Air 303 wind turbine. Buy or not?

[Cpt Pat]

I'd like to mention that there is a third power source that's not being mentioned here: the towed impeller hydro generator. I've been using a Hamilton Ferris generator for years, and I'm pleased with the results. I get 6 to 9 amps (variations due to sea state) at 6 knots. It's silent and generates power as long as I have a speed over ground above 4.5 knots.

The harvested power increased after I converted from lead/acid batteries to lithiums (LiFePO4) because the lithium batteries absorb full output until fully charged. Lead/acids don't absorb much power after the charge past about 80% state of charge. The improvement achieved with lithium batteries would also apply to wind turbines.

The design seems far easer to build as a DIY project. All you need is a DC motor with an RPM step-up gearbox, a stiff line, a propeller, and a mount that can yaw on the stern.

Yes, it creates drag. But so does a wind turbine when on a reaching point of sail. Hydrodynamic or aerodynamic drag - pick your poison. Some people have reported the prop surfacing at higher speeds, but I've never had the problem even when surfing at 10 knots, because I added a high value parallel capacitor (100,000 micro farad, i.e., 0.1 farad) to smooth out speed variations. Retrieving the line and prop is simple: just send a funnel down the line to blank the water flow around the prop.

The voltage regulation circuitry is very similar to a wind turbine. When full charge is reached, you should divert to a shunt load when switching the generator off the battery to prevent line hockling caused by sudden changes in line tension.

No, it doesn't produce power at anchor. But I avoid windy anchorages, so neither would a turbine. I installed the hydrogenerator only after I'd filled every available space with PVs. The PVs take over at anchor.

I've tried a few wind turbines over the years. All were consistently disappointing. None met production claims. I recommend deploying PVs in every space you can before exploring other alternatives.

[senormechanico]

Imho, this is where wind generators ought to go:


https://www.americanexperiment.org/2...report-decide/