Wind generator and controller recommendations please

[Tinto]

Hi
I would appreciate the benefit of your experience of wind generators and charge controllers. I have lead acid at the moment and would like to change to lithium in time. So the charge controller needs to be able to cope with that as well as a dump to direct excess energy into.
Thank you in advance

 

[Concerto]

Rutland wind generators from Marlec are reconned to be the best. This web page should provide all the information you need.

Wind Power for Boats - The Rutland Windcharger

 

[Boater Sam]

Hi
I would appreciate the benefit of your experience of wind generators and charge controllers. I have lead acid at the moment and would like to change to lithium in time. So the charge controller needs to be able to cope with that as well as a dump to direct excess energy into.
Thank you in advance

Not as efficient as you are led to believe.
Maddeningly noisy inside the boat.
Only produce real power in a gale, gale +1 blows them to bits.

 

[Neeves]

Not as efficient as you are led to believe.
Maddeningly noisy inside the boat.
Only produce real power in a gale, gale +1 blows them to bits.

Not all wind generators are noise, either inside or out - ours is effectively silent.

The beauty of a wind gen is they do not take up much deck space, they work 24/7 (so work at night - or any time there is no or little sun, like winter - in fact they work when solar does not). Our wind gen is now almost 25 years old - I wish our solars, about 7 year lifespan, had lasted so well.

Its horses for courses - not as black and white as commonly reported.

Buy the biggest, in terms of output, you can source.

We would not be without ours.

LVM Aero4Aquagen (wish we had bought the A6A) - sadly no longer in production.

Jonathan

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Not all wind generators are noise, either inside or out - ours is effectively silent.

The beauty of a wind gen is they do not take up much deck space, they work 24/7 (so work at night - or any time there is no or little sun, like winter - in fact they work when solar does not). Our wind gen is now almost 25 years old - I wish our solars, about 7 year lifespan, had lasted so well.

Its horses for courses - not as black and white as commonly reported.

Buy the biggest, in terms of output, you can source.

We would not be without ours.

LVM Aero4Aquagen (wish we had bought the A6A) - sadly no longer in production.

Jonathan

I think it's horses for courses. I had a Rutland 913 for many years, but basically, when based in a marina, it rarely generated any significant power. Of course, that's because marinas are, almost by definition, in sheltered locations, so the local windspeed rarely exceeds the threshold for generation (it's about 15 knots for a Rutland). But if you're doing long passages or are on a mooring in a less sheltered location, then all that @Neeves says is true. But I'd say that a boat based in a marina will, under most circumstances, not get much from a wind generator. I certainly get FAR more from a 100w solar panel!

A further illustration of this point is that I bought mine second-hand from a couple who lived on a narrowboat. They were selling it because they'd recently changed mooring, and the new one was more sheltered so they found that they didn't get sufficient output from it.

 

[Neeves]

I think it's horses for courses. I had a Rutland 913 for many years, but basically, when based in a marina, it rarely generated any significant power. Of course, that's because marinas are, almost by definition, in sheltered locations, so the local windspeed rarely exceeds the threshold for generation (it's about 15 knots for a Rutland). But if you're doing long passages or are on a mooring in a less sheltered location, then all that @Neeves says is true. But I'd say that a boat based in a marina will, under most circumstances, not get much from a wind generator. I certainly get FAR more from a 100w solar panel!

A further illustration of this point is that I bought mine second-hand from a couple who lived on a narrowboat. They were selling it because they'd recently changed mooring, and the new one was more sheltered so they found that they didn't get sufficient output from it.

We are some of those whose yacht is on a swing mooring, don't visit marinas, anchor - and use our yacht. But we do live in the lucky country.



Jonathan

 

[Tinto]

We will be at anchor or sailing most of the time.
So a recommendation for a quiet one would be useful

 

[Boater Sam]

We will be at anchor or sailing most of the time.
So a recommendation for a quiet one would be useful

They are all quiet, silent when still in the box or when there is no wind but if the wind is blowing enough for them to generate a few watts, the vibration down the mounting pole onto the boat roof is horrendous if you are trying to sleep or lead a normal existence inside.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

They are all quiet, silent when still in the box or when there is no wing but if the wind is blowing enough for them to generate a few watts, the vibration down the mounting pole onto the boat roof is horrendous if you are trying to sleep or lead a normal existence inside.

That's what I found too. The noise off the boat was not noticeable, but it was noticeable in the cabin.

 

[Neeves]

There should be no vibration, unless the blades are not balanced. LVM sold balanced blades, each blade was weighed, the weights quoted when you received the unit.

I appreciate our manufacturer no longer exists.

The unit to look at is the one from, I think Eclectic (whose unit converts to a water generator). However I don't know that their unit has matched blades. But the Eclectic unit has been mention by members.

If we were buying again, we have no need now - we would invest in the WattnSea generator that uses yacht movement (sailing) to produce water. But they, obviously, only generate power when you sail.

None of this answers the OPs question (and lithium was not even a dream 25 years ago).

Jonathan

 

[NormanS]

My (Rutland) destroyed itself in a gale. ?
Most of it blew away overboard, but a heavy part (probably part of the fixed magnet) struck the boat, causing expensive damage, although fortunately no injury.
I now have safe, efficient, silent, maintenance free, solar panels. ?
There is no way that I would ever consider going backwards to a wind generator aboard.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

There should be no vibration, unless the blades are not balanced. LVM sold balanced blades, each blade was weighed, the weights quoted when you received the unit.

I appreciate our manufacturer no longer exists.

The unit to look at is the one from, I think Eclectic (whose unit converts to a water generator). However I don't know that their unit has matched blades. But the Eclectic unit has been mention by members.

If we were buying again, we have no need now - we would invest in the WattnSea generator that uses yacht movement (sailing) to produce water. But they, obviously, only generate power when you sail.

None of this answers the OPs question (and lithium was not even a dream 25 years ago).

Jonathan

Can you give a link to where the WattnSea produces water? On the web site, I can only see references to electricity generation.

 

[Whaup367]

Can you give a link to where the WattnSea produces water? On the web site, I can only see references to electricity generation.

I had the same problem with Rutland! I think a wind generator would be really useful for calm days but I can't see any details on that feature.

 

[Neeves]

Can you give a link to where the WattnSea produces water? On the web site, I can only see references to electricity generation.

Pedant?

I cannot determine if you are serious or not

As you have a wind generator you may also have a water generator. LVM called theirs an Aero Gen and a Aqua Gen. Their device generated neither wind nor water - it was quite accepted.

Jonathan

 

[NormanS]

Pedant?

I cannot determine if you are serious or not

As you have a wind generator you may also have a water generator. LVM called theirs an Aero Gen and a Aqua Gen. Their device generated neither wind nor water - it was quite accepted.

Jonathan

Suggest you actually read your #10. ?

 

[dunedin]

We will be at anchor or sailing most of the time.
So a recommendation for a quiet one would be useful

Do you have solar already? Quiet = solar.
Nowadays wind is very much a secondary thing after done all you possibly can with solar (or third after solar and hydro generator if going blue water).

 

[RunAgroundHard]

It is pretty obvious what post 10 means and I don’t doubt for one minute that the cartographer knew that.

I can’t advise the OP specifically.

West Coast of Scotland, marina based. I have an Air X 400 which charges my batteries well. It has a regulator built in such it stops on high charge and high wind speeds. Quite remarkable, it just stops and does not rotate.

I did have an external heat sink, which is old tech. Aftermarket blades are available which are much quieter than original, which I fitted. There are now even better blades available.

I can’t hear mine down below in the saloon. I have an aft cabin and can hear the poles oscillating, not the turbine spinning. Pole stays are rubber mounted, bushings need to be fitted correctly and do cut through, so have to be replaced.

Many new types in my marine run silently , even in last weekends gales. Look for over speed protection and over volt protection built in and of course silent running claims.

The vibration and noise claims are real, but today it is obvious that these issues have been addressed.

 

[Stemar]

Unless there are good reasons for not doing so, I'd forget wind and go for solar power. An engineer friend did the sums for a Rutland wind generator and for solar power, using hours of sunshine and average wind speeds for the southern UK. I can't remember how much solar power he used, but it was nothing outrageous, and solar came out way ahead.

On our Snapdragon, just 40w of solar panels kept up with our modest needs at anchor in the summer and. even in winter, would recharge the batteries after a weekend aboard by the following weekend.

 

[tjbrace]

We fitted a D400 from Eclectic Energy several years ago. Quite quiet and comes with a PWM controller and dump resistors. Works fine and a great company to deal with.

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

Rutland wind generators from Marlec are reconned to be the best. This web page should provide all the information you need.

Wind Power for Boats - The Rutland Windcharger

Agree, Talk to Marlec if you really want a wind generator. If properly fitted they are not noisy. Marlec are very helpful people.