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+--- Thread: Wind turbine (/showthread.php?tid=5233)
RE: Wind turbine - Grumpy Grandpa - 27 June 2013
I know the sum total of sod-all when it comes to wind turbines but from an absolute layman's perspective, those blades don't look as though they would catch much wind. I'm sure someone will enlighten me though (I hope)...
RE: Wind turbine - Highlander - 27 June 2013
,.. I know what you mean GG, but like me, you need dragging into the 12st century,..it seems they are state of the art twirly things
RE: Wind turbine - Mongrel - 8 July 2013
I installed a 400 watt wind generator on top of my workshop, it charges 3 leisure batteries, 12volts. We are not in the best position but so far I haven’t run out of power.
From the workshop I ran an buried cable in to our kitchen larder and installed a couple of 12volt charge points, just like in your car. From the charge points I can keep our mobile devices fully charged, we have lights, laptop, phones, handheld CB and my 12volt drill. L.E.D 12volt lights have been wired in to the livingroom and kitchen areas, directly wired but separate from the mains they act as a backup come replacement.
The way I look at it if the power fails long term, most of the high wattage stuff we have in the house, running of the grid, would be useless anyway, all you really need is Light and maybe the odd pump for water, both of which can run on 12volt.
This system was installed because in truth I couldn’t afford a fully off grid system, it's a compromise, it gives us what we would need, but not what I'd like.
RE: Wind turbine - Binnie - 8 July 2013
Everyone running batteries should have a battery hydrometer, its the only way to know if a battery is fully charged or not
a fully charged battery will have a specific gravity of 1.260 - 1.280, you should check individual cells, and any battery with a cell that has a very different specific gravity should be removed from the bank immediately.
a duff cell can actually consume energy from the rest of the bank to try and "charge" the bad cell, which runs the other batteries flat,
i've seen it loads of times on toyota hiace/hilux/landcruisers, which all use 12v batteries in parallel (uk spec only of course
)a hydrometer is a must though!
RE: Wind turbine - NorthernRaider - 8 July 2013
That only works on batteries with screw in access plugs to each cell, millions of batteries are the sealed for life types these days.
RE: Wind turbine - Binnie - 8 July 2013
a lot are "sealed for life" but most still have access.
especially those lucky enough to get a hold of old forklift batteries
RE: Wind turbine - NorthernRaider - 8 July 2013
I have a cunning plan !!! Next time we get a submarine visiting this region, you distract them and I'll nick the batteries off their boat
.
RE: Wind turbine - Alterego - 8 July 2013
(8 July 2013, 15:26)NorthernRaider Wrote: I have a cunning plan !!! Next time we get a submarine visiting this region, you distract them and I'll nick the batteries off their boat
I used to buy then from a guy who sat in MOD Auctions....
85 quid for a 72v battery - dry
.....bloody heavy though....but well maintained...!!
Alterego
RE: Wind turbine - Mongrel - 8 July 2013
RE: Wind turbine - Highlander - 16 July 2013
We have almost decided which wind turbine to go for, but one thing worries me a bit, and that is noise.
I realise that they all make a noise, especially when on the turn, but the guy I was talking to on the phone today was talking about something that produced a sound equal to a lawn mower,.. which wouldn't be what we would want
He sent me an Email which included noise levels,.. below is what it said, this means nothing to me, so I could do with some help please, or I will have to try and find one simular to visit, but as of this moment, I dont know of any 1kw turbines around here
Typical Noise Figures (off load, for maximum noise potential)
* LAeq 35.0 dB in wind speeds gusting to 5m/s (12mph) at a distance of 5m behind the rotor blades
* LAeq 54.0 dB in wind speeds gusting to 7m/s (16mph) at a distance of 5m behind the rotor blades
* Background Noise (turbine switched off) at wind speeds gusting to 5m/s, LAeq 32.0 dB
* Background Noise (turbine switched off) at wind speeds gusting to 7m/s, LAeq 52.0 dB