Help in Buying a Wind Generator

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by landonshaw

I hadn't thought of them. Enza. I'll check on monday. I believe the Kiss is made in Trinadad, not sure why they are not available in Grenada. I have not heard much about it though.

It's an easy sail to Trini of course, but with the D400 available, the decision is easy. The price of it is worth it for you and your neighbours at anchor

ciao!
Nick.

[Bash]

I have an Air Breeze. I use it to supplement 260 watts of solar. When going to weather it generally shuts down around 20 minutes out of every hour, even when I'm running the radar and nav lights. When going downwind it will usually run full time but still won't quite be able to keep the battery bank topped. While it's a lot more quiet than the Air-X, it only supplies half the power. On the pro side, it's considerably lighter than other units and it does better in high winds than most of the 5-blade units. I like the fact that it's internally regulated. On the con side, it needs at least eight knots of breeze to get going, and doesn't generate appreciable power below around 12 knots.

I'm strongly committed to using renewable energy sources on my boat whenever possible. If you're anchored next to me, I'd much rather hear the quiet swish of a wind generator than the foul hum of a generator running on fossil fuels. I keep hearing about how quiet these Honda 2000 petrol generators are, but in reality they not only generate more noise than my charging system, but over the life of the system cost more to run.

[s/v Jedi]

Oh yes... They run a Honda at idle and claim how quiet. Then they go belowdecks, close the hatch and turn on enough appliances so that the Honda goes to full RPM and terrorizes the anchorage. Between the Honda's and the Air-X's in an anchorage, I break down and get violent or leave the anchorage. Horrible machines, should all be outlawed.

cheers,
Nick.

[Mr Micawber]

I am replacing my AirX 24V and just got back from boat show">London Boat Show.
AirX Breeze is reported to be much quieter than the AirX.
Superwind 500 is still considered tops for high power. But is out of my price range.
However the new Rutland 914i with the HRDi controller is a serious contender.
They have taken the 913 from 50W at 19mph to 140W through using a new design
Rutland 914i Windcharger

Rutland came out best buys in low and medium power in Yaching Monthly survey 2010-11
http://www.marlec.co.uk/wp-content/u...ull-Report.pdf

The Rutland 914i exhibitor I spoke to on the stand actually designs and builds them for Marlec.
He showed me a SSCA equipment survey report that showed the 914i competes with the AirX up to 20kt
Rutland starts up around 5kt and continuously charges because it essentially has a built-in flywheel. In terms of AmpHours into the battery it does better than AirX up to about 20kt when the higher power kicks in to give the edge over Rutland.
I found my AirX would gust up to 17A for a few seconds then die away. It was certainly the nosiest in the boatyard as others have frequently noted. It is 7 years old and ran without attention until I flooded the alternators and batteries and shorted the system out. But that’s another story. The only problem I had was UK after sales service which is virtually non-existent. Rutland is UK made and has a good reliablility record and after-sales service.
Rutland is a branch of Marlec and produce the turbines used by British Antarctic Survey. They have a good reputation.
I’m currently seriously considering the Boat Show Special Offer combination of the 914i HRDi controller combination which gives a ampHour digital readout. That is what I really want to know. How much power is going into the batteries over time.
At 54deg N my AirX charged the 220Ah 24V battery bank all winter. But in summer breezes, I had to top up with my Kipor generator.
I suspect the new Rutland 914i will keep me topped up all year round.
Anybody had experience with Rutland? They are very popular around UK.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Mr Micawber

Anybody had experience with Rutland? They are very popular around UK.

Why not read about it here on CF : http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ock-56147.html

ciao!
Nick.

[Mr Micawber]

Thanks for the link. It confirms my gut feeling the Rutland 914i is right for me.
I have had a reply from the engineer at the boat show.
He says
"The important column is the average daily amphours in non trade winds. This tells you the total power that you could normally expect to collect into the battery by the end of the day while you are sailing. This reflects the importance of the flywheel effect in the Rutland designs which maintains the turbine's momentum between wind gusts giving a much more constant output. Other wind turbines slow down between each gust so their output during this time drops significantly. The power curves that are published for wind turbines are plotted from the instantaneous outputs measured at he top of the gust but no-one gives you an indication of how that translates to the total power gathered by the end of the day.
The Rutland 914i is the same size as the Rutland 913 but uses maximum powerpoint tracking technology to boost the current output. This system ensures that more of the potential energy is converted to current rather than being lost as heat.

I think we also discussed our unique regulator technology. We don't use dump loads which just divert all of the power to a resistor when the batteries are full. Instead we use a microprocessor based system which regulates the power by controlling the speed of the turbine. This uses a temperature compensated 3 stage charging algorithm to keep the batteries as healthy as possible while prolonging the life of the turbine which is only spinning at full speed when all the power is needed for bulk charging."


I'm not sure if I can attach the SSCA pdf but in non-trade winds the Daily AmpHrs is shown:

Rutland 913 45.7

DuoGen 36.5
Aerogen 30.4
AirX 30.2
The 914i delivers 30% more power and these comparisons are for much larger machines.
I have found it is the average overall wind power rather than peak power in trade winds that is important as the Rutland Engineer states.
I think if one takes the 24hr AmpHours divided by original cost of machine you can see which gives the best bang for the buck.
The use of the regulator as manager is also a great innovation. I particularly like the digital display of AmpHours delivered.
I am pretty much decided on the Rutland 914i.
Hope this helps.

[s/v Holiday]

Interesting Article. Seems to compare most of the wind generators being discussed here. http://www.marlec.co.uk/wp-content/u...ull-Report.pdf

[Mr Micawber]

Yes I had seen that article.
But it does not address the critical issue of 24hrs amphour totals of SSCA 2008.
I used to belong to SSCA. To be a member one needs to have sailed at least 3000miles and live aboard. Also their equipment report is compiled from members only.
Thus real liveaboard use is what they deal in. It was worth joining SSCA for their Equipment reports every few years - member only may purchase.
It was really helpful when I came to re-engine. Members avoided Volvo like the plague after experiencing expense and difficulty in servicing in remote places. The universal choice was Yanmar which they said had parts available for every engine since 1934.
So I tend to trust SSCA when they make judgements on equipment.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Oh yes... They run a Honda at idle and claim how quiet. Then they go belowdecks, close the hatch and turn on enough appliances so that the Honda goes to full RPM

Ah....the fasination of having all the creature comforts of a condo at sea.

[SpringWater]

Hi guys!
As the sellers of the D400, I can tell you that the only bit of criticism I've really heard is that it's slightly heavier - but if installed correctly there is no vibration, etc. I know a few examples of people that sleep in the cabins directly below them and don't know it's even running. We've had plenty a meal under double D400's without realizing they were there. They're rated for 400-600W, yet people have reported close to 800W! You do have to tie down the blades, as the "stop" switch stops the current and not the blades - you don't want the coils to burn up. Other than that, I haven't heard anything.... except for the price, of course Not much I can do about that, unfortunately. The package that we sell comes with everything you need - only wire and pole you're responsible for.
Please email if you have specific questions. No, don't feel obligated to buy - we answer tons of questions all the time...
-Erika Lelievre, sales@transmarinestore.com - you can use this one, I'm on it all day long!
Cheers!

[sy_gilana]

Hi, I own a 24V AeroGen6 and am very happy with it. A friend asked me to advise him about getting two wind gennys for his Catana. I did a lot of research, and even while being a AeroGen fan, I had to advise him to get the D400, they are just better. I don't want to go into a whole lot of detail but the fundamental difference in the way that they extract more energy from that same "tube" of air (mass x velocity etc...) is that they have a double faced magnet, EACH of which acts against its OWN stator. An elegant and effective design that works. They outperformed my AeroGen6 (by about20%) during tests with the two boats next to each other for 2 months. I now have 2x 235watt 24v solar panels where the Aerogen used to be mounted. The AeroGen is for sale.

[SpringWater]

Hi gilana - sorry to hear about your AeroGen6!! Yes, the D400's performance is top-notch. Most of those who really do their homework and spend many a sleepless night thinking about which they should choose tend to give me a call - sounding defeated There's just so few to match it! and it truly is quiet! I have to confess that I did have an Air-X once upon a time and actually got an applause when I turned it off - I guess I was so used to the noise I didn't "hear" it anymore - how embarrassing!! We then got the funky "new" blue blades, which was a bit quieter, but certainly still got in your head a bit. The D400s are practically silent. I guess the proof is out there on anchor If you're ever interested in a wind generator again, you know who to call!

[sy_gilana]

Oh, let me add something. For AeroGen owners. The BEST way to set up the blades on assembly for quiet running and best performance:
1 Weigh the blades, and arrange them in the hub with the heaviest, opposite the next heaviest, and then the next heaviest pair opposite each other but with the heavier one next to the lighter of the first pair, same for third pair.

2 Find a flat table, preferably glass circular with an umbrella hole in the middle.
3 Place the hub cover in the hole and then get 6 identical spacers, like matchboxes, and place them under the tip of each blade.
4 Tighten the hub bolts in a circular pattern making sure that the tips of the blades are parallel to the table surface resting on their spacers.
5 Ignore the datum marks on the blade roots and hub
6 with 400-600 waterpaper, remove all casting seams, fair the leading edge, and round the trailing corner of the tip to about a 5mm radius.

Now it will not vibrate, it will be even quieter (if you can imagine that) and it will perform best in all wind conditions.

[SimonV]

If money is no problem then the D400 is the go. But if its tight like most of us then I recommend the Air Breeze, for the price and performance I could not be happier. happiness is a full battery and a not so annoying sound. Just look around, there are a lot of ABs our there. I think a lot of the negativity is ingrained due to the old and high powered Air-X....I hate the Air-X but love the Air Breeze.

[britishbiker34]

Hi i would be interested in you 24v air-x if you still have it