solar and wind
- Thread starter dye29
- Start date
Yes!
The reason for going solar only is the exorbitant cost of maintaining wind turbines vs the low cost of maintaining solar!
And the low production of wind vs solars consistent predictable production.
Good read about small wind turbines.
www.solacity.com
The reason for going solar only is the exorbitant cost of maintaining wind turbines vs the low cost of maintaining solar!
And the low production of wind vs solars consistent predictable production.
Good read about small wind turbines.
The Truth About Small Wind Turbines – Solacity
Installing a small wind turbine? Get the information you need for an informed decision: The good and the bad, just the literal truth to help you choose.
www.solacity.com
eppich8479
New Member
Wind is pwm and solar is mppt. Its not hard to do but you just connect your pwm to the batteries in a component system. Harder to do as all in one.
My question is now i have 4 panels through mppt too 3x batteries . If i get windturbine i know this has seperate controller can i also add this too the same batteries for charging
rodrick
Free energy enthusiast
I was looking into wind to add to my system and after a lot of research I come to the conclusion that it’s very limited due to a lot of variables such as normal area wind velocity and frequency which may be good in your area but your own geography could not be suitable due to buildings,trees a hill ect
Also the equipment being offered is either low quality, poor performance, or very expensive there are some units in the 1,000 to 2,000 dollar range that seems pretty decent but i went all solar
Also the equipment being offered is either low quality, poor performance, or very expensive there are some units in the 1,000 to 2,000 dollar range that seems pretty decent but i went all solar
Solar is great, until its cloudy 6 days a week...
I wont kid myself thinking wind will be even 5% of what solar is BUT some wind to "help" a little would be nice. Mostly playing with it like I started with solar...
I was excited until Global wind atlas says I can get a whopping 3.3 m/s in my zip code @ 10m high. 10m is not gonna happen anyway...
I noticed most of the turbine controllers are 24v. Are there 48v versions?
I wont kid myself thinking wind will be even 5% of what solar is BUT some wind to "help" a little would be nice. Mostly playing with it like I started with solar...
I was excited until Global wind atlas says I can get a whopping 3.3 m/s in my zip code @ 10m high. 10m is not gonna happen anyway...
I noticed most of the turbine controllers are 24v. Are there 48v versions?
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eppich8479
New Member
The wind kits i have seen on ebay are 12v and 24v. If your batteries are parallel and 12v or 24v you should be fine.
Wind is... tough. In most cases you are better off spending any money you would have spent on wind on extra solar instead. I live in a place where it seems quite windy. It blasts you in the face when you go out in the winter. Anything not nailed down will blow away. Even stuff that is nailed down will blow away after the wind beats on it long enough. I left my SxS in neutral the other day and came out the next morning to find the wind had actually pushed it about 10 feet. When it's cloudy, it's windy. I figured a turbine would supplement our solar during those very cloudy periods (winter). I contacted a reputable company who sells turbine systems starting around $30k. They researched my location and simply told me, "It's just not very windy." Apparently for residential wind power to be a smart investment, you need A LOT OF WIND.
Now, if you just want to play with a turbine and have fun, that's a different story!
Now, if you just want to play with a turbine and have fun, that's a different story!
eppich8479
New Member
Im with you that adding wind to supplement a solar system sounds good. I cant say i have tried to do it though. You really just have to look at the power profile of the windmill. Most will produce some power at 2m/s which is like 5mph wind. If i only got 50w, but for 20hr a day it would be worth it to get that 1 kwh a day to me.
Also be aware wind often needs a dead load to prevent runaway, like for 30mph winds
I also get tempted at times about wind turbines. And then I look at the math again, and that tells me it won't work - so I get back to making a batch of biodiesel for my generator.
Wind doesn't scale to small turbines. You're dealing with two fundamental issues:
- The Betz Limit
- The Power in Wind equation
The Betz Limit is basically a theoretical number of the maximum efficiency you can possibly get. At most, only 59.3% of the kinetic wind energy can be used to spin the turbine and generate electricity. Remember this is a theoretical limit; in practice, you're going to be closer to 40%.
The Power in Wind equation is given as:
P = 1/2 x ρ x A x V³
Where:
P = power in Watts
ρ = air density (kg/m³, at about 1.2 at sea level)
A = Swept area of the blades (m²)
V = Velocity of the wind
So, no matter how good your turbine is, you will get in practice at most 40% of the wind energy converted to electricity. To capture the wind energy in the first place, you have two variables to increase (one in your control, the other not): swept area and wind velocity. The smaller you make the turbine, the faster you need to spin to make any meaningful energy. The only variable you control is the swept area, which means making the blades as big as possible. Also notice that the velocity is cubed in that equation, so you'll generate much, much less power at low wind speeds!
So unless you can spend a good amount of money on a large turbine, it will constantly disappoint. Not just because of the limited energy you get out, but also the maintenance, the blades freezing in winter with snow and ice build-up, etc.
Wind doesn't scale to small turbines. You're dealing with two fundamental issues:
- The Betz Limit
- The Power in Wind equation
The Betz Limit is basically a theoretical number of the maximum efficiency you can possibly get. At most, only 59.3% of the kinetic wind energy can be used to spin the turbine and generate electricity. Remember this is a theoretical limit; in practice, you're going to be closer to 40%.
The Power in Wind equation is given as:
P = 1/2 x ρ x A x V³
Where:
P = power in Watts
ρ = air density (kg/m³, at about 1.2 at sea level)
A = Swept area of the blades (m²)
V = Velocity of the wind
So, no matter how good your turbine is, you will get in practice at most 40% of the wind energy converted to electricity. To capture the wind energy in the first place, you have two variables to increase (one in your control, the other not): swept area and wind velocity. The smaller you make the turbine, the faster you need to spin to make any meaningful energy. The only variable you control is the swept area, which means making the blades as big as possible. Also notice that the velocity is cubed in that equation, so you'll generate much, much less power at low wind speeds!
So unless you can spend a good amount of money on a large turbine, it will constantly disappoint. Not just because of the limited energy you get out, but also the maintenance, the blades freezing in winter with snow and ice build-up, etc.
eppich8479
New Member
Good info...
But from my point of view, im just looking to supplement solar on cloudy days, or short winter days. The main 2 things i need to always be running are internet and security cameras. I can do that on 2kwh per day, but what if its cloudy for a week... More and more batteries?
To me its attractive because the property already has a ground mount tv antenna pole.
But from my point of view, im just looking to supplement solar on cloudy days, or short winter days. The main 2 things i need to always be running are internet and security cameras. I can do that on 2kwh per day, but what if its cloudy for a week... More and more batteries?
To me its attractive because the property already has a ground mount tv antenna pole.
Batteries are at $100 per kWh. 10 days autonomy at 2kWh/day is just $2000. Getting a wind turbine that can get you 2kWh/day is more expensive.
But I am always hoping someone can prove me wrong on wind, and I'm serious. I've even contemplated getting a turbine to try and prove myself wrong. So if you decide to put one up, do share the results!
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