Wind power generation for off-gridding
As part of my desire to be more self-suffient, green, and go off grid, I purchased a portable solar panel and associated cables and inverter last year. We have thoroughly enjoyed our experiences with it so far although we have been caught short a couple of times when it comes to needing power - particualrly in the evenings. It's partly teething problems learning how much realistic energy I can use (perhaps baking a cake in a bread maker on solar power wasn't the smartest idea ;-)). It still frustrates me that the toilet is electric flush rather than manual.
Therefore, a couple of months ago I started looking into wind turbines from photonicuniverse as they had nbeen so hlepful in my solar set up in order to increase my energy supply and especailly for times when light isn't at a premium. I was really enthusiastic until I thought about how I attach the turbine to a pole, any pole, and the thought of the size of the thing. And how would I drive a scoffold type pole into the ground and keep it stable?
Does anyone have any suggestions as to overcome this concern please?
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The pole issue IMO is easily addressed, I would drive a sharp pointed steel rod in the ground with a sledge hammer, sit the pole over that guyed with three good sized rope stays.
But actually I would not go the wind route, certainly not on the sites I would wish to caravan, those affording at least some weather shielding from gales.
Winter camping aside, I suspect your issue of inadequate capacity from solar, is either or both, not enough storage or not enough generating capacity.
If you need a lot of night time power, then increase the storage, or if you can't fully charge what you have increase the panel area and or go for a portable panel to better catch what is there.
I have an 85 Watt portable panel and one built in battery of 90 Ah and as and when needed a 60 Ah portable [my TV battery]. Most days through the season both are stuffed full and the solar Duo controller is shut down well before the sun goes down, frequently by 11: 00 hrs it is done. But then I don't bake bread off either battery.
Many I suspect struggle on with a shot battery, well incapable now of storing more than a fraction of what is written on its label.
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Not forgetting the noise factor. Wind turbines are not the quietest things on earth. Not sure I'd like to be pitched close to one. Almost akin to being near the blooming generators at the National.
We use a 100 watt panel and a 115 ah battery. It keeps us quite happy and allows a couple of hours of tv when there's anything worth watching on.
Fridge, heating, cooking all done on gas. Only difficulty can be finding a refill point which accepts Safefill bottles. Even though the Red Book and sheet 26 have been updated in 2018 to allow for them many stations still need educating of the fact.
We do carry a 6kg lite for the BBQ and emergencies.
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My pal had a turbine on his yacht. The output is not as much as you might imagine and needs a good Force 4 or 5 to produce a decent current. A yacht has a better chance of clear windflow unless you you want a pitch on top of a Cornish headland. More solar would be my recommendation.
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Thanks for these replies. We currently have a 150W portable solar panel with a 110ah battery. And we don't use commercial sites - we love CLs on wide open spaces with good views (and therefore open to stiff breezes!) hence giving due consideration to wind.
We do use gas for all major energy use such as boiling water, cooking, fridge, and water heater - and we have found refilling Safefill cylinders a real pain!
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How is using gas rather than mains electricity. for "all major energy use" part of a desire to be "green" ?
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agree with CY and most of the above, small wind turbines won't be worth the hassle....
solar is still the way to go and it's about harvesting what you can and storing it well.
your panel seems large enough but perhaps another battery might help.
we have 2x 95ah batteries and the 100w panel seems to keep the, well charged.
the other part of the 'equation' is managing usage, although again it doesn't seem that are using a huge amount bug heating things from batteries is to be avoided unless you have real deep use storage like lithium...
we don't have a weight issue with two batteries, although a caravanner might.....we also have a refillable system with a fixed filler so don't have the issues of possible safefill refusal....
we are able to last weeks at THS site without mains, just using a couple of hours tv (with sky box) lights and water pump (flush) with no issues.
like you, has for hot water and any heating/cooking.
hood luck.
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I used to use 2 batteries before one in caravan one in boot of car while out for the day swap them round 2 weeks away , old 12volt telly worked a treat , Must admit now use ehu . and they were car batteries
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We used a Rutland wind generator years ago when caravaners - it was mounted on a pole with wire guys away from the caravan - it worked very well and even put in a trickle charge to the batteries in light winds - but - we would quite often find dead bats at the base of the pole in the mornings - very worthwhile for camping away from 230 volts but not worth it for the destruction to wildlife - i soon got rid of it .
John
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Wind generators have diversified in design from the traditional fan with a vertical axis "baked bean tin with fins" type. Whether that would be more bat friendly, I wouldn't know.
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Hi tadhatter. Being completely off grid these days, I too looked at this. It seemed the perfect answer for when the sun wasn’t shining. However the practical difficulties as mentioned in this thread soon became apparent. It has to be fairly high to catch any available wind, - when it’s blowing and then it has to blow at a certain speed, they are fairly large, attached the A frame of the van they can be noisy and the one thing that put me off was that they are not all that efficient. For a sailboat I can see that they are a good addition as they are all about wind. So I have increased my solar array to 300w and changed my 2 x LA batteries for a Lithium. Baking a cake in a bread maker on Solar? Was it successful? What batteries do you have? I take my hat off to you for giving it a go but in the end you are on Battery and if the battery is a Lead Acid, then asking it for a heavy draw will damage it. Although the thought of a wind turbine is very attractive I think that you would be far better off increasing your solar array and, with Lithium batteries having a life of 20 yrs or so (properly installed) you could look at that as an alternative. If you are serious about off grid, I think you’ll find it a good investment.
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20 years? Heaven knows what this aspect of the leisure industry we enjoy will look like in ten years let alone 20! Will those caravans as we know them today pulled by cars even be around ? May be the whole concept of caravanning will have changed significantly. Who knows?
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Micky, There is no doubt what you say will come true in some way or another- technology is moving so fast that new discoveries are shaping the future virtually daily. In 20yrs I don’t think I’ll be caravanning but my interest will remain in where technology is taking this hobby and I know I’ll be envious of the younger generation as they use the new technologies which we never had. Who would have thought even 20 yrs ago we would have had what we have today. Generators very quickly going out of fashion and linking up to the car because of flat batteries - all quite rare now.
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But I haven't the foggiest so I can make no assumptions about what will be true. All I know is that things will most likely change and that change, as far as caravanning and the 'club' is concerned, may be significantly different to what we know now!
Just a thought, not a vision or a prediction, but how about a club with a network of sites on which are placed self contained, pre stocked 'pods'. Members use their little electric cars to visit areas of the country much as we do today staying in these pods. May be caravan parks and sites should start preparing for the like and trial such an idea. It may be the future and it may just be around that next corner, who knows?
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