Best wind generator

[zboss]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

The complaint I've received from friends with the SilentWind is that it works great for a very limited wind range. It wasn't the start-up speed that was the issue -everyone knows that it takes some real wind to make usable power- but more the low cut off speed. They said almost as soon as they started making power, the wind would increase and the unit would heat-up and turn off. We had the chance to almost steal a two month old Superwind for $500, but declined for that reason. Instead, went with a used D400 purchased for the same price.

Matt

The Silentwind itself does not control the cut off speed - that is set on the controller. You need to program the cutoff (in amps) by taking 400 (its a 400 watt generator) and dividing by your target voltage. For us thats 27 amps.

If the unit is not set right then it will cut off way to soon as I do not think the value is set at the factory.

[woodenboats]

May I mention the Superwind? I sold many of them, all customers reported to be very happy with output, noise and reliability / durability. Looks similar to ( and was introduced before ) the Superwind, but with German engineering.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by funjohnson

The complaint I've received from friends with the SilentWind is that it works great for a very limited wind range. It wasn't the start-up speed that was the issue -everyone knows that it takes some real wind to make usable power- but more the low cut off speed. They said almost as soon as they started making power, the wind would increase and the unit would heat-up and turn off. We had the chance to almost steal a two month old Superwind for $500, but declined for that reason. Instead, went with a used D400 purchased for the same price.

Matt

What Zboss said ... the Silentwind controller gives you pretty wide control over all these options. Voltage, amperage cutoff, auxillary device on/off, and a bunch more. It's a great controller ... just not for larger solar arrays.

BTW, I looked hard at many options. The Superwind looked good, but was a bit pricey, and seemed a bit lower in power output than I was aiming for. I probably would have gone with a D400, but they are a lot heavier and much more expensive. Great kit though.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

What Zboss said ... the Silentwind controller gives you pretty wide control over all these options. Voltage, amperage cutoff, auxillary device on/off, and a bunch more. It's a great controller ... just not for larger solar arrays.

BTW, I looked hard at many options. The Superwind looked good, but was a bit pricey, and seemed a bit lower in power output than I was aiming for. I probably would have gone with a D400, but they are a lot heavier and much more expensive. Great kit though.

Very interesting.... And figures with whom I received this info.\

Seems it shuts down at around 29kts for a preset amount of time (50sec?) and then restarts. Not something that would happen often.

Sorry for spreading second hand infomation.

Matt

[zboss]

The silent wind will produce up to 70 knots but by then I hope you have tied it off! Also, the controller is available on amazon for about 1/5 the price they charge at the marine places. It's just a rebranded controller. The same company makes several controllers that work with the silent wind and have MPPT solar.

[Emerald Sea]

While considering all these, consider the new Rutland 1200. Best specs on the market today.

[Eleuthera 2014]

Thread drift with all due apologies but...

In my opinion based on lengthy research, the best wind generator is... Solar panels.

[GILow]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Get an Aerogen 4 if your boats 32ft< if over and lots of bells go for the Aerogen 6

+1, though I concede there seem to be some brands and designs which put out more power at lower wind speeds.

But our Aerogen 6 is ever so quiet and just keeps going, despite the stupid things I have done to it.

[ErikFinn]

Originally Posted by zboss

Also, the controller is available on amazon for about 1/5 the price they charge at the marine places.

Hi zboss, could you kindly please post a link to that 1/5 price controller?
Thanks.

[akprb]

D400 hands down or KISS if you have more room.

[zboss]

Originally Posted by ErikFinn

Hi zboss, could you kindly please post a link to that 1/5 price controller?
Thanks.

Any programmable wind generation controller that takes as the input 3 AC and outputs DC will do. I was quoted about 500 for an exact replacement. Here is a list of the controllers by the company that Silentwind uses...

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_in_-...nid=2661622011

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

Thread drift with all due apologies but...

In my opinion based on lengthy research, the best wind generator is... Solar panels.

Only way to go, I've had a Rutland 913 for about 16 years now and hardly ever get any usable power out of the damned thing. It stays tied off most of the time now and I would not buy another one. If I'd spent the money on panels I'd have gotten hundreds if not thousands of times the power out of them.

[nicholson31]

Can not comment on any others but as for the Eclectic D400, it has worked flawlessly for 8 years and practically soundless other than a slight whisper barely heard in cockpit.

[senormechanico]

Originally Posted by Eleuthera 2014

Thread drift with all due apologies but...

In my opinion based on lengthy research, the best wind generator is... Solar panels.

Well, solar panels and a FAN...

[Force Majeure]

As a wind generator supplier, I can offer a few data points:

If you don't have good wind, don't expect too much power from a wind generator. Wind gens need wind, just like solar panels need sun.

Physics dictates that the power you can extract from a given density windstream depends on two things: Swept Area (diameter squared), and Velocity of the wind (velocity cubed). There is 27 times the energy in a 15 knot wind than there is in a 5 knot wind. So be sure you are planning to be in windy areas, or you will be disappointed.

Also there is about 40% more swept area in a 1.3M diameter circle than there is in a 1.1M circle. The more of the wind you can intercept, the more power available to your wind generator. So, while the tiny wind generators with small blades may look great, physics will prevent them from performing as well as a larger unit. Look for the largest swept area (longest and lightest blades). As you see above, every inch counts. It is the most important factor in wind generator design.

Also, all types of rotary generators make their best power at 1/2 no-load speed, so a good tip-speed ratio and a smart controller that can do impedance matching can gain you more power for a given wind speed.

A relay type set-point controller, which switches to a resistive dump load at a specific voltage, cannot top-up your batteries fully. A two-stage charge controller is required to do that. Partial-state-of-charge (PSOC) cycling is a major factor in reducing battery life.

Thanks to all who gave kudos to the MarineKinetix. Glad you are happy.

With LEDs, Solar and Wind (in that order) you cover all your bases.