Missouri Wind and Solar Turbine, anyone try them?

[machineman]

I'm looking for a small wind turbine >400w to compliment my off-grid solar system. I found "Missouri Wind and Solar" Turbines online and wondering if anyone has any experince with them?

Here's my findings from online searches of other turbines:

Windmax: Has good performance but terrible support. Haven't found any MTBF data yet.

TLG: Good performance and support but out of my price range.

[MisterB]

This thread isn't about a Missouri W&S turbine but the "Ghost" is very similar--almost identical--to some of theirs and uses the same PMA modified car alternators. There are a number of companies putting out these turbines with PMA alternators and lots of blades.

http://www.wind-sun.com/ForumVB/showthread.php?t=10516

My first turbine was a SW windpower Windseeker II which was also used a PMA modified car alternator. They advertised 500 watts. It did 250 in really extreme winds and around 10-150 in more normal winds. You could probably expect about the same from any of the newer PMA turbines in both exaggerated specs and real performance.

[oil pan 4]

I believe that is what I have.
They advertise 500w. But my little 300w grid tie is more than enough to handle the output I have seen so far.
I pulled it down this week to sand blast, prime then paint and put on hopefully what will turn out to be a better blade and hub setup. I am trying out a 6 blade setup that "will support up to 800w", yeah right. Maybe in a CAT5 huricane.
I plan on putting it back up as soon as I am not working a 60hr work week.
So to recap, 800w worth of blade, on a 500w PMA, with a 300w gridtie.
Then maybe I will get some useable power (see more than 60w on a regular basis).
Also I plan to run a wind storm test, pull the blades off the PMA hook everything up like normal and put the PMA and its holder in a vice and drive it as hard as I can with my high speed dewalt drill and see what happens.

[machineman]

I believe that is what I have.
They advertise 500w. But my little 300w grid tie is more than enough to handle the output I have seen so far.

Do you have any measured data from the Missouri turbine at a known wind speed? I want to know how this thing compares to the Windmax.

I can't justify putting up more solar panels to add capacity in the winter. More of nothing equals nothing. Need something else for those short snow covered winter days when my batterys drain.

[MisterB]

I can't justify putting up more solar panels to add capacity in the winter. More of nothing equals nothing. Need something else for those short snow covered winter days when my batterys drain.

Wind works well with solar if done right. I have been doing it for 18 years. Getting a turbine that works is half the battle. The other half is having a site that gets enough wind and putting the turbine up high enough for it to actually work. I am 45' up and I would get a lot more energy at 60' but I like the tower I have and my neighbors would get upset if I went much higher.



And even with a wind generator, there are still winter days when there really isn't much energy but they are fewer and farther between.

[jcgee88]

I am 45' up...

Just curious:

1. How did you erect such a tall tower? Use a crane?
2. How do you get your turbine down when it needs maintenance?

John

[MisterB]

The tower is tilt down and there is a winch at the base on one of the tower legs. The other 2 serve as hinges when I raise or lower the tower. Here is what it looks like at the base.

[mike95490]

The tower is tilt down and there is a winch at the base on one of the tower legs. ....

so cool, got plans or mfg name to share ?

[MisterB]

It was made by Windy Dankoff sometime in the late 80s. I bought it from him when he closed down his solar & wind business to concentrate on water pumping. It was designed on the same principles as a geodesic dome and you will notice the triangles decreasing in size as you go up the tower. He originally had a Winco Wincharger on it. I got his demo Windseeker II with the tower. The tower was by far the better part of the deal.

[niel]

that tower is a piece of history as an old book i had on solar and wind showed it. i forget the book's name or if i even have it anymore for if i do it's buried with other stored stuff.
well, i didn't look too far and found the book i was referring to, but it may not be the same tower. i do remember seeing that tower before because i took a mental note seeing as how it was unique and crooked on its way up. btw, the book i was referring to was an old sams book titled wind/solar energy by edward m. noll 1st printing 1975. the front cover is missing and this was the book that delved into vawt as well as the hawt and on the subject of tip speed and the numbers of blades that i was mentally referring to information on.