Best HIGH WIND turbine?

Chris Miller
Chris Miller Solar Expert Posts: 49
I haven't heard a lot of good things about any turbine out here in West Texas - probably because the wind destroys everything. I am convinced that there must be a good solution out there though. The only one i've seen out here that seems to be holding up well is the alternator style ones from Missouri Wind & Solar. The online reviews and things I have read are keeping me away from those guys though.

Are there any good options? I know I want something AC so that I can run regular AC cabling to keep costs down.

What about Hydrogen Appliances?

Thanks in advance!

Comments

  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    Avoid anything that looks like a car alternator with blades on it like the plague. Unless you plan on taking the blades off it and putting it in your car - then there's a remote chance that it might work.
    --
    Chris
  • icarus
    icarus Solar Expert Posts: 5,436 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    The only solution I know of for genuinely high wind areas is a utility scale wind unit! Aside from the old Jakes, and possibly the big Beregy's most everything I have seen on the market is not well suited for real high wind conditions.

    That said, I know little about wind, indeed Chris Olsen is the real expert here abouts!

    Tony
  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    I've heard/read good things about the kestrel wind turbine: http://www.kestrelwind.co.za/ and the windspot: http://usa.windspot.es/
    No experience with either, just hearsay :)
  • Chris Miller
    Chris Miller Solar Expert Posts: 49
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    ChrisOlson wrote: »
    Avoid anything that looks like a car alternator with blades on it like the plague. Unless you plan on taking the blades off it and putting it in your car - then there's a remote chance that it might work.
    --
    Chris

    That's a little discouraging considering that the only unit I've seen out here that's still standing after a year is one of those types from Missouri wind and solar.

    It seems as though opinions on these things vary far and wide. Probably why I haven't made the leap yet. ;)
  • peakbagger
    peakbagger Solar Expert Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    Northern Power Northwind 100 - Unfortunately its 100 KW but the design was funded by the US government to survive in artic climates. They are overbuilt and are the stadard windturebine deployed in Alaska. They also seem to be popular in Hurricane zones.

    The reality is, a heavy duty wind turbine designed for worst case conditions is going to be more expensive to build making it uncompetitive against usnits designed for standard conditions (like the Northern. You may want to look up Hugh Pigott, he usually has some good insight on heavy duty wind turbines.
  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    Here's what Hugh Piggot says about the kestrel: http://scoraigwind.co.uk/2011/11/kestrel-e400i-wind-turbine-on-scoraig/
  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    That's a little discouraging considering that the only unit I've seen out here that's still standing after a year is one of those types from Missouri wind and solar.

    You can build one of my turbines for about triple the cost of one of those car alternator ones and it will run year after year in sustained 80 mph wind with no problem. The only way you can hurt it is to have the tower tip over and accidentally run over it with a D9 Cat. And it uses a bullet-proof (albeit expensive) state-of-the-art MPPT controller:
    http://dairylandwindpower.us/projects/

    But it's heavy - 300+ pounds. You're not fly it on a piece of pipe with 1/4" guy cables because it develops close to 700 lbs of side thrust on the tower @ rated output. And the overturning moment requires a 6" diameter tower mast under it. But on a good site with 20 mph average it will easily produce 25 kWh/day. My rough guess as to cost is about $1,500 in materials to build the turbine, $750 for a controller, $5,000-10,000 for a tower (depending on whether you go with new or used Rohn SSV 90 foot tower), and about $5,000 in the foundation for the tower. Do not even think about using a guyed pipe tower with it - it will tear the tower down on a good wind site because you'll never be able to keep the guy cables tight. A Rohn SSV is the only thing that will survive under it on a good wind site.

    The car alternator turbines are basically a joke. Just the bearings on my turbine weighs more than the whole alternator on one of those little toy turbines with plastic blades. If you basically want something that goes around and puts out a few amps in a gale, then buy one. But you'll find out just how worthless they are as far as how much energy they produce for the investment you got in putting it up. When it comes to wind power, if you try to do it cheap, it won't work and it will break. It takes heavy duty for a wind power system to work without constant maintenance on it. And heavy duty costs money.
    --
    Chris
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    ChrisOlson wrote: »
    But on a good site with 20 mph average it will easily produce 25 kWh/day. My rough guess as to cost is about $1,500 in materials to build the turbine, $750 for a controller, $5,000-10,000 for a tower (depending on whether you go with new or used Rohn SSV 90 foot tower), and about $5,000 in the foundation for the tower. Do not even think about using a guyed pipe tower with it - it will tear the tower down on a good wind site because you'll never be able to keep the guy cables tight. A Rohn SSV is the only thing that will survive under it on a good wind site.

    It looks like there is an important guideline here that people looking at small wind need to be aware of: For a home-built or even a commercial package turbine, the cost of a proper tower and foundation to get it where the wind is can easily be far more than the cost of the turbine.
    That and your criterion that a 20mph average wind speed is what is required for a "good" site, but that turbulence, and other factors come in too.
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    No, a good wind site will have a 10-12 mph average. I know that there's places in Texas where you can get 20 mph average and then the turbine excels.

    The thing is - for off-grid power, wind power is used when solar power doesn't work. It reduces the run time on the generator. So if you get 3 days of bright solar conditions with excellent harvest you don't need the turbine - and the wind usually doesn't blow because it's a high pressure area with stable weather. But when the weather changes and and it clouds over it's usually due to a "front" or change in pressure - causing wind to blow. Then solar doesn't work as good and the wind turbine takes over and fills in the gap to prevent you from having to run your generator.

    For off-grid power, a properly installed wind turbine is almost a necessity unless you want to put hours on your generator for battery charging. It doesn't take long to pay for a turbine in generator and fuel savings. The further north you go, the more important wind power becomes for off-grid installations because there is virtually zero solar insolation in the winter time.

    Wind turbines are just like solar panels - you buy 1 kW of solar capacity and you don't get 1 kW from it except on the exceptional day. The wind turbine, for off-grid power, is a second power source that compliments the other. Too many people get hung up on average wind speeds and whether or not it will generate a big return - and this is bred from grid-tie hoopla. Off-grid is TOTALLY different because standby generator power costs 70+ cents/kWh.

    Definitely - the cost of the tower and foundation (and usually wiring) is way more than the cost of the turbine.

    The real problem I have with the car alternator "turbines" is that they don't generate any significant kWh. And it's kWh that gets the work done in your house - not watts in a 25-30 mph wind gust. If you're going to put up a turbine for off-grid power you may as well put one up that will generate 20-25 kWh on a nice windy 20 mph day. Because that same turbine will generator 5-6 kWh on the 10-12 mph day, which makes it worthwhile having. Those car alternator turbines don't even make 1 kWh in a day at 10-12 mph.

    And the people that have them spend most of their time waiting for a 40 mph wind to blow so they can make a video on YouTube of it putting out 20 amps, or whatever. Go to YouTube and take a look sometime - there's all sort of idiots on there that have the things mounted on a piece of pipe strapped to the end of their house and they're happier than a pig wallowin' in mud if it's going around and putting out 1 amp. Well, I hate to burst the bubble, but that just don't cut it for off-grid power.
    --
    Chris
  • Chris Miller
    Chris Miller Solar Expert Posts: 49
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    ChrisOlson wrote: »
    No, a good wind site will have a 10-12 mph average. I know that there's places in Texas where you can get 20 mph average and then the turbine excels.

    The thing is - for off-grid power, wind power is used when solar power doesn't work. It reduces the run time on the generator. So if you get 3 days of bright solar conditions with excellent harvest you don't need the turbine - and the wind usually doesn't blow because it's a high pressure area with stable weather. But when the weather changes and and it clouds over it's usually due to a "front" or change in pressure - causing wind to blow. Then solar doesn't work as good and the wind turbine takes over and fills in the gap to prevent you from having to run your generator.

    For off-grid power, a properly installed wind turbine is almost a necessity unless you want to put hours on your generator for battery charging. It doesn't take long to pay for a turbine in generator and fuel savings. The further north you go, the more important wind power becomes for off-grid installations because there is virtually zero solar insolation in the winter time.

    Wind turbines are just like solar panels - you buy 1 kW of solar capacity and you don't get 1 kW from it except on the exceptional day. The wind turbine, for off-grid power, is a second power source that compliments the other. Too many people get hung up on average wind speeds and whether or not it will generate a big return - and this is bred from grid-tie hoopla. Off-grid is TOTALLY different because standby generator power costs 70+ cents/kWh.

    Definitely - the cost of the tower and foundation (and usually wiring) is way more than the cost of the turbine.

    The real problem I have with the car alternator "turbines" is that they don't generate any significant kWh. And it's kWh that gets the work done in your house - not watts in a 25-30 mph wind gust. If you're going to put up a turbine for off-grid power you may as well put one up that will generate 20-25 kWh on a nice windy 20 mph day. Because that same turbine will generator 5-6 kWh on the 10-12 mph day, which makes it worthwhile having. Those car alternator turbines don't even make 1 kWh in a day at 10-12 mph.

    And the people that have them spend most of their time waiting for a 40 mph wind to blow so they can make a video on YouTube of it putting out 20 amps, or whatever. Go to YouTube and take a look sometime - there's all sort of idiots on there that have the things mounted on a piece of pipe strapped to the end of their house and they're happier than a pig wallowin' in mud if it's going around and putting out 1 amp. Well, I hate to burst the bubble, but that just don't cut it for off-grid power.
    --
    Chris

    Chris - I appreciate you chiming in on my post here. Truth be told, something on that scale is not within our budget. We need to find a small but reliable turbine. 30-40 MPH winds for 2-3 days at a time is not uncommon out here. I'm not looking for 20-25kwh per day because we can't store it, and only use about 5kwh / day anyway. I'm just looking for a smaller scale wind turbine that can take these winds without self destructing. I've seen others with all sorts of self-braking turbines and they are absolutely destroyed when the high winds come in. It just makes sense to "let em spin" in my opinion. The average lifespan of any turbine out here seems to be 1 year. I have never heard any complaints about lack of production... not from a china unit, or an alternator unit. They produce like crazy for as long as you can keep them on their pole.

    It's not uncommon to see 100+ mph straightline winds. 20+mph winds happen out here every single day.

    I'm just looking to compliment our solar. At this point I only need a tiny bit of supplemental power to meet our needs. Plenty of people do OK out here with 1kw of solar and a small turbine. Most of the turbines are not even that high off the ground. A couple people have them just over head height - 15-20 feet or so and they spin like crazy all day.

    Wind is no issue here in SW Texas on the border of Mexico. Finding a product that will withstand the UV from the sun and the high wind however, is.
  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    I have never heard any complaints about lack of production... not from a china unit, or an alternator unit. They produce like crazy for as long as you can keep them on their pole.

    Then it's a matter of perception I guess. I've seen plenty of car alternator turbines in 40+ mph winds and they still don't develop as much power as you can get from installing an extra 160 watt solar panel.

    There's some basic limitations with that design based on the rotor size and how much copper and magnetic material will fit in those little Delco 10SI alternator cases. The Delco 10SI alternator is only about 55% efficient in its stock form. Put permanent magnets in it with the associated core losses from the higher flux density and they get worse. A real wind turbine generator runs at 85+% power efficiency at full rated output and will have an overall efficiency in the 30-35% range. Those car alternator turbines aren't even 10% efficient based on swept area. They're basically a joke.
    --
    Chris
  • Chris Miller
    Chris Miller Solar Expert Posts: 49
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    Aren't all wind turbines a spinoff of some sort of "car alternator" technology? I'm assuming it's the "PMA's" that you say are junk? What other options are there in the entry level, homeowner / consumer market? All of my research lead me away from the china turbines because of their cheap construction and right into the PMA manufacturers because their blades apparently hold up out here (plus the lack of magnetic braking and just spinning and dumping instead).

    I'm just at a loss. I can continue to add solar and plan to, but I want some sort of wind to go with it. I just don't want something that is going to melt down in less than a year because it can't handle our winds or the heat. :(
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    From one poster that, in general, is very happy with wind in his location:
    A long shot of the house and shop in SE Wyoming. Plenty of wind and (on a normal day) sun. View looking North:

    longshot.jpg

    The wind turbine is on its "winter pole". I shortened it 15ft to reduce the hammering it receives from November to March. Doesn't seem to be affecting output. Not much ground clutter!:D
    When we first bought this land, my friend came out & looked around, said "Notice there isn't anything taller than six inches as far as the eye can see? There's a reason for that."

    The chief reason is wind. We live in one of best inland wind corridors on earth -- 350 commercial turbines within an hour's drive, & Phil Anschutz is about to drop another 1000 near Rawlins. We average 14.5 mph year round; about 11 mph in summer and 16 mph in winter.

    The Bergey XL1 normally lives on a 65' tilt-up tower, tho I took out one and a half sections this winter as an experiment. Sustained Chinook winds of 60 mph are common; I've clocked winds of 119 and 106 mph on this property. Now, those numbers really ought to be de-rated by 20% since we are 7500' above sea level.

    Bergey. Whew -- where to start. First, it's a very good company with good people trying their best in the face of difficult engineering compromises and pricing pressures. When I bought it nearly five years ago, the XL1 was the best of a rotten bunch. I knew this going in. But I bought into the company more than the product as such -- and they have never disappointed, even though warranty repairs long ago exceeded the original purchase price.

    In five years, the turbine has suffered (IIRC) thirteen major failures. These include five melted stators, three dead rectifiers, zorched slip rings, two cases of blade loss (thought we might have another this morning!), one guy wire failure/tower collapse, and one complete dismount when the (poor Chinese steel) yaw shaft fatigued through. A few pics for your amusement:

    Crunch.jpg

    Fold.jpg

    Blade.jpg

    A dry sense of humor is useful among Bergey owners.

    As for output: That's not easy to measure exactly, since we are off grid and our batts seldom dip below 20% DOD. Both PV and wind spend much of their time kicking their heels. Unfair test of output potential. Based on observations when batts are thirsty, I figure 7 kWh/day in winter and 4 in summer. That's well below Bergey's projections, but I sorta counted on that in the planning. Our PV on trackers really picks up the slack in the summer.

    BTW, the Bergey did not come with a dump load, and the controller's provisions for same are garbage. So most of the melted stators came from the turbine trying to alternator-brake in high winds. Since I changed the PV controller to an MX-60 with relay-triggered dump load, the wind turbine's coils are much happier. Now if only we could keep the blades attached....

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    ...(plus the lack of magnetic braking and just spinning and dumping instead).
    This is one form of magnetic breaking. You are using the magnetic field of the magnets interacting with the generator windings instead of using a separate load disk, but it is magnetic breaking just the same.
    Aren't all wind turbines a spinoff of some sort of "car alternator" technology?
    There is a very big difference between "car alternator technology" which can be applied using permanent magnets and coils designed and wound for that purpose, along with suitably robust bearings and frames, and something built from a rebuilt car alternator.

    I think that you will find that for a really small turbine it is not economical for a manufacturer to charge what a well built one would cost for the small amount of power you are looking for.

    What may save your site is the fact that you apparently have pretty high winds even at low elevation above ground, so you could save a lot of money using a shorter, but well built tower. Or you could simply replace you turbine each year, as apparently some of your neighbors do.

    Have you looked carefully at the cost of adding more solar PV compared to the cost of wind equipment to generate the same amount of power?

    ChrisOlson is in a relatively rare situation in that he has really low sun for good solar most of the winter. What is your solar situation like throughout the year?
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,431 admin
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    I have not know anything about this vendor (Charles has posted here some, and is offering some upgrades to the Skystream turbines in his latest posts):
    Powers wrote: »
    Hello,

    Please check out our 100 % US made wind turbines.

    www.ntpwind.com
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5u98Qm7eaM

    Thank you,
    Charles Spoto

    NTP Wind Power Inc can be reached by phone, fax, and e-mail.
    Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014
    Email; ntp@ntpwind.com
    WWW.NTPWIND.COM
    Fax Number (815) 568-8478
    24-Hour Cell / Int Charles Spoto 815-345-1931

    But I do like that they have variable pitch blades. Always a good start for a turbine that will be operating in high winds and yet still generate power at lower speeds too.

    No other specs (that I can find) on their website--So I don't know how they feather/brake/control the turbine.

    But it appears worth a phone call to Charles.

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    "PMA" just means Permanent Magnet Alternator. It is a type of generator, just like a wound field generator is a type. The Delco 10SI based "wind turbines" are a type of "PMA".

    There is nothing basically out there that doesn't come from China in that size class.

    You see, the thing is - in your southern latitude where you get good solar insolation year 'round, messing with wind power doesn't even make sense. You will get more watts per dollar spent from solar than you will a little wind turbine. I don't know how to put it other than to say that "spinning like crazy" does not equate to power produced with those GM alternators with a fan strapped to it. They just don't make any useable power enough to make a difference.

    Up here in the north where we're lucky to get 2.5 kWh/day from a 4.5 kW solar array for six weeks at a time in the winter, wind power is a necessity when you live off-grid. Why? Because the turbines produce 30 kWh in a day during the winter for us. That prevents us from having to run our generator for battery charging. We would basically be screwed without those wind turbines.

    In your situation if you took the money you will spent on a pinwheel wind turbine and put it in solar instead you will get more from it, even on a bad cloudy day, than you will get from one of those little turbines. And that's the bottom line.

    And no - none of the real wind turbines are even close to "car alternator" technology. And that's because there is no real technology in car alternators. They're one of the most inefficient electrical generators ever devised by man - built that way on purpose because their mission in life is to only MAINTAIN a lead-acid battery at 14 volts. If you try to actually CHARGE a dead battery with a Delco 10SI alternator you will burn it out - either the stator or the rectifier will fry in it. They're designed cheap and sold by the train car load for only one purpose - to quickly replace the amps in a battery used to start an engine while the alternator is still cool - then maintain the battery and power the few amps of loads in the car to run electronics and lights. They were never designed for battery charging and the windings in them are ridiculously light duty compared to what you're going to find in a real wind turbine generator with a 100% duty cycle at full rated output.

    The only thing that saves them from destruction in the car alternator "wind turbines" is the fact that they don't put out any worthwhile power, which prevents them from overheating :D
    --
    Chris
  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    I'm just at a loss. I can continue to add solar and plan to, but I want some sort of wind to go with it. I just don't want something that is going to melt down in less than a year because it can't handle our winds or the heat. :(

    In my opinion, if you had $1000 to invest and your site is both windy and sunny then more solar is a no-brainer. 25 year guarantee, no moving parts and almost no maintenance over the entire lifetime. Not even the best turbine can come close to that. So I think an important question to ask yourself is not whether your site is windy enough, but whether it's windy at exactly the same time that's it's not sunny. Because if it's both windy and sunny, then solar is the answer. And depending on your weather, even if it's windy and partly-cloudy, solar could still come out on top.

    For my site in Spain, when the wind is blowing there are usually fast moving clouds and the solar production is just fine. The days when there is heavy cloud or rain or mist are also usually the days without wind. The days with no sun AND strong winds are extremely rare, maybe 10 days a year, so I came to the conclusion that more solar would be a better investment than a wind turbine. Given your southern location, you may be in the same boat.
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    stephendv wrote: »
    In my opinion, if you had $1000 to invest and your site is both windy and sunny then more solar is a no-brainer. 25 year guarantee, no moving parts and almost no maintenance over the entire lifetime. Not even the best turbine can come close to that.

    Couldn't have said it better, and yes, I started out with one of those small wind turbines. As I've so often said in the past, it was a wonderful thing to lay back in the tall grass and watch the wheels go round against a clear blue sky, but beauty doesn't produce usable amounts of electricity. It was a joke. Took it down after a year, before it had a chance to self-destruct and perhaps kill someone. But all was not lost - - - the alternator has been in almost continuous use for almost 4 years now, with just one bearing replacement - - - on my micro hydro turbine, under cover, protected from the elements.
  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    But all was not lost - - - the alternator has been in almost continuous use for almost 4 years now, with just one bearing replacement - - - on my micro hydro turbine, under cover, protected from the elements.

    That's a reasonably good application for one of those. If you operate them at continuous low outputs as they do on a hydro setup then the I^2R losses in the windings aren't too bad. But push them to anywhere close to what they "rate" those alternator windings at in an automotive application and they get so hot you can use use one to heat a room. That heat is your shaft power being used up to generate the heat instead of electricity.

    Even on your hydro application if you replaced that Delco alternator with an air-gap axial you would be amazed at how much more energy you would produce with it, simply because the air-gap axial has zero core reactance losses.

    The dude that thought up using Delco 10SI alternators for renewable energy applications should be captured and have something bad done to him to rectify how many people have gotten screwed by buying them.
    --
    Chris
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    ChrisOlson wrote: »
    That's a reasonably good application for one of those. If you operate them at continuous low outputs as they do on a hydro setup then the I^2R losses in the windings aren't too bad. But push them to anywhere close to what they "rate" those alternator windings at in an automotive application and they get so hot you can use use one to heat a room. That heat is your shaft power being used up to generate the heat instead of electricity.

    Even on your hydro application if you replaced that Delco alternator with an air-gap axial you would be amazed at how much more energy you would produce with it, simply because the air-gap axial has zero core reactance losses.

    The dude that thought up using Delco 10SI alternators for renewable energy applications should be captured and have something bad done to him to rectify how many people have gotten screwed by buying them.
    --
    Chris

    Chris, you've described my situation well, have you been watching over my shoulder? :D
    At first I fed the alternator output directly to the 12 volt bank, and it melted the insulating sleeves in the winding slots! Re-varnished and saved the windings, then operated it @ 24 volts, thus cutting the amps through the coils, increased the RPM and of course added a fan. Then used MPPT CC to down-convert the voltage at the batteries. It's worked like that ever since.
    Very interesting comment too, re the air-gap alternator. Any suggestions as to one which might replace the Delco?
    And I agree, something bad should be done to the people who sucked so many of us in with their PM Delco hype!
  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?
    Very interesting comment too, re the air-gap alternator. Any suggestions as to one which might replace the Delco?

    You have to build your own. They are purpose built for wind turbines and there are just no manufacturers that sell them to the general public. The latest high-voltage one that I designed for my wind turbines would work perfect for a hydro application - it reaches 50 volts DC at 120 rpm and 150 volts @ 360 rpm. The windings will handle 20 amps continuous, so it's a 3 kW generator. However, on 12V it will only put out 1.2 kW due the amp limitations of the Classic controller. Not many hydro applications put out that much power so it would require a suitable MPPT controller (Classic 150 is what I recommend) to adjust the generator's power curve to the available shaft power from the hydro turbine.

    It runs at 90+% power efficiency at 2.5 kW output, and about 86% at 3 kW.

    If you're looking at doing it someday, just shoot me an email. I can custom design you one for your hydro application that will be better matched to the shaft rpm and power.
    --
    Chris
  • stephendv
    stephendv Solar Expert Posts: 1,571 ✭✭
  • ChrisOlson
    ChrisOlson Banned Posts: 1,807 ✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    I'm not familiar with them, nor have tested them, to be able to tell you that they're any good. I think it's best to build it yourself so you know what you got. In the end I just don't trust the Chinese manufacturers of these things unless I would personally test one to know what it is.
    --
    Chris
  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    Re: Best HIGH WIND turbine?

    Awesome! Thanks a lot Chris and others for the info.