Is it worth fitting a Wind Generator ?

[tri39]

I use solar panels without a regulator when living aboard. The fridge (also without a thermostat, just turned off at dusk), consumes any surplus power! However I do disconnect the panels (apart from a 10wt panel in the winter) when I leave the boat, you do need to remember! I also feel the panels confuse the Adverc controller and should probably be disconnected when motoring altho I usually forget.
I use panels and no windmill in the Med, motoring most mornings plus blistering sun provides enough power for my modest needs.
Leaving all your panels connected all winter without a regulator will be too much for your batts.

 

[maxy]

Solar panel output

5 A for 150w in the med is low, are you sure there is not an electrical problem?

Your quite right. There is no electrical problem, cables sizes are well oversize but I do suffer from some shadowing which I suspect is the problem. When the sun is high (Eastern Med) it increases slightly. The figure quoted is my average according to my Heart Interface.

I haven't experienced any problems with the mix of charging systems (Wind, Solar, Mains and Alternator) whilst connected to the Adverc smart controller. In fact its my third boat so equipped in 20 odd years and has been one of the best investments made. My service battery life has been in excess of 10 years on two fof the boats (the other I didnt have long enough)

 

[Ludd]

I'm on the Clyde(Largs) and at this moment I am getting 4amps from 150watts,with abit of shadow from next door neighbour's rigging!

 

[charles_reed]

MPPT controller

I do have a controller for my solars, but, I guess, not the MPPT type, what is the difference? Is it worth investing in one? They are expensive.

A conventional controller only uses a proportion of the total output of a solar panel and dumps the rest.

As most panels can put out 18-22 volts this is quite a waste.

An MPPT controller accepts any voltage, converts it into the optimum charging volts.

Hence you can expect to get 20-30% more current out of your PV panels.
It's probably not worth using for less than 100 watts nominal PV panel, but the marginal cost difference at 180 watts nominal is cheaper than adding PV panels.

 

[dmmbruce]

FWIW may I add the following;

First, do your arithmetic as to what you need, peak usage and general running.

Consider the likely conditions where you will be, or plan to be.

When you use solar panels, distinguish between poly-crystalline ones in 1in thick aluminium frames that are the most efficient in full sun but much less so in shade. Versus the amorphous ones that are usually semi-flexible, much easier to mount, you can walk on them, they produce less power at max, but more than the others in shade.

If you have more than c.40w of solar power, use an MPPT regulator as mentioned above. It uses all the power from 17.1 volt panels (or less depending on the conditions) delivered at 14.8v to the battery. Likewise it will step up slightly lower voltages to 14.8 in poorer light. It prevents charging if the batteries are full, so no frying. The best supply I could find is from www.midsummerenergy.co.uk model Emponi SOL1 @ £65 if I remember right. They are in the uk, somewhere near Cambridge I think.

On the basis that when there is no sun there is usually wind, and vice versa, I went for a Forgen wind turbine as well. These are the upright cylindrical ones that produce almost no noise or vibration. Again midsummerenergy do them. These have their own regulator so you just connect them directly to the battery.

Both should work well summer and winter. They do for me.

Hope this helps. Good luck. Mike.

 

[Thepipdoc]

Just fitted a Rutland 913 along with a Marlec HRDi regulator and I'm somewhat disappointed by it's performance so far.... so much so, I think something is not working as it should.
Both have been fitted a week and according to the the regulator, they have produced 27ah and this includes several hours at 25 knots, which only produced 1ah (I've fitted it to my motor boat ((Sea Ray 270 Sundancer). Would this be considered normal perfomance?
23 of the 27ah were produced in the first day.

I should add that whilst the HRDi regulator says it's producing a continuous amount of power (ah and Watts) when I scroll through the menu it says the net amount of amp hours and Watts generated is still zero.

I'm almost certainly going to conatact Marlec but before I do I would like to hear if this performance is normal.
Thanks

 

[Moodyjim]

I find this whole thing quite confusing. I know a little about lectrizity but to work out a charging system for this lot is beyond me!
Wind generator (new Air Gen - excellent), deck solars totalling 125W, rigid solar on the gantry 130W, battery charger for shore power, 90W alternator. I know I'm not getting anywhere near full benefit but without a knowledgeble wiring diagram what can I do?
Three battery banks - domestic, engine, bow-thruster.
Can anybody help with a wiring diagram? I do know there is a Pro-split 120 in there to stop the bow-thruster bank going flatish but i'm not sure it works that well.

 

[mandlmaunder]

J Would this be considered normal perfomance?
23 of the 27ah were produced in the first day.

I should add that whilst the HRDi regulator says it's producing a continuous amount of power (ah and Watts) when I scroll through the menu it says the net amount of amp hours and Watts generated is still zero.

I'm almost certainly going to conatact Marlec but before I do I would like to hear if this performance is normal.
Thanks

Sounds like it worked for one day and then something went wayward.
25amp day one, 2amp since, not a normal out put.

Mark

 

[anniebray]

[. Also have BEP600 battery monitor which refuses to register input from my mains charger (except voltage) & indicates a constantly reducing battery power level though I can tell charging is happening from voltage readings. When I unplug from shore power & fire up the Yanmar, charge level indication will usually rise to 100% . Connections of charger to the shunt are correct so I assume perhaps the waveform from the Sterling Charger somehow fools the BEP monitor.[/QUOTE]

With my new pair of specs I now see that the mains charger is directly connected to the batteries & not via the BEP shunt !!! Have remade the connection & now the Battery Monitor works OK.

 

[temptress]

I would have both

I have a 750Ah domestic battery bank and a wind generator. Having gone through the sort of questions you are asking I intend to fit some powerfull solar pannels when the cash flow allows me later this year.

 

[KellysEye]

As you've had lots of replies about your question can I just add a thought. I would think very carefully about a one year UK to Canaries and, I'm assuming, return to the UK.

The return leg would be mainly upwind upcurrent, a total nightmare. We've sailed 1,600 miles doing that - never again.

As an alternative: UK, Azores, Madeira, Portugal. Then return Portugal, Azores (so you don't have to bash upwind/upcurrent, UK.

 

[FullCircle]

In all the replies, I see no mention of a decent alternator.
anniebray has the same (poor) 60Ah alternator as fitted standard to the 3YM30 Yanmar.

Mine used to make around 12amps at 1000rpm.
I have fitted the Hitachi LR03 80Ah alternator, which is about the largest sensible single pulley/belt size, and I now get 34amps at 1000rpm. I bought it new for under a hundred pounds.

There is a world of difference between these. I believe that you would benefit even more from a Balmar with a conversion setup, or, as I intend, adding a second alternator which I can connect or disconnect at will.

I have also just fitted a 913 and 30w solar with the HRDi, and find that it produces a lot, then chokes off - because the batteries are topped out, and it is just dumping power.

 

[Roaring Girl]

To return to the OP question - worth having both. We've been in the Med since 2006 and use both for different seasons and times. This year we've been on the hook for a month and it's only in the last two or thre days our solars have really been cutting the mustard. Up unitl now we have found our ampair 100 rigged when we're at anchor in one place for more than a day or so to be absolutely essential.

The sun has finally noticed the date and now the solars are doing grand - we have one big one on davits and two flexibles we move around as best suits, so the ampair hasn't come out for the particular three nights in one place.

The ampair is v quiet because it's in the rigging not on a mast or a pole, and doesn't have modern swishy blades. Slightly less power and the faff of putitng it up, but well worth it for the additional energy in poor weather.

 

[temptress]

In all the replies, I see no mention of a decent alternator.
........ you would benefit even more from a Balmar with a conversion setup, or, as I intend, adding a second alternator ......

Should have mentioned that as well as the Ampair wind generator I have 2 alternators. One Hitachi 80A for the engine battery and a Balmar 150A with double pulleys for the domestics. Both alternators can be switched (manually) to either battery bank if needed.

I'm still planning on solar as well to reduce engine running time.

 

[SimbaDog]

Just fitted a Rutland 913 along with a Marlec HRDi regulator and I'm somewhat disappointed by it's performance so far.... so much so, I think something is not working as it should.
Both have been fitted a week and according to the the regulator, they have produced 27ah and this includes several hours at 25 knots, which only produced 1ah (I've fitted it to my motor boat ((Sea Ray 270 Sundancer). Would this be considered normal perfomance?
23 of the 27ah were produced in the first day.

I should add that whilst the HRDi regulator says it's producing a continuous amount of power (ah and Watts) when I scroll through the menu it says the net amount of amp hours and Watts generated is still zero.

I'm almost certainly going to conatact Marlec but before I do I would like to hear if this performance is normal.
Thanks

No, there is something wrong.
I have a similar setup & it happily runs tv, fridge, toaster, laptop etc. etc.
Contact Marlec & speak to Lloyd.

 

[Thepipdoc]

No, there is something wrong.
I have a similar setup & it happily runs tv, fridge, toaster, laptop etc. etc.
Contact Marlec & speak to Lloyd.

Thanks - I spoke to Lloyd today and whilst he accepts that the regulator isn't displaying EXACTLY as it should be, (the "net ah" is displaying one figure and the "wg ah" is dispalying a different one - they don't tally and they should) he has suggested I monitor the set-up for a while and if I'm still not convinced he will willingly take the regulator back and test it in his workshop.
Can I ask..... what ah would you expect your 913 to produce in a typical week? A ball park figure will help me understand what this unit can do.
I realise that your location and mine may be completely different but I'm just trying to get a handle on what I can expect.
Thanks

 

[SimbaDog]

Hi, when running freely (away from marina) average seems to be around 40 to 50 ah per day, more if windy.