pressing issues. I think a 2 bladed slow-turning design which sweeps a relatively large area then belts up to spin a generator fast would be most practical cheapest, and able to store below or on deck out of the way most of the time a lot more useful than what you see on most boats (which is mostly a pinwheel with little output however does make useful output at times)

[leandroflaherty]

You get what you pay for. I have used from $200ish alibaba ones to $500ish and now $2000ish.


Do they all work? Yes.




The biggest difference between them is noise. The cheaper ones make noise all day and night and ONLY produce power when in a very narrow sweetspot of wind. It has to be strong for them to charge and if it gets a hair stronger, forget if its gusty, they auto shut down. Cheap blades make noise, cheap internals are dumb and dont produce efficient.



The cheap ones do work, great offshore at night running electronics when solar is off. They are nightmares at anchor, I always turn them off during the day or if cloae to any other boats.


On the other spectrum, they cost a lot, but they are very very quiet, can run and make power in lower winds and stay on in higher conditions.


The install is a pain, you want a pole that is rubber cushined from the hull qnd well supported. You do NOT want it to start resonating on the hull and vibrating like a jack hammer.


So, if you qre going to go through the trouble of wiring in dump loads and controllers, a well designed pole, etc.. dont cheap out, save and get a well regarded model that is quiet. Go around anchorages and pay attention which boats are quiet.


Solar is easier and cheaper, a folding 200w panel you can keep below when sailing and on deck at anchor will get you as far with less effort and cost.


If you are not going to get a good windgen, you may be better off considering a small honda generator for the times your solar cant keep up.

[garyfdl]

I did some research into wind generators a few months ago, came to the conclusion that the small inexpensive ones weren't worth it. They seem to only be effective at high wind speeds, at which point they 'shut off', presumably to prevent over speeding. I also found (based on internet feed back) that they are quite noisy. My conclusion was: spend the money to get a high-end one or, put the money into solar.

[MartinF]

How do you "turn off" a wind generator? Throw a blanket over it? Remove the blades? Lock the turbine?

[seandepagnier]

Most people cannot turn them off. They simply short the windings, but due to the resistance of the wire, the turbine continues to spin.

To actually stop it from spinning in any wind, you would need a switch (or relay) located in the turbine itself, or possibly a mechanical brake of some kind.

[sv_pelagia]

Originally Posted by MartinF

How do you "turn off" a wind generator? Throw a blanket over it? Remove the blades? Lock the turbine?

Tie a blade to the post....

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by MartinF

How do you "turn off" a wind generator? Throw a blanket over it? Remove the blades? Lock the turbine?

Change the blade pitch is most efficient.
Self governing models use this method to regulate speed.
Bungee cords?
Boatyarddog

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

I did some research into wind generators a few months ago, came to the conclusion that the small inexpensive ones weren't worth it. They seem to only be effective at high wind speeds, at which point they 'shut off', presumably to prevent over speeding. I also found (based on internet feed back) that they are quite noisy. My conclusion was: spend the money to get a high-end one or, put the money into solar.

Boatyarddog

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by Allied39

There's a lot of hate on CF for wind gens. Intolerance and stupidity in perfect harmony. One idiot even advocated throwing lines into peoples wind gens.....dangerous activity to partake in, damaging peoples boats.

I LOVE my wind gen, an old air X. I appreciate you posting this. My air X has been in operation for over 14 years, but if I needed a replacement I would without a doubt try one of these out, couldn't go wrong.

Thanks again, Fair winds!

+1
My old Kiss wind generator is still cranking out the amps as good as it did when it was new. Two solar panels on the cabin top and the wind generator keeps me at anchor for 3 to 4 days with no other form of charging. I love my wind generator, and to you haters out there it is not that noisy.

Al, S/V Finlandia

[Siberian Sea]

First I went for a good solar system and quality battery storage. Then I started to look into wind generators as well as tow behind while sailing hydro generators. I looked extensively at wind from the cheap Chinese to the expensive ones. What I finally settled on was a higher end about 1500.00 dollars but not the top one. The decision was closed by the nor so small fact that it was much more then just a cheap unit but it was the cost and pain in the ass to install. Why would I want all the hassle of installing a low budget crappy wind generator? I only wanted to do it once and I didn’t want to risk regretting that I hadn’t spent a few hundred more on a more efficient and longer lasting thing. It’s your money, your time to install make a wise and informed choice

[rosatte]

I have a 500 watt wind gen built in Germany quite as a mouse and yes you can shut it off simply flick a switch on its charge controller and it activates its brake ,,,

[garyfdl]

Originally Posted by MartinF

How do you "turn off" a wind generator? Throw a blanket over it? Remove the blades? Lock the turbine?

The ones I looked into all had integral braking systems, to prevent over speeding - not sure if they shut down rotation altogether.

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by garyfdl

The ones I looked into all had integral braking systems, to prevent over speeding - not sure if they shut down rotation altogether.

My Kiss wind generator is an AC generator and to shut it down in normal conditions (hello 30 Knots or so) it has a switch that just shorts the coils and any movement will be magnetically inhibited.
For hurricane preparation I always lasso one of the blades and tie it down so there is no way that it can turn.

Al, S/V Finlandia