Excellent advice windguy. Wind is so sight specific and unless a year or two of wind speed information is collected, you will not be able to make an economic decision based on solid evidence. A small 400 watt marine turbine will cost about US$2,000-2,500 to buy the turbine, have the tower built and the entire system installed. If you can stand there and feel a strong wind which makes it a little difficult to stand still, you are in the right spot. Getting it 50 feet or more in the air, away from any buildings or trees can be a bit of a challenge. You may get 3-6 hours of good wind on any given day at any given sight depending on the time of year. To run at 400 watts, I think you need 15 mps+ winds, which are very, very strong. These aren't generally nice places to live. If you have the $$$ and feel like you have a decent place to put it, have fun seeing what you can get out of it. We were lucky to get 300 watts a day out of one.
- Thread starter AlterEgo
- Start date
Windmill installed.
We've had Panels for almost 18 years now and the windmill gets used when the panels fancy a rest or just to top up and keep it running. We have to switch off our input as it is generating so much, so I don't know where things are going wrong, but you are doing something wrong. Mind, we have minimal lighting, always loud music being played, fridges constantly on, extrenal drive lights, computers and we still have to keep our units switched off and we have 6 huge Sub batts to charge. Your mill will always find a breeze if it's been installed correctly and has a functioning fin!
good luck!
good luck!
Some questions:
Where are you located?
What is your power usage per month?
What wind turbine?
How many solar panels and their wattage? ,
how many batteries and what type are they?
Are you completely DC or are you using an inverter?
I've read some of this but NOT all. This is what I have done and it has worked very well.
First of all let's get our setup and situation up front. We live on the Ocean front on the Atlantic side. We have a large place with 2 guest apartments plus our own home. 3 FULL kitchens plus wine coolers and freezers. Cieling fans, 120 hot water heaters, several TV's, WiFi, security lighting and ... You get the picture?
We upgraded our inverter to a 5.5 to handle ALL the 120 VAC. 32 batteries and took out the smaller inverter and those batteries. We have a 50 Kw diesel generator and can store 1000 gallons of fuel. Diesel got TOO expensive.
We now turn off ALL the 120 VAC in the day time during March to Nov. But we added solar also.
So to charge our bats, we installed an Air X marine on our ocean side roof area. It paid for it's self in 6 months. NO, it does NOT keep the batteries charged. I trickle charges. Most times with any breeze I'm lucky to see80 half an amp. A good breeze, 1.5 amps. A wind that we close the doors and windows on the ocean side, 3 amps. A gail, 10 amps. the most I saw was when last years huricane went by with ... est. mph winds and she just sang and worked like a champ. She DOES NOT make much noise. I've replaced the blades once. We did have honey bees chopped up. She is 4 years old and does just fine.
4 Large solar panels added two years ago. During the day, we run ALL our 120 VAC from the wind generator and solar. At MOST, I've have found the batteries down by 2 volts. The inverter is programed to start the diesel generator when the voltage gets to low. The genertor has NEVER been started.
WILL our systems pay for themselves. Yes and No. When the street power goes out, WE DO NOT RUN OUT OF POWER. Our elec. bills have been cut in half without a problem, but the system will never pay for it's self other then.... WE DO NOT RUN OUT OF POWER. I've estimated that if Edenorte went off line .... I'm good for OVER a year with the wind, solar and generator/fuel stored.
And I can't tell you how many times I've thrown an extension cord over fences or have provided water to my area.
My real life experience.
First of all let's get our setup and situation up front. We live on the Ocean front on the Atlantic side. We have a large place with 2 guest apartments plus our own home. 3 FULL kitchens plus wine coolers and freezers. Cieling fans, 120 hot water heaters, several TV's, WiFi, security lighting and ... You get the picture?
We upgraded our inverter to a 5.5 to handle ALL the 120 VAC. 32 batteries and took out the smaller inverter and those batteries. We have a 50 Kw diesel generator and can store 1000 gallons of fuel. Diesel got TOO expensive.
We now turn off ALL the 120 VAC in the day time during March to Nov. But we added solar also.
So to charge our bats, we installed an Air X marine on our ocean side roof area. It paid for it's self in 6 months. NO, it does NOT keep the batteries charged. I trickle charges. Most times with any breeze I'm lucky to see80 half an amp. A good breeze, 1.5 amps. A wind that we close the doors and windows on the ocean side, 3 amps. A gail, 10 amps. the most I saw was when last years huricane went by with ... est. mph winds and she just sang and worked like a champ. She DOES NOT make much noise. I've replaced the blades once. We did have honey bees chopped up. She is 4 years old and does just fine.
4 Large solar panels added two years ago. During the day, we run ALL our 120 VAC from the wind generator and solar. At MOST, I've have found the batteries down by 2 volts. The inverter is programed to start the diesel generator when the voltage gets to low. The genertor has NEVER been started.
WILL our systems pay for themselves. Yes and No. When the street power goes out, WE DO NOT RUN OUT OF POWER. Our elec. bills have been cut in half without a problem, but the system will never pay for it's self other then.... WE DO NOT RUN OUT OF POWER. I've estimated that if Edenorte went off line .... I'm good for OVER a year with the wind, solar and generator/fuel stored.
And I can't tell you how many times I've thrown an extension cord over fences or have provided water to my area.
My real life experience.
Our windmill works great on windy days, not so great otherwise, but it does give a bit of a boost to the batteries.
Some photos:
View attachment 767
Some photos:
View attachment 767
Attachments
Wud, we have it at 40'. I don't remember the brand [my husband knows, but he's down at the beach right now], but it's a 400 watt Marine Grade Windmill.
AE. thats 40' above you.
What about compared to sea level?
Are you on a hill... is it higher than your 40' - by how much?
If i had one up 40', it would be 350' above the water...
Makes a diffy-diffy for wind
What about compared to sea level?
Are you on a hill... is it higher than your 40' - by how much?
If i had one up 40', it would be 350' above the water...
Makes a diffy-diffy for wind
Oh, now you're getting technical on me 
I don't have a clue what sea level is here.
From the beach we are definitely up a hill, and the front of our property, where the windmill is, is much higher than the back of our property. Just from the front of the house to the back is a difference of 5 steps down, and it dips more the further back you go. There is always a swift breeze coming up the hill from the back of the house, and it is unobstructed because we have no one behind us, and no big trees. When the mill spins fast, you can hear it for quite a distance.
I don't have a clue what sea level is here.
From the beach we are definitely up a hill, and the front of our property, where the windmill is, is much higher than the back of our property. Just from the front of the house to the back is a difference of 5 steps down, and it dips more the further back you go. There is always a swift breeze coming up the hill from the back of the house, and it is unobstructed because we have no one behind us, and no big trees. When the mill spins fast, you can hear it for quite a distance.
Thats good.... plenty of height
BTW... sealevel is " 0 "
If you go on Google Earth to your casa, it will give you your height.....
Not important, but good cocktail conversation
"Our windmill works well at xxx feet above sea level. We get a steady breeze"
BTW... sealevel is " 0 "
If you go on Google Earth to your casa, it will give you your height.....
Not important, but good cocktail conversation
"Our windmill works well at xxx feet above sea level. We get a steady breeze"