# Wind Generators



## rojean (Aug 18, 2009)

Anyone got any advice on wind generators for m/homes. ie. Are they more efficient than solar panele;purchase price;suppliers, etc. cheers.


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## PlanetGen (Feb 12, 2009)

Hi, wind turbines for m/homes are not that powerful, you would be better with a solar panel. We stock wind turbines for vans and I am not convinced by them!
Simon


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## rojean (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks simon, I`m surprised by your comment. How do they compare to the 13 watt solar panel i have?


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## krull (Jul 22, 2006)

Waste of time in a motorhome I would have thought. They are noisy and require an open aspect (no trees/buildings) to be effective. You also have to mess about erecting it.

In summer you are far better off going solar.

I had one in a live aboard narrowboat, so have some experience. 

Unless you spend a long time wild camping in scotland in winter.


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

Noisy, kill birds, spoil the views and an ecological disaster.

Applies equally to little ones.

Well, almost - but you would not like the vibration noise that they transmit into the fabric of the MH.


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## mickyc (Jan 20, 2006)

Yachtsmen have been using them for years, but due to the fact that you generally park a MH in sheltered places and the noise issue mentioned above they are not as suitable for vans.

If you do camp in windy places though, they will work 24hrs unlike a solar panel :wink:


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## welshtust (Jun 9, 2008)

we saw a few at the Global Rally, didn't notice any sound of the one next to us, and it was just attached to the rear ladder.
We would be interested in any of the users feed back.


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Hi rojean, nice to see you posting.

Wind generators in my opinion are very worthwhile IF you have a propensity to park on a windy site on the coast AND you get a decent quality large one AND you are careful to isolate the vibration from your van. That's a lot of conditions 

Your 13W solar panel is pretty limited. Basically under a cloudless tropical sky around lunchtime you will get just 1 Amp charge. Doesn't happen very often! 

Dave


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## moblee (Dec 31, 2006)

we saw a few at the Global Rally, didn't notice any sound of the one next to us, and it was just attached to the rear ladder. 
We would be interested in any of the users feed back.

I think that was "woofer"pete & maureen....welshtust
You could give them a PM I shouldn't think they'd mind  .


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## krull (Jul 22, 2006)

You won't notice the noise. The noise is vibration that is transmitted through the body of the van. When windy, it can get surprisingly loud.

This is just my own experience. I very much approve of wind generators as a whole, and would cover the whole country in wind farms. 

For my van though I find that 80w solar panels keep me sorted in summer. In winter, I am, rarely in the same spot for more than a few days so engine runs more. I keep a tiny honda 300w silent genny with me in winter as a back up. Have used it twice in 4 years.


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## littlenell (Aug 1, 2008)

I spied the turbine too at the global rally and it was whizzing around quite merrily. 

If we had one down here in Cornwall I think our battery would be fried in moments, the van is moving with the wind, and the awning is being put through its full range of movements. I wonder how much needs to go on the end of the turbine, or in my tech speak " the gubbins".


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## rojean (Aug 18, 2009)

*Wind generators*

Many thanks to all who reponded, very helpful.


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