New wind 1200watts project

allexgomes
allexgomes Registered Users Posts: 2
Hi, i bought a 24v1200w rated wind turbine on ebay and will install soon on the top of my building thats its about 16 floor hight. I want to connect a 3500w 28-52volts Grid Tie Inverter on it then just plug it to my home outlet, but the GTI Seller told me that i need a wind controller + 36 volts battery. I DONT WANT TO USE BATTERY! I NEED ON GRID SISTEM TO SAVE MONEY ON MY PROJECT. PLEASE HELP. If i connect with out battery????

Comments

  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: New wind 1200watts project

    Welcome to the forum.

    You want to save money? Flog the junk you've got and invest in conservation.

    That 1200 Watt wind turbine is unlikely to produce anything close to that, especially just mounted on top of a building. Even if it did, 1200 Watts @ 24 Volts is not going to power a 3500 Watt inverter that requires 28 Volts minimum input. Since that inverter requires batteries it is unlikely to be a grid-tie inverter. Since we don't know the make & model we can't be sure.

    Stop buying things, that's my advice. Plan first, starting with answering the key question: what are you trying to achieve?
  • allexgomes
    allexgomes Registered Users Posts: 2
    Re: New wind 1200watts project

    I Want to produce about 350kw/month. we have here a average of 22mph winds, so if i get a bigger wind turbine 3kw rated 48volts, it will be ok to work with my GTI?

    Wind turbine Brand: GIGU www.gigu-gigu.com
    GTI: U-Power 3500

    Thanks
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: New wind 1200watts project
    allexgomes wrote: »
    I Want to produce about 350kw/month. we have here a average of 22mph winds, so if i get a bigger wind turbine 3kw rated 48volts, it will be ok to work with my GTI?

    Wind turbine Brand: GIGU www.gigu-gigu.com
    GTI: U-Power 3500

    Thanks
    Just how and at what height above the ground is that 22Mph average wind measured? With an average of 22Mph, the peak winds will be above the safe rated wind speed of most turbines and some sort of control mechanism will protectively shut them down or limit their power output in those conditions.

    Since a wind turbine's power output (potential) rises as the third power of the wind speed, and at some point the turbine will reach its maximum safe speed, there has to be a way to safely provide a load to the turbine to keep it from running away. This is typically done by a turbine controller and dump load along with a battery bank.
    It is possible to build a GTI which could run directly from the wild AC (variable voltage and frequency) or variable voltage and current DC output of a wind turbine, but I do not know of anybody who actually makes one for consumer use that would work with that particular turbine. And you would still need a turbine controller and dump load for safety in case the grid connection was lost.
    You cannot safely put together a random combination of components and connect them to a wind turbine. Their characteristics have to be matched to the needs of the turbine, which in turn will depend on the way the turbine itself is designed. Two different 3kw turbines may be totally different in their design and operation. (And most of them will not work as advertised!)

    I know nothing about the Gigu-gigu brand, but from the pictures I would guess that it is under built. And the fact that they recommend a 25 foot tower (not included) is a bad sign. That is just too short for good performance.
    Finally, it looks like the 3500 watt output specification is a a 33MPH wind speed. The industry standard, to the extent that there is one, is to rate a turbine at 25 or 27 MPH, so that raises another red flag.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    Re: New wind 1200watts project

    That looks like an HY wind turbine, which a few users on this board have, and seem to be happy with. Most grid tie inverters for wind typically work off higher voltages, 120V upwards- and HY has a few models designed for grid tie, and your model too comes in a grid tie version: http://www.hyenergy.com.cn/index.aspx?menuid=12&type=productinfo&lanmuid=25&infoid=102&language=en but you have to order it like that.

    There are some wind GTI's that will work off lower voltages: SWEA will work on a 24V turbine: http://www.swea.nl/
    And the Mastervolt will work with 48V turbines: http://www.mastervoltsolar.com/solar/products/windmaster/windmaster-500/

    You can check the specification for the more popular inverter choices, but they all require upwards of 120V: Aurora power one, Ginlong, SMA Windy Boy.
    You'll also need a control box with dump loads that will keep the turbine under load even the grid fails, or if the voltage from the turbine is too high.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: New wind 1200watts project

    Okay, terminology. You want 350 kilowatt hours per month. A kilowatt hour is a quantitative measurement of electrical power. It's what you get billed for.

    Dividing that down you get approximately 12 kW hours per day, which is about what could be expected for usage by one person in a typical (small) household. That's an average production of 500 Watts per hour.

    I don't know what GTI you're looking at, but it should be one like SMA's Windyboy http://www.solar-electric.com/suboysb30wag.html which can take DC input from a turbine and turn it directly into AC output (no batteries or charge controller involved).

    It is vital that the turbine's output capacity matches the inverter's input specifications for Voltage and current.

    The GIGU units you link to appear to be designed for charging batteries, not driving an inverter directly. They also appear to be very similar to the Air-X turbines which notoriously do not come close to meeting their specified output power. I would be very leery of purchasing one of these.

    I must ask why you are not considering solar panels for this application? As a rule they are less expensive and have more predictable/dependable output.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: New wind 1200watts project

    You need to find a GT Inverter (grid tied) that works directly with wind turbines. You are in Brazil(?), so your best bet may be to find one in your region. Will it be 115 or 230 VAC at 60 Hz?

    Here is one site that has some various GTI vendors that support wind turbines (and some forum discussions on Windynation).

    You need to make sure your turbine is in "good wind" (above roof line, no chimneys other building up wind, etc.). Normally I would tell you to put the turbine 30-60 feet above the roof line to be sure you are not affected by the airflow hitting the side of the building (no wind turbine will produce much power if in turbulent airflow). You could try flying a small kite on the roof of your building to see how high you have to go to be above turbulent flow.

    Next, the tower to hold the turbine must be solid to the building frame work (and no water leaks). A big issue with wind turbines is noise conducted from the turbine, down the tower, and into the building (and through any guy wires you may have). Turbines have been known to damage buildings and upset occupants with the noise/vibrations.

    Another issue is lightning protection--You are placing a large metal object with copper wires that connect directly to the building's power system... So proper grounding and lightning suppression may be critical for your application.

    Then there is the question of how your utility bills for power and if they would support/allow the use of a wind turbine.

    Editorial: I am not a big fan of small wind. I think it is very expensive for the small amount of power you will ever receive from the system. Also maintenance (and lightning if present in your area) is a big issue too. I have yet to see/read of one building top application that generated any useful amount of power in the short or long term.

    Small turbines on short towers produce almost no useful power, and large turbines on tall towers have been known to shed parts (blades, turbines assemblies fall from towers, and even tower collapses too). Placing one in the middle of a major city on the top of an apartment block is a huge risk.

    Back in 2007, San Francisco California USA did allow the installation of a mid sized Skystream wind turbine (note this is a pole mount from back yard):

    Appears to still be up and turning in 2013 (I am impressed)--But cannot find anything out about the installation--Websites for home/business appear to be dead.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • Blackcherry04
    Blackcherry04 Solar Expert Posts: 2,490 ✭✭✭
    Re: New wind 1200watts project

    Most basically make a real obnoxious noise. From my experience with a Skystream I knew about, a well placed 30-06 round will take one out and make it pretty much useless. The one I am talking about was on a sailboat was in a Marina tied up and hadn't had anyone onboard for over a year, but the noise kept on. I have no idea who shot it, but I do know 4-5 candidates.
  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    Re: New wind 1200watts project
    Most basically make a real obnoxious noise. From my experience with a Skystream I knew about, a well placed 30-06 round will take one out and make it pretty much useless. The one I am talking about was on a sailboat was in a Marina tied up and hadn't had anyone onboard for over a year, but the noise kept on. I have no idea who shot it, but I do know 4-5 candidates.

    It was a mercy killing, then? :p