# Wind Turbine for van.



## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Hello all, I have been looking at wind turbines for use with my van for some time now. I have finally completed the job here are the basics for those of you who are interested.

AirX Land Turbine from ebay US. A very advanced turbine which has built in regulation, will slow down in high winds, makes no noise and can be stopped remotely. The AirX gives a maximum of 400w but realistically we hope to get around 100w which is more than sufficient for our needs. There are many smaller turbines available but the output in average wind speeds is very low and would not make sufficient contribution to make these worth our while. This turbine came with an ammeter and an on/off shorting switch, which either disconnects the turbine or shorts the supply from it thus stopping it. The turbine does not require grounding (as discussed on here), if not grounding it you connect the earth from the turbine to the negative. The turbine is made by Southwest Windpower, details and tech. specs. can be downloaded from there. http://airbreeze.com/index.php?q=land/product-info

Idea for the mast from http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-44460-Turbine-Portable-Mounting/dp/B000FIWKQO 
Mast details also on Southwest Windpower web site or ebay us, their mast is telescopic and made from aluminium, I will investigate having one made in the UK, but so far cannot see how to make it telescopic (bearing in mind that the wire and connectors have to go down the middle. Shipping from the US along with the cost of the mast made that an unattractive proposition. Our mast is made in three two meter sections which screw together, the cable drops down the middle. The mast mounting is hinged at the bottom so that it can be assembled on the ground and then swung up into position.

Anderson connectors to handle up to 50 amps from the turbine to the leisure batteries. from Dun Bri here http://www.dun-bri.com/ProductDetai...mm-Sq-S-Connector/310200.htm?productID=310200 The turbine is connected to the cable at the top of the mast using an Anderson connector.

Cable capable of handling 50 amps, bought in a local electrical wholesaler.

Setting the whole thing up for the first time took me around 20 minutes. I hope, with practice to get that down to ten minutes.

The whole thing weighs less than 40 kg and cost under 1,000 pounds.


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Very interesting,have you had any vibration problems.Think I will stick to solar power or this powercell idea that seems to be improving very quickly.

cabby


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Not a sound out of it Cabby, it is truly completly silent, and no vibrarions as it is trapped under the van wheel and not attached to the van at all. I also have solar and fuel cells but solar does not supply enough power in winter, even in southern Spain etc, due to short days and higher energy consumption in the longer evenings. Fuel cells are very good but have a life span of between 3 and 5 thousand hours which makes it very expensive electricity,

Regards Alan.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Mods, please move to tech/mech, I do not know how I managed to post this in off topic, Thanks, Alan.


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## NEV3 (Feb 7, 2007)

Looks a nice setup earneboy. I've also thought about wind power on my MH. Do you have any guy ropes or fixings to stabilise it in high winds? I would have thought there was a danger of it hitting the side of your van in high winds from the pics shown.

NEV3


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## NormanB (Sep 8, 2005)

I like the thoughtful way the the mast stand fits under the wheel. Idela against theft and the tyre would insulate the van chassis from some/most of the vibration. 

The downside is 40kg but I think it's a reaaly good idea. Please keep the forum in touch with how it works out over time.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Nev3, my base is a virtual copy of the american one, except that theirs is telescopic and made of aluminium, it is not guyed. If you follow the links you will see it. The mast is well clear of the van, we had gale force winds last night, watched the mast for a while and it never got near the van. It is 200mm away from the van. I would like to make a telescopic aluminium mast for mine, the cable and fittings have to be pulled thought the centre and I have no idea how to do it without restricting the central aperture, a challenge for the technically minded out there. 

An aluminium mast would reduce the weight a bit. My mast is in three parts so to reduce wobble in high winds and weight I will try it with only two sections of mast, This would also mean that I would not have to dismantle it completely when taking it down, I could leave the cable in the two mast sections and pack it away like that, Alan.


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