Selecting and Installing a Wind Generator On Your Vessel

For a while I have been investigating ways to create power without the help of my trawler’s genset.  It doesn’t take very long to utilize 100 hours of generator time, enough for one more oil change.  To begin with I installed a solar panel, and then came an inverter, and now, the newest is a wind generator

Wind has been utilized for generating energy for hundreds of years; first in Persia (present-day Iran) as early as 200 B.C.  Yet, the first accepted practical windmills were manufactured by the Dutch in 1300, by utilizing cloth sails stretched across wooden frames.  In some creations these sails could be cut to make the most of inconsistent wind speed conditions. The big windmills of the Dutch design remained in operationg all throughout Europe until the introduction of the steam engine in the 1800s.  Wind is in reality a form of solar power. Winds are brought on by the unequal warming of the atmosphere by the sun, the differences of the earth’s surface, and spinning of the planet. Wind flow patterns are formed by the earth’s topography, bodies of water, man-made buildings and plant life. We humans can utilize this wind flow, for many purposes: sailing a boat, flying a kite, flying an airliner and even making electrical power.

The term wind power describes the method by which the wind is used to produce mechanical energy.  This mechanical power can then be utilized for precise mechanical tasks such as grinding grain or pumping water.   Or as used on a vessel, an alternator in a wind generator can convert this mechanical energy into electrical power.  So how do wind generators make electricity? in basic terms, a wind generator works the reverse of a fan. As a substitute to using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind generators make use of wind to make electricity. The wind spins the blades, which rotate a shaft.  The shaft connects to an alternator and produces electricity.  In our vessel’s turbine, the alternator creates 220 volt 3-phase AC current.  The controller, converter, then changes the AC power to 12 volt DC power to charge the battery bank.

Wind Availability

When deciding whether a wind generator is economically practical for your yacht relies upon on the quality of your wind resources. Usually, standard wind speeds of no less than 10 mph are required for a small wind generator to create adequate electricity to be cost-effective.  Since we live on the Atlantic shoreline, we enjoy afternoon sea breezes in the summer season which routinely generate 10-15 mph winds.  If your vessel is inland, your winds will most likely be different.  The most significant component of evaluating your wind resource is an anemometer. Anemometers are wind measuring devices, typically constructed with rotating cups installed on a vertical shaft.  The anemometer will enable you to “understand” the wind speeds.   If there is another trawler owner with a wind generator system in your locale, you might be able to gain valuable guidance from its owners with reference to the electrical productivity of the system and wind speed statistics. This guidance could be tremendously valuable as an alternative to mounting an anemometer.
 
Turbine Installation

Deciding the location to install your wind generator takes some preparation.  It must be high enough to seize the wind, preferably away from arches, sails or masts that will hinder or change wind flow.  There is also the concern of rotating blades.  We want to ensure that they do not strike anything while spinning, especially someone’s head while moving about the vessel.

I chose to use the factory constructed pole kit that was made for our turbine.  It provides a 3-point connection which also permits us to lay it down for service.  It is powder coated anodized aluminum, with stainless steel, brackets, constructed to endure the harsh marine setting.  My wind turbine is really a cross system I made using both wind power and solar power. 

Being A Considerate Neighbor

Many people feel strongly about the desire to protect the views and tranquility of their marinas. Expect a number of questions from your neighboring boats.  Appreciate your neighbors’ instinctive fear of the unknown and be prepared to react to their issues.   Several of the worries raised about wind generators are not true.  Wind turbines are not, as a lot of people think, unsafe to birds. A shiny reflective window is more hazardous to birds than a small wind generator.  Wind turbines also have no potential to disturb radio and television signal.

Wind Turbine Sound

Your neighbors’ concerns concerning wind generator noise are important.  Regardless of the size of the wind generator, the likelihood for turbine noise to bother other people always exists. Even if a wind turbine does not produce sufficient noise to violate any sound regulations, the sound it produces might still be offensive to other people.   Older generators were indeed loud, but modern day engineering has developed turbine blades that are almost silent.  Our turbine is roughly 3 feet in diameter and at 4 mph winds; the unit produces a light flutter.  At 10 mph the unit produces no noise at all.

Wind Generator Advantages

-  Wind is free 
-  Generates no waste or greenhouse gases. 
-  Does not usually hinder other boating activities

Wind Turbine Drawbacks

-  The wind is not always predictable – some days we have no wind at all. 
-  A few individuals feel that wind turbines ruin the lines of a yacht; I felt that way as well in the beginning but have since altered my outlook.
-  A few devices can be loud. The small contemporary wind generators put on vessels barely create any sound at all.

How Much Power Do They Generate

Generators can be purchased that produce different energy outputs.  The turbine that I selected is a Sunforce 450 watt turbine.  It has a cut-in speed of 4 mph and has a survival wind speed ability of 157 mph.  The amps (power) created is:
- 6 mph winds – 8.3 amps
- 10 mp winds – 25 amps
-  14 mph winds – 58.3 amps

The device has a built in brake that will go on automatically when the batteries are at 100% charge, or it can be manually set if so desired.

 

Related posts:

1. Applied Magnets Introduces the Windmax Line of Hybrid Small Wind Generators
2. Do It Yourself Wind Power: DIY Home Wind Power Kits (How To Make Wind Power Easily)
3. Solar Generator From Solutions From Science
4. 2010 Deep Research Report On Global And China Offshore Wind Power
5. The Extreme Green Guide to Wind Turbines (Kindle Edition)