Windmax?

ws9876
ws9876 Solar Expert Posts: 440 ✭✭✭
Has anyone had a good experience with the Windmax units..????

and if you had a 24v turbine and decided to go 48v battery bank ....how would you up the voltage ???

Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Windmax?

    You can click on this Google Search Link and see 142 hits on our forum here...

    Or, plug the following into Google Search field:
    • windmax site:wind-sun.com
    There are various voltage doubling circuits for AC--You could try one of those.

    On the high end, the Classic Solar/Wind controller system MAY be able to help you (I am not sure--you will have to contact them directly). This is the cost of just the solar portion of the controller... For proper loading of a horizontal wind turbine, you will need further components.

    "Halfcrazy", "boB", and Robin here are from Midnite Solar--so they can help you here or at their place directly.

    Wind is a tough project--I would suggest that you look for somebody that has a working system with 1+ year of harvest data with the components that you are thinking about purchasing and understand how well they work in the real world. Wind Turbine specs. seem to be closer to fantasy novels than engineering documents for many vendors (I don't know anything about Windmax other than what I have read here).

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • keyturbocars
    keyturbocars Solar Expert Posts: 375 ✭✭
    Re: Windmax?

    ws9876,

    I have had a very good experience with my Windmax HY-2000 wind turbine. I've had it for close to 1 year now. When the wind blows, it produces good power. I live in a decent wind zone, but even so it doesn't blow every day. When it does blow over about 10mph, then I start to get some useful power. Actually, above 8mph and it starts to produce power - although a trickle charge. When it blows in the 20's, then I see 2kW. When it blows in the upper 30's to low 40's, I've seen over 4kW at times.

    Overally, my experience with my HY-2000 is that it has exceeded all my expectations. It has even exceeded what the HY Energy factory claims in terms of power output. I can't speak directly about all the other Windmax wind turbines. I can say to avoid the Windmax V20 2kW or V10 1kW wind turbines like the plague. They are junk.

    The HY turbines are well made, but I just can't comment on the power output of the other models besides my HY-2000.

    Edward
  • MisterB
    MisterB Solar Expert Posts: 156 ✭✭
    Re: Windmax?

    My HY-400 has been up for 10 months now. The power output is not as much as I expected but it is well built, safe and reliable. I have been very busy these last few months and haven't posted anything new about my turbine but whenever I check it, it is producing exactly what it was when I was reading it daily. Once I got it up, it has been operating trouble free. We've had some really gusty turbulent summer thunderstorm winds and it and the controller it came with have held up fine. For the price, they are excellent turbines.

    Going up in voltage is a lot more difficult than going down in voltage. You would be better off starting with a 48 volt turbine. Without an MPPT controller, you won't get maximum power if you hook it up to a 24 volt bank but you will be able to put some charge in it. The battery bank will clamp the output voltage of the turbine. You won't be able to use the charge controller that comes with the turbine if you do this but it has been done. I think the Windnation turbines use the same alternator and a different controller for 12 or 24 volt systems. You get more power if you charge 24 volts but it works fine for 12 volts. The same should apply to 24 volts with a higher voltage turbine.
  • ws9876
    ws9876 Solar Expert Posts: 440 ✭✭✭
    Re: Windmax?

    What did you use for a freestanding tower???

    I would prefer that also... Can I get
    a 24v 400 Windmax???? Right now I have a backup system rarely used that is 12V.
    But if I enlarge I would go at least 24V. How much less would my charge be if I put 24v into a 12v battery..??? I know about the clamping effect...there can only be 1 voltage...thats how I would describe it...
  • MisterB
    MisterB Solar Expert Posts: 156 ✭✭
    Re: Windmax?

    The Windmax HY-400 comes in both 12 and 24 volt versions.

    My tower is custom made and I bought almost 20 years ago. It was built on a plan that circulated in the 1970s to 1980s when there was a renewed interest in wind energy.

    The 24 volt version would be wound for less current at a higher voltage so you would get less power out of a 24 volt system connected to a 12 volt bank than a 12v turbine connected to a 12v bank.(Watts=Voltage x current). You would get slightly more power at lower wind speeds due to the higher charging voltage but 400/24 would be half of 400/12 amps at the rated wind speed. If you don't go above a killowatt, 12 volts is fine. For larger systems, you should have a higher battery voltage unless you want to spend a fortune on thick copper cables.
  • ws9876
    ws9876 Solar Expert Posts: 440 ✭✭✭
    Re: Windmax?

    so you think the 400 is good but stay away from the 1K..?? do they have a 750 that is ok..??? I want 500 but whatever.....mostly what I dont want is the pathetic Southwest Windpower 400 sailboat rig ( and its clones) that dont do anything...
    btw Windy Nation alternators do look interesting... if someone was to try to build their own.. If they would sell a whole unit for about 650$...I would be tempted to buy one with their interesting blades... but they want 900 or so...
  • MisterB
    MisterB Solar Expert Posts: 156 ✭✭
    Re: Windmax?

    I only speak of my experience with the HY-400. There are happy owners of the HY-1000 as well. For more watts, you are going to pay more.

    The HY turbines use a much more basic design than the AirXs and other SW Windpower turbines. No electronics in the turbine and a fairly simple controller but not nearly as simple as the Colman controllers. You have much more room to play around with your system than with an AirX.

    And even a great turbine is not going to perform well in a poor site or poor installation. The great caveat of wind energy.
  • keyturbocars
    keyturbocars Solar Expert Posts: 375 ✭✭
    Re: Windmax?

    Any of the Windmax HY-**** wind turbines are likely to be well made based on everything that I have read in terms of owner feedback the past couple years.

    Just watch out for the Windmax V20 (2kW) or V10 (1kW) turbines. I just checked, and I don't see the V10 any more. I just see the V20. Unless you love to punish yourself, then stay away from these turbines. They are made by another Chinese factory that has a very poor reputation.

    Just trying to spare others the grief that I and many others have had to go through learing things the "hard way".

    Edward

    [NOTE: link to "magnet4less" web site removed because it offers product line in competition with the forum's host. We try to avoid this. Please just mention the product name and leave out the links. 'Coot]