Wind Turbine 1st project

[mcgbilly]

Hi all, new here. I have a minimal knowledge of electonics/renewable energy, but have a project in mind I'd like to do in the near future and could use some guidance with. The project I have planned has a twofold purpose. 1 is to learn what I'm doing on a small 1st project, with the end result of adding a functional Wind (and possible Solar) system to my house in Thailand after getting my feet wet. My 1st Project: A small playhouse for my Granddaughter, that has basic power provided by a Wind Turbine. It will be basically, a very safe and well built 10' Dia. 1/2 Steel Culvert, about 8' in length, buried by a 6-8" depth of dirt at the top. There will be more dirt on the sides than the top. Just picture a buried, miniature Quonset Hut, with an unburied wooden front end with a door. My thoughts are to power an LED room Light (60-100W Equiv.); approx. 20-24" Flat Screen TV; 3-4 plug Power Strip for charging Cell Phone and Tablet and if possible; One Hot Water heater used 2-3 times a day. I'd like to keep the Electrical Sys. costs below approx. $800. The Voltage & Freq. in Thailand is 220/50. I already have some idea's, and basically what I have come up with, is a 5-7 Blade Airfoil type Wind Turbine, elevated to a height of about 20-25' on a 2" steel pipe pole solidly attached to an approx. 16-20' Hardwood 4X4 concreted(Steel Pipe also) into the ground 3-4'. My assumptions are that the Power requirements will be as follows:

One LED Room Light (60-100W Equiv.)=10W Max
One 20-24" TV=30W Max (LED TV I would assume, is the best choice here)
One plug in type Hot Water Kettle=800-1000W Max
One 3-4 Plug Power Strip for Charging a couple of Cell Phones and a Tablet Computer=120W Max (Guesswork on my part)
15% Surplus/Safety Factor=Approx 1,056-1,256 Watts=Needing either a 1,200 - 1,500 Watt Wind Turbine (If someone makes a 1,300 or 1,400W Turbine?)
10 Ga. Wire from the Turine to the Charge Controler, then 10 or 8 Ga. for from the Charge Controller to the Battery's?

On the Electrical side, I think I will need the Turbine; a Charge Controller; Two 12V Automobile Battery's (Deep Cycle or Wet Cell? More than 2 Battery's?); a DC-AC Converter (1000W? More?). Would I need a Wall Mounted Breaker, and if so, how many Amp? I know the Turbine will need a Brake to stop over spin in High Wind (hoping to buy a Turbine that will have a built in Brake). The Turbine, I will have to buy in Thailand due to high Import Taxes. Can anyone tell me if my figures are right and maybe offer some insight/advice on anything I may be overlooking or have wrong? Thanks all for your time!

 

[rjenkinsgb]

Before you go any further, do some serious research in to the actual ratings of any available wind turbines.

The ones I've seen claiming 1500W output can only give that under extreme wind conditions and you are lucky to get a tenth of that on average, with nothing at all on a calm day.

That's why solar panels are much more frequently used for home installations.

Only look at the other parts once you can be absolutely sure the energy source device(s) will be adequate and reliable; you may save yourself a lot of expense.

 

[mcgbilly]

Thanks. I am reviewing some interesting Wind Turbine Video's done by a Pro Installer that seem legit and are a real education. If you are interested, here are the links. I'm still watching and reviewing numerous times them as well. Let me know what you think.

 

[gary350]

You need to watch your wind and take notes every day to learn what your wind does. When I lived in Arizona wind was a none stop continuous breeze all day every day 10 to 15 mph. When I live 2000 miles away in Tennessee wind is very gusty all day changing every 15 to 45 seconds, 5mph, 12mph, dead calm, 8mph, 3mph, 10mph, 6mph, 14mph, average wind speed about 7mph. We sometimes have storms with 70 mph wind your wind mill needs an over speed brake system and auto turn out of the wind. Once you have average wind speed data you can design a wind mill.

There are many different types of wind mill blades. Lots of information claims 3 blades are best. Each type blade works best is certain types of wind. Old farm water pumping wind mills are good in 2 mph wind. Surface area of the blades = torque. As I recall every time wind mill blade diameter doubles power increases 4 times. The old dutch water pumping wind mill blades work great in very low speed wind plus blades are very easy to build from wood or metal. Design and build your blade to suit your wind and the power rating you want.

My first generator was a permanent magnet 90v DC motor output was pulsing DC. I wound my own transformer to step up 90v pulsing DC to 120v AC. I had no battery storage I used all the electricity to run lights I worked at home for 5 years. 40 years ago inverters were hard to find and out of my price range. My next generator was permanent magnet 15vdc to charge 12v batteries. 1500w inverter made 120VAC.

My wind mill tower was 2 sections of 2" diameter pipe total length 20 ft tall. Hinges at bottom to pull up with a electric winch. Easy to let down to work on or make changes. Here are some pictures that might give you ideas. My information is 40 years old you can probably find much better infor than what I have. OH you should know generator voltage determines how quick battery will charge I use to have data on this you can probably find it online. 16VDC will charge battery quicker than 15VDC. 17VDC is faster than 16 and 18 if faster than 17. I believe information I had said not to go higher than 18VDC you can over heat and destroy the battery. If your battery charges too slow it may never fully recharge. I think target to shoot for is wind mill should be able to recharge s 90% low battery to 100% in 10 hours on a cloudy day you can still use a lot of power from battery as it charges. I put a 1968 Chevy truck voltage regulator on my alternator battery charge system. Look online I am sure there is better information than this 40 year old information that i have. I am giving you ideas to think about.

Somewhere I have information how to calculate power of a wind mill blade? Size your blade to match your average wind speed to produce the power you need.

 

[mcgbilly]

Thank you. Lot's of useful info.