Adding Wind Turbine to your off grid solar setup

[soylent_green]

Any input in a wind turbine as a complement to your off grid solar setup? Ya, the $ spent could be utilized more efficiently with additional panels. More like a way to trickle additional power into the batteries in at night than to depend on for my energy needs.

Who is doing this? Tips, equipment to look at, to avoid, dump loads, etc.

Current system is
6 x LG 305 panels 1830 watts
1 Outback Flexmax80 MPPT charge controller
4 x Fullriver AGM DC250 6 V 250 amp in series to make 24 v battery bank
1 x fx2524t Outback pure sine inverter charger

I get to float every day by noon, so any power produced by the turbine when the suns out would end up being dumped. I know that outback CCs dont work with wind.

Area is coastal northern baja with a healthy dose of wind off the ocean.

Probably a dumb idea. But it wouldnt be my first dumb idea.

[Mike90250]

I would not bother.

[solar pete]

Any input in a wind turbine as a complement to your off grid solar setup? Ya, the $ spent could be utilized more efficiently with additional panels. More like a way to trickle additional power into the batteries in at night than to depend on for my energy needs.

Who is doing this? Tips, equipment to look at, to avoid, dump loads, etc.

Current system is
6 x LG 305 panels 1830 watts
1 Outback Flexmax80 MPPT charge controller
4 x Fullriver AGM DC250 6 V 250 amp in series to make 24 v battery bank
1 x fx2524t Outback pure sine inverter charger

I get to float every day by noon, so any power produced by the turbine when the suns out would end up being dumped. I know that outback CCs dont work with wind.

Area is coastal northern baja with a healthy dose of wind off the ocean.

Probably a dumb idea. But it wouldnt be my first dumb idea.

I think more panels would be a better bet, cheers.

[J.P.M.]

I' d bet more the OP learns about WECS (wind energy conversion systems), the less likely it'll be thought of as a viable way to make small amounts of electricity.

[SunEagle]

I' d bet more the OP learns about WECS (wind energy conversion systems), the less likely it'll be thought of as a viable way to make small amounts of electricity.

The tough part is the number of sites that are selling those small turbines as though they are as good as slice bread.

From what I have read I would need a tower about 80 to 100 ft high with about 200 ft of clearance all around it to get any useful wind energy production and I have a pretty constant wind around 2mph around my house.

Now if I lived on the edge of a large lake or in the middle of the US it might make sense to harvest that kind of power.

[J.P.M.]

The tough part is the number of sites that are selling those small turbines as though they are as good as slice bread.

From what I have read I would need a tower about 80 to 100 ft high with about 200 ft of clearance all around it to get any useful wind energy production and I have a pretty constant wind around 2mph around my house.

Now if I lived on the edge of a large lake or in the middle of the US it might make sense to harvest that kind of power.

Yea, that's the implied rose colored glasses view of those selling a bill of goods. I'm surprised Harbor Fright doesn't sell one that self destructs quicker than the others for $29.95

While there are a lot of good wind sites around the world, I suspect not many ate in FL. Usually, the better sites are in more hilly/mountainous terrain, they're not easily identified, nor are they resource quantifiable as easily as solar which itself isn't usually easy to long term estimate.

How's your new digs coming along ?

[soylent_green]

I' d bet more the OP learns about WECS (wind energy conversion systems), the less likely it'll be thought of as a viable way to make small amounts of electricity.

thats precisely why I started the thread.

whatever....

[J.P.M.]

thats precisely why I started the thread.

whatever....

Have you learned anything so far ? Or at least got some stuff to consider ? If so, what ?

A long time ago someone advised me to learn from the mistakes of others because I wouldn't live long enough to make them all on my own.

[soylent_green]

Have you learned anything so far ? Or at least got some stuff to consider ? If so, what ?

A long time ago someone advised me to learn from the mistakes of others because I wouldn't live long enough to make them all on my own.

Have I learned anything new in this thread? naa, not really.

Im not looking for validation so I can pursue something that is a bad idea. I precisely started this thread to learn from others mistakes. Kind of what active forums with people of shared interests are/do. Thought it might be an interesting topic with someone with real life experience.

carry on....

[mayhassen]

Hello, I do not think your idea is a bad one, as I am thinking of the same. In my area there are several wind mills (big ones), so I guess someine already figured it is windy here. Its a coastal area in sweden. I want to have the extra power if there is no sun out.

I am also away from my home in long periods at a time, and winter/snow is gonna set panel production to zero.

Alternatives are generator or wind, just to keep batteries going, and to have enough heat to prevent water from freezing.

What you want to consider is obsticals, as some mentioned, and go as high as you can.

https://www.windpowerengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Wind-Turbulence-Diagram.jpg

The technical stuff:
I was thinking of perhaps letting some logic controller decide if it was no solar, then let the wind charge.
My dump load could always go to a heat element.

My main concern will be the noise. Not sure if I want to compromise on that one..

[SunEagle]

Hello, I do not think your idea is a bad one, as I am thinking of the same. In my area there are several wind mills (big ones), so I guess someine already figured it is windy here. Its a coastal area in sweden. I want to have the extra power if there is no sun out.

I am also away from my home in long periods at a time, and winter/snow is gonna set panel production to zero.

Alternatives are generator or wind, just to keep batteries going, and to have enough heat to prevent water from freezing.

What you want to consider is obsticals, as some mentioned, and go as high as you can.

https://www.windpowerengineering.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Wind-Turbulence-Diagram.jpg

The technical stuff:
I was thinking of perhaps letting some logic controller decide if it was no solar, then let the wind charge.
My dump load could always go to a heat element.

My main concern will be the noise. Not sure if I want to compromise on that one..

Another thing to remember is that during the Winter ice can accumulate on the turbine blades and tower. This may cause damage to the turbine or something that the ice hits falling to the ground.

[J.P.M.]

Have I learned anything new in this thread? naa, not really.

Im not looking for validation so I can pursue something that is a bad idea. I precisely started this thread to learn from others mistakes. Kind of what active forums with people of shared interests are/do. Thought it might be an interesting topic with someone with real life experience.

carry on....

Understood. Not bustin' on you, and with no need or notion to validate or excoriate anything or anyone. But, having looked at WECS technology for ~ 40 + years, with most of those from an engineer's perspective, and rooted around this forum for 4+years, I've seen and read the opinion of a lot of people much more informed about the subject than me generally be of the majority opinion that wind generation of electricity is more time, treasure and hassle for small applications than most uninformed people know of or would probably care to engage in if they did know.

Often, such uninformed folks come here, have their preconceived and ignorant notions (that were usually put into their heads by peddlers with skin in the game) disabused by knowledgeable opinion, with some of that from P.E.'s who are also users of WECS. They then get pissed off and/or get their feelings hurt because they take the well considered and sincerely offered advise, cautions and admonitions personally.

Just do the necessary homework and walk in with your eyes and mind open.

[Wy_White_Wolf]

https://www.solacity.com/small-wind-turbine-truth/

[mayhassen]

https://www.solacity.com/small-wind-turbine-truth/

This is link is a discussion of grid tied wind power, not on off-grid alternative, as the thread starter asked about.

In Norway small wind turbines are used several places together with solar. Its not because wind is better/more economic than solar, its because there is not enough solar.

[J.P.M.]

https://www.solacity.com/small-wind-turbine-truth/

Yea, an example of what I wrote about.

Thank you WWW.