Wind Generator Question???

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

We're considering a back up power system for our home/farm. We already have a 13,500 kw generator for welding..thinking of an inverter w/necessary components, battery bank, and possibly a wind machine to recharge the battery bank so the generator won't come on so often. I've been told that the SW windpower air model is very very noisy...that the whisper machine is quieter, but very expensive. Any opinions on this? Anyone have another model that is fairly quiet? THANKS!!!!

-- jeanne (jeanne@hurry.com), February 04, 1999

Answers

Are you possibly in a part of the country that could use solar instead of wind? Do you have regular,decent winds....not in a regular tornado zone? You might try going to a meta search engine....like www.metacrawler.com, and searching solar/wind/alternative power. In most cases, solar takes it over wind because of the noise, flying parts, etc. The rest of it, regulator, converter, batteries is pretty much the same. Mary P.

-- Mary P. (gdma@CA.com), February 04, 1999.

jeanne,

Can't help you directly, but.....

My suggestion is to locate 4 Winds Alternative Energy. Sorry, I don't have their URL. Roy, who owns the business, used to post a lot on Gary North's Home Power Generation Forum. He does a lot of wind business, and is very willing to provide advice and his knowledge to people preparing for Y2K.

Recently the forum crashed and is just getting started back. It's at

Home Power Generation Forum

Maybe you could locate Roy there in a day or two, or find the URL for 4 Winds Alternate Energy from a search.

Another person may be able to provide a professional answer is

Stan Pierchoski, who also can be found posting to that forum. Stan has a good video, put together from the design of his own home power system.

Hope this helps.

-- De (dealtonX@Xconcentric.net), February 05, 1999.


You'll need steady, sustained wind of at least 9 mph to produce significant power from any wind turbine. As far as noise goes, you can't beat the Whisperwind. Barring that, try to get a machine with 3 blades, not 2! That alone will make a big difference. BTW, don't even think about mounting it on a structure like a barn or house - vibrations will do nasty things to the roof, as well as the disposition of any inhabitants.

-- Why2K (who@knows.com), February 05, 1999.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ