Windmill Generator for Charging
Printed From: R-pod Owners Forum
Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=5501
Printed Date: 07 May 2024 at 5:47am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.64 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Windmill Generator for Charging
Posted By: RescapePod
Subject: Windmill Generator for Charging
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 8:35am
|
All;
When researching what RV to go with I considered truck campers. During that research I came across the idea of a low cost windmill generator that is mounted on the RV to charge the battery. A review article can be found here: http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/news/tcm-checks-out-the-windwalker-wind-generator The web site for the product is: http://www.freespiritenergy.com I see this being mounted on a pole attached at the hitch and can be put up and down at the site. Your views are invited. Solar option in 179 is great but this would even charge at night with enough wind. Thanks ------------- 2015 R-Pod 179 2013 Chevy K1500 |
Replies:
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 9:13am
|
I'm always interested in alternative energy ideas. That said, I like my dome so much I purposely seek sites protected from the wind. I guess it really just depends on where you camp. The specs for the generator say the "start up wind speed" is 8 knots (9.2 mph) but I couldn't find output at that (constant) speed. It does produce an impressive 255 watts, 8.5 amps @ 30 volts...in a 35 knot (40 mph!) wind. That's a lot of wind! I think it is mainly geared toward truck campers, one because the height of the camper allows a good starting point for the mast and two because their are quite a few truck campers in the southwest where there are wide open spaces and lot's of wind. I'm guessing at that. Anyway, thanks for the tip and here's another pretty good review of the product. http://mellomikeswolfcreekcamper.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-windwalker-250-rv-wind-turbine.html - http://mellomikeswolfcreekcamper.blogspot.com/2014/05/review-of-windwalker-250-rv-wind-turbine.html fred
------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: RescapePod
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 10:53am
|
FWUNder-Good points sir...thanks ------------- 2015 R-Pod 179 2013 Chevy K1500 |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 1:50pm
|
The three biggest stumbling points for home-grown wind generation systems are height, nearby obstructions, and size. It needs to be much higher than you think, far away from trees or other objects that will create turbulence, and if you want to take advantage of winds below hurricane level it needs to be fairly big. Then you need to factor in electrical losses, and between charging, wiring, and inverter losses that will give you about 50% of the generator output actually available to run your stuff. For 12 volt stuff that will be closer to 65% since there isn't an inverter in the equation. Without even looking at the claimed specs I can guarantee you'll get very little usable energy from it. With a home installation done right, wind can be a great addition. Solar does much better for portable systems. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
|
Posted By: WillThrill
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 1:52pm
|
It's an interesting concept, but unless your Pod is almost constantly exposed to significant wind, it's just not practical. I'm not a huge fan of solar power due to its expense and the relatively small amounts of power it produces, but it's almost certainly more useful than wind in this instance.
Wind power is more for a stationary place that is known to receive moderate to high levels of regular wind. ------------- "Not all those who wander are lost." Tolkien 2014 Hood River 177 2005 GMC Envoy XL |