Small Wind Generator for 48V battery bank?

[PorkChopsMmm]

Yikes. This may be insulting to some of you but I am thinking of chancing it with one of the sub $700 48V ones I see on Amazon. This is once I can justify the purchase with an anemometer. I am looking for something to generate power in lower speed conditions. Look like the 48V bank is what is holding me back. Funny, it has really helped with solar because of wire resistance, distances with minimal losses, etc.

[Cariboocoot]

If you're comfortable with the price and product, that's all that matters. Let us know how good/bad it turns out to be.

[DaveB]

Yikes. This may be insulting to some of you but I am thinking of chancing it with one of the sub $700 48V ones I see on Amazon. This is once I can justify the purchase with an anemometer. I am looking for something to generate power in lower speed conditions. Look like the 48V bank is what is holding me back. Funny, it has really helped with solar because of wire resistance, distances with minimal losses, etc.

Just remember the wind turbine market is completely different then the PV market. The PV market has a standard test that all panels are tested against. With wind power there are no standardized tests and in most cases you get what you pay for. The turbine is going to be subjected to a very abusive environment and consists of moving parts under a lot of stress. Generally reliable quality turbines cost a lot because there is a lot involved to make one that will work well.

I'm not sure an anemometer would be worth it for a individual site for a small wind turbine. The biggest factor is to make sure it is out of any turbulence from nearby obstructions.

[stephendv]

I've been looking for an excuse to buy a 48V wind turbine for some time now... but I just can't turn the rational side of my brain off long enough to buy one :P Have you run some simulations to see how you'd do with $1000 worth of extra PV ? Bear in mind that PV is an: install and forget for 30+ years investment. Wind is: install, then take down every year to check it's ok- then wake up during storms to check that it's not overspeeding- then replace the bearings every few years- then repaint the housing- etc.

[DaveB]

Wind and PV generally compliment each other. Where you live and your average wind speed makes a big difference in whether or not it makes sense for you. In my location when the sun isn't shining it is more than likely windy. And in the winter you could go for a couple weeks with no useful solar energy on top of the sun already being so low in the sky but the wind howling for most of that time. So in my case wind makes a big difference. The problem is is the small wind turbine market has been flooded with mis-information, poor installations, deceitful marketing, lack of knowledgeable people who can actually install them for others, and generally turbines that are cheap and don't last.

[newmeilwindturbine]

I have a 48v, 600W small wind turbine(X600 wind turbine ), its weight is around 16kg, most impressed, it is very simple install. Output is fine, there is nearly no noise when it is running. At the same time, I can have it installed for battery charge, or connect to grid through grid inverter. You can try if interested.

[mike95490]

Are you seller or user?

[BB.]

Seller out of China... You can find "his" home page under his user name, or just search for user name.

Hoping the seller will engage in useful discussions--If just dropping name/links for advertising, the post will disappear....

-Bill

[NEOH]

Is there no Controller / Batt Charger for Wind Turbines that accepts 12 volts or 24 volts IN and then outputs 48 volts to charge the batteries? Adding such a device ( extra $'s ) would then increase your Wind Turbine selection to low voltage models.

[Cariboocoot]

Is there no Controller / Batt Charger for Wind Turbines that accepts 12 volts or 24 volts IN and then outputs 48 volts to charge the batteries? Adding such a device ( extra $'s ) would then increase your Wind Turbine selection to low voltage models.

Pretty much a bad idea: 12 Volts in, 48 Volts out. That's a lot of up-converting at the cost of a significant amount of power which turbines tend to be short on to begin with. It's not just current divided by Voltage multiplier.