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Simple Wind Turbine Setup

  • 11-09-2014 11:13pm
    #1
    css1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26 ✭


    Hi,

    I have been thinking about setting up a very simple wind turbine setup. It would basically work as a topup to my hot water heating system. To keep it as simple as possible, I was thinking along the lines of using DC (regulated voltage probably needed?) into a DC immersion heater at the bottom of the hot water tank. I already have a Solar heating system for the water, so there is a 300L water tank.

    Has anyone done this, or have any suggestions as to how viable this would be?

    I am interested in any thoughts folks might have on this sort of setup, as it would bypass any ESB issues, due to being totally isolated, and DC based.


Comments

  • #2
    quentingargan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭quentingargan


    Afraid you can't just put a fixed resistor onto a turbine - it will stall the turbine at startup. Power available from a turbine is proportional to the cube of the wind speed, whereas power harvested by a fixed load is proportional to the turbine RPM squared. So there is almost always a mis-match between available power, and power harvested.

    If you really wanted to do this, the immersion would be switched using PWM as the turbine speed increases.


  • #3
    css1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 26 ✭css1


    Interesting you say that. I was probably trying to oversimplify things.

    I looked at this setup a long time ago, and was wondering how feasible it would be:

    reuk.co.uk/Wind-Turbine-Water-Heating.htm

    Do you think that setup would be workable?


  • #4
    quentingargan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭quentingargan


    Yes, that would work, but now you're involving a battery and charge controller. It works because the turbine is off-load until it reaches the battery voltage, so it doesn't get stalled.


  • #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,238 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    You can frequency switch an AC turbine if you couple it with a grid tie inverter (not connected to the grid).

    You'll need another relay and a dump load too when the stat turns the immersion element off. Simple...probably not.


  • #6
    quentingargan
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,627 ✭✭✭quentingargan


    Sir Liamalot wrote: »
    You can frequency switch an AC turbine if you couple it with a grid tie inverter (not connected to the grid).

    AFAIK, that device also requires a battery inverter to drive a synthetic grid. It is used in AC coupling where the battery inverter frequency-shifts to send a message to dump load devices. So even more complicated I'm afraid...


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