Wind Generator- The Good The Bad and The Ugly

[Locquatious]

We have two Kiss wind generators and two Kiss Extractor™ controllers. For us the controller has made the Kiss operate much better. It stops the Kiss when the batteries are charged...can't be quieter than that. It stops the Kiss before it overheats and spins madly. And it gets more energy out of the Kiss at low wind speeds. So far the operation is flawless.

[jmschmidt]

Wind turbines make less noise than the airplane propeller type. Don't know how efficient they are in comparison.

[CassidyNZ]

I have a Rutland 914 which admittedly doesn’t produce near the power of others but it does start producing much lower down the wind scale than many. And it’s pretty quiet from a blade perspective.

But I’ve tried everything to reduce transmitted noise through the radar arch into the boat, from engineering soft polyurethane bushings to fitting “super silent” bearings - limited success to the point where I tie the gen off at night to get a decent night’s sleep. This obviates the primary advantage over solar.

Also, wherever we can, we hunt down wind-free anchorages which also doesn’t help the wind gen’s productivity.

I have recently tripled my solar array so while the wind gen continues to produce its meagre amp input it can stay but when it finally stops working, it won’t be replaced. My solars give me far more than I use and as others have said, our power consumption at night is really not significant. The solars generally replace overnight consumption by 11:00 the following morning.

[jmschmidt]

Use a wind generator when moored, day and night, that's if your neighbors don't complain. Solar in daylight obviously. But remember a wind generator extracts roughly its equivalent of power (kw) in drag from your sails or motor when underway. Most people don't believe that but there is no free lunch in physics. Most people don't believe that governments don't "print' money anymore either, but they don't. They just create it out of thin air with electrons, that's why it simply devalues the existing electronic money already out there. Seems there is no free lunch in economics either.

[Scubaseas]

Another vote for KISS but only if you have some reliable wind for it otherwise solar plus wind. Live aboard in the Fall in New England I could have both frozen ice cream and hot water solely from the wind generator. Had an Air-X on another boat which sucked, was noisy, low output. Kiss is pretty quiet if mounted on vibration absorbing pads.

[MAJICDAN]

We have two wind generators on our mizzenmast.
I recently replaced the superwind with a D-400 and was surprised at the increase in generating power I now have.
I am generally in the Caribbean and the 20mph trade winds are perfect.
We also have five large house solar panels. Of course they only work out at anchor when I can swing the booms out so the sail bags do not shade them. When I do my summer refit for the following winter I am going to change my other cheap wind generator with a D-400.

[MicHughV]

Back in the day.....ie, before solar panels became available....wind generators were the gadgets of choice...especially if you had an electric fridge, which would suck your batteries down without compassion.

I started off with a windbugger, which was hoisted by a halyard and held in place by a tripod of ropes.....yes, the venerable windbugger....it worked.....heavy, cumbersome and noisy as hell, but it worked....day and night, it would spit out the amps....but there is no denying it was noisy...especially so when the wind picked up....one would think it was going to take off and fly away....stopping this whirly bird required turning it by hand....it had a handle on the back for this purpose.

Mine hung in the mizzen triangle, where I could keep it going even under sail. Not optimum, but it worked.

Shutting it down, especially at night, in 40 knots of breeze and sideways rain required some bravery and acrobatics. An evening at the bar makes this even more interesting.

Following the windbugger, I dabbled with some other makes, now fitted with " air brakes" and also permanent mast mounted units or pole mounted units.

Then along came the first solar panels. First few models were pricey and not very powerful.

That was then. Nowadays, solar panels have taken a quantum leap forward in price and performance and they work even when the wind is not blowing.

Solar panels, no matter how good they are, need to paired with a suitable battery bank...and importantly, a very good controller. Solar panels do not work at night and are sensitive to placement locations.

The trick with solar panels..is simple....get as many as you can afford and locate on your boat, typically over the dinghy davits...bimini's...even deck...solar panels are not shade friendly, so location is key !
The other end of the puzzle is the batteries....hands down, my vote goes to the 6V golf cart batteries...they can simply take a lot more charging and discharging than their 12v cousins....and are quite affordable.....

My vote goes for solar panels, so you can sleep at night, if for no other reason, and you don't have to worry about an unexpected haircut.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by StuM

D400 @ 15 kts, about 75W ?

Chart is in 24V so maybe about 180 watts? 7.5 x 24.

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by Locquatious

We have two Kiss wind generators and two Kiss Extractor™ controllers. For us the controller has made the Kiss operate much better. It stops the Kiss when the batteries are charged...can't be quieter than that. It stops the Kiss before it overheats and spins madly. And it gets more energy out of the Kiss at low wind speeds. So far the operation is flawless.

^What he said...
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A very nice add-on.

[a64pilot]

I have always been against wind generators cause they do shade panels and do usually vibrate, and not all are quiet.
But this year our cruising has been except for a few days in the 15 kt plus winds, day after day and all through the night too, so if we had a D400, then it would have made 180 Watts pretty much 24/7 meaning that all by itself it would have kept the bank at 100%.
So if every year is like this one, then I can certainly see the draw.

[SV__Grace]

Wind, by itself, makes noise on a boat, especially a sailboat with masts and such! I don't mind the noise of our wind generator at all and like all the other noises (water lapping against the hull, etc) it's part of the background music of being on a boat.

I recommend selecting a wind generator for the primary wind conditions that you'll encounter as they vary in efficiency. Some do great in lighter winds, starting to generate electricity at 5 knots but top out at 25 knots before going into high wind mode for safety and the top end of their generation capacity. Others don't wake up until 10 knots and continue generating electricity until 35 knots or higher. Especially look at the peak generation speeds as it would be nice to generate the most electricity during the typical sustained winds in your location.

My wind generator is an Air Breeze by Primus- Air X Marine Turbine, Wind Power Systems :: Primus Wind Power

I selected it because it starts up @6 knots, generates measurable electricity (more than 1 amp) at @10-12 knots, has a sweet spot of 15-20 knots generating 3-5 amps, and tops out at 30 knots or so generating @10-12 amps, which matches the typical conditions I encounter. These numbers are not the manufacturers, they are my own observations in real world use. (the manufacturer uses MPH, m/s, and kwh which I'm too lazy to translate to the numbers on my battery monitor).

I saw one boat that had two different wind generators mounted on each side of his stern, which struck me as the ideal setup!

[hpeer]

The thing that I dislike about the fancier generators with feathering blades etc. is the complexity.

As with all things it’s a personal choice: features or reliability. The fall on one side of the line, other on the other. I would like some of the fancier features but choose simplicity and reliability.

But also I have 600 watts of solar so there is that.

Each situation unique, no perfect answer.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Antipodean2

Greetings
I am seeking input on which , or if any wind generator on the market could be recommended for my yacht.
I have a 38 ft cutter rig sloop, with a 120 watt solar panel , and dual alternators on engine.
Like most of us I have continued to load my power usage every year, and each cruising season I contemplate there must be a economical reliable system to recharge my batteries.
I have a targa frame aft and off this hangs an outboard, bbq, antanaes, solar panel, and probably looking like a wind generator.
I have always been wary of wind generators as in the past the noise the generate can clear an anchorage.
Advice on models, others have used in regards to noise, reliability, installation, value, would be appreciated.

Cheers

I researched solar vs. wind and went with solar due to lifetime maintenance, noise, safety, and cost. Corresponded with a cruiser in the Pacific and he said to get as close to 600W solar as you can...I got to 4x140W=560W on a stern arch plus over the dodger with dual controllers. Made a roundtrip to Hawaii in 2016 and never had to start the diesel for charging my 2x8D Gel house batteries despite eight overcast days on return to Washington but I consider my electrical needs to be modest compared to others that have extreme electrical needs.

Five years now and zero follow-up expenses.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[singlespeed]

12 years on a Aerogen6 and 8 years on a AirBreeze. Never heard any comments on noise from the Aerogen6 from other boats in the anchorage but In did spend a lot of time on cleaning up the leading and trailing edge of each blade. Very simple unit, only maintenance in all that time is a couple of blades (bird strikes) and a rectifier. Airbreeze mounted in a hoistable frame, pulled in foretriangle and used exclusively at anchor Really cuts down on vibration noises. Airbreeze occasionally makes noise as the blades wind up or down in gusts or abrupt wind shifts, but nothing like the old Aired units. Getting circuit boards for the AirBreeze can be tiresome.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

But remember a wind generator extracts roughly its equivalent of power (kw) in drag from your sails or motor when underway.

Please explain how/why that is true, especially when sailing/motoring off the wind.