Wind power

[jambouk]

Does anyone have any recommendations of small wind turbines (200 to 600W I suppose) to trickle charge a 12v battery for an off-grid location? Already have solar for another battery so don't want to discuss solar here. Exposed and relatively windy location. My research suggests horizontally arranged blades are much more efficient than the lantern type (vertical) blades.

Thanks.

James

 

[gilesco]

I know nothing about renewable energy products, but a quick look appears to indicate that in order to select a product you need to know the wind class of your site.

[7170]

Maybe check out this. All fairly pricy though when you include charge regulator plus dump load etc.

When comparing wind vs solar a number of years ago I recall the amount of energy you get from wind is driven by the area the blade covers, so traditional windmill ones were better than the vertical ones for a similar turbine blade height. but vertical are useful if you have space or aesthetic constraints.

 

[jambouk]

I got one of these for £99 and I have to say I am mightily impressed. The site is always breezy and I think on the whole on calmer days it probably produces produces 25W (rated at 500W) but I have recorded it doing over 200W in a stronger wind. It certainly keeps the batteries charged. I suspect in a sheltered location it would be next to useless.