Wind generator and controller recommendations please

[geem]

I wasn't aiming at you specifically but several people seem to think its just not possible - we do have a 700ah bank but as I said have NEVER used more than 210ah overnight so that would work with a much smaller bank too. They key is Lithium which as you know charges so much quicker. We do generally only have one cooked meal a day plus toaster etc in the morning and the coffee maker several times a day but we also run a full sized fridge and full sized freezer.

A mono would be more challenging though the tilting panels makes a huge difference as you've said. I would note we don't run a normal electric oven at all - just microwave with grill, air fryer (which is also a pressure cooker, slow cooker and roasting oven etc but smaller) and induction hob. We eat very well, making everything fresh from ingredients generally but the downside is we've not had a pizza for year as that just won't fit in the air fryer

You are using 2.5kw over night. We don't even make 2.5kw a day on our 700w of solar. That's on a monohull with far bigger than average solar installation.
The reality is for us and the vast majority of cruisers is that we have no desire for all electric cooking. I see it as a negative. We have a large three ring gas cooker with gas oven that gets used several times per week. Our boat used to be all electric cooking but we converted it to gas cooking. We got rid of the electric oven and microwave. It's just not my wife's style of cooking. She makes fresh bread and cakes and the kettle is on regularly for tea or coffee.
We do have an induction cooker for use in a marina or as a back up withe generator on. Among our cruising friends here in the Caribbean our set up is quite common. Getting gas filled about every 3 months is no big hassle for the convenience of not worrying about batteries. Batteries would be an issue with our limited solar and that of every other cruiser on a monohull of our size or smaller

 

[Tinto]

That's fine, but our basic 100W solar also keeps our batteries charged through the winter

That’s great for you, but there is no way I am leaving flexible panels on my deck through a Scottish winter. If I put my phone number on them I would be getting phone calls for people finding them in Kilmarnock and Glasgow
If the wind doesn’t get them, the starlings will

 

[dunedin]

That’s great for you, but there is no way I am leaving flexible panels on my deck through a Scottish winter. If I put my phone number on them I would be getting phone calls for people finding them in Kilmarnock and Glasgow
If the wind doesn’t get them, the starlings will

Mine have been through 5 very windy Scottish winters on the sprayhood without any issues at all. Wind generators have more issues in severe storms, I believe

 

[Tinto]

Mine have been through 5 very windy Scottish winters on the sprayhood without any issues at all. Wind generators have more issues in severe storms, I believe

Mine are not on a spray hood. As mentioned, they are pulled out and tied to the deck when required.

thank you for your suggestions but they are not suitable at this time, not least because the yard I am in require all canvas work to be removed before the boat is lifted out.

 

[Alex_Blackwood]

I think that reading between the lines, and there are many of them, that the OP really, really, really wants a wind turbine. Might be mistaken!

 

[Tinto]

I think that reading between the lines, and there are many of them, that the OP really, really, really wants a wind turbine. Might be mistaken!

Well yes! The question was about recommendations for wind turbine set ups not whether I should have one or not. The Aqua gen doesn’t produce as much as solar either and I don’t want to be using it around the Firth of Clyde so I need something to fill in for that. Obviously, it can’t be used it anchor either. So they all have advantages and disadvantages.

 

[srm]

Just a thought, from experience the output from a wind turbine varies rapidly in a short time span as it is working in the turbulent air flow over the water and boat. Even worse in a harbour or hard standing location. Generally the stronger the wind the more turbulent the air flow. Will the output need smoothing before being fed into Lithium batts? Probably a question for the batt suppliers.

 

[Tinto]

For those who have not had great performance out of their wind turbine, has it been wired straight to the battery or Through an MPPT charger?

 

[NormanS]

Well yes! The question was about recommendations for wind turbine set ups not whether I should have one or not. The Aqua gen doesn’t produce as much as solar either and I don’t want to be using it around the Firth of Clyde so I need something to fill in for that. Obviously, it can’t be used it anchor either. So they all have advantages and disadvantages.

If you're determined to have a wind turbine, just remember to install it in such a way that you can catch a line on its tailfin, to swing it across the wind to stop it, and then tie it off. I know that the controller is supposed to do that, but....
Mine was installed away up out of reach on the mizzen mast, and when it went berserk and self destructed, it was not funny. Need I say that I now have PV panels?

 

[srm]

For those who have not had great and not great performance out of their wind turbine, has it been wired straight to the battery or Through an MPPT charger?

I always understood that an MPPT controller was used to maximise output from solar panels. Wind turbine controller output should be straight to batts as it needs to sense actual battery voltage. Or perhaps controller technology has moved on since my installation.

 

[Tinto]

I always understood that an MPPT controller was used to maximise output from solar panels. Wind turbine controller output should be straight to batts as it needs to sense actual battery voltage. Or perhaps controller technology has moved on since my installation.

The power output needs to be conditioned for lithium, but the previous owner of my boat had the old wind turbine wired direct into the AGM battery. MPPT makes best use of the power harnessed, be that solar or wind

 

[srm]

The power output needs to be conditioned for lithium, but the previous owner of my boat had the old wind turbine wired direct into the AGM battery. MPPT makes best use of the power harnessed, be that solar or wind

Probably varies with different machines. The instructions for my turbine were quite specific that turbine output in a combined PV charging system had to be direct to battery bank to prevent it from sensing the PV output and regulating to that voltage. With my machine the controller was built in to the turbine body so no need for a second controller before the batts. Some other machines have separate controllers and may well be able to use a combined MPPT solar/wind controller.

Turbine direct to batts via a controller or on earlier low power systems without a controlled output a power dump resistor was the normal set up a decade or more ago.

 

[Motor_Sailor]

My wind generator goes through a MPPT. Marlec ( Marlec - A UK Manufacturer of Battery Charging Off-Grid Wind Turbines ) do kits and have great advice.

If you sail during the 'shoulder season' in Scotland (September to May), then wind generators are great. When you're holed up by strong winds in a Hebridean anchorage under overcast skies and short days, you can generate enough power to keep up with your diesel heater / lights / watching videos, charging your laptop, etc.

If you have other sailing waters (Med, tropics, downwind oceanic passages, regular visits to marinas, etc, etc), then other energy sources might well be more applicable. But in Scotland, I've found wind to be an invaluable complement to solar. Couldn't exist away from marinas during the short days without it. Or alternatively there'd be a lot of engine charging (something I have never done since the 1980s).

 

[geem]

For those who have not had great and not great performance out of their wind turbine, has it been wired straight to the battery or Through an MPPT charger?

Direct to batteries

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

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

A wind generator is the perfect solution for when you find yourself becalmed