Wind powered generator?

Anything electric, AC or DC

Wind powered generator?

Postby easterngray » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:44 am

Hi Folks - I'm still working on the Quacker Smacker tiny trailer plans and was wondering if anyone has built a wind generator for their trailer - I would think it would work great - any feedback on this? Thanks - Alec
Image
User avatar
easterngray
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:09 pm
Location: Cape Cod

Postby mikeschn » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:03 pm

The Windy City might be a good place for that... Quite frankly, here in the Midwest I think you'd have better luck with a solar panel. With mine I am generating so much excess energy I'm thinking about tapping into it for the house! :?

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI

Postby Arne » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:08 pm

My first h/f solar panel came minus the power cord. I now have the replacement hooked up to the teardrop.... The instructions mention something about not getting it wet....

Has anyone left one of these out in the rain and did it survive?
www.freewebs.com/aero-1
---
.
I hope I never get too old to play (Arne, Sept 11, 2010)
.
User avatar
Arne
Mr. Subject Line
 
Posts: 5383
Images: 96
Joined: Fri Aug 13, 2004 12:25 pm
Location: Middletown, CT
Top

Postby SteveH » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:09 pm

Something that I thought of that would work, but I nixed it because it would be too much trouble for the net gain, was to hook an alternator to one of the trailer wheels with a V belt and have it charge the battery as you drove.

Think it would be easier to just run an additional wire and use the vehicle alternator. :?
SteveH
Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant"is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist ".
User avatar
SteveH
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2101
Images: 42
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 8:28 am
Location: Bexar Co, TX
Top

wind power

Postby easterngray » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:44 pm

A towed trailer is subjected to 50-65 mph winds while enroute... a small turbine humming away on top of the trailer could charge a battery well I figure! Cheers, Alec
User avatar
easterngray
Teardrop Inspector
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2005 4:09 pm
Location: Cape Cod
Top

Postby mexican tear » Sat Apr 30, 2005 1:58 pm

You do not get something for nothing. If you charge the battery while driving with a little turbine, it will take gas to do this.

If you charge the battery with the normal configuration of an isolator and a wiire to the trailer to charge the battery, it will take gas to do this.

I think a piece of wire, a 6 pole plug, an isolator and a little wire would be a heck of a lot more reliabe and cheeper to make. Oh yes I think the gas consumption would be less.

kai
"Essie" and the Mexican Tear
Image
User avatar
mexican tear
Donating Member
 
Posts: 506
Images: 14
Joined: Mon May 24, 2004 12:31 pm
Location: Hardy, Arkansas USA
Top

Postby Woody » Sat Apr 30, 2005 3:11 pm

A solar panel is the way to go. Not one of those cheap ones that plugs into the lighter. A decent panel with a decent controller should maitain the batteries fine. I have a good panel and it provides more than enough power even on marginally sunny days to maintain and replace the power used from the batteries dry camping. Being in Florida does help with the sun intensity
Woody
The Tear Jerker's, Florida Chapter Director
E-mail: [email protected]
Tear jerker chapter site http://www.tearjerkers.net/forums/
Check the SE section for gathering information
Tear Jerkers new site http://www.tearjerkers.net/forums/
Enjoying life in 12 ounce increments is what it's about
User avatar
Woody
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2006
Images: 26
Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:07 pm
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Top

Re: wind power

Postby angib » Sat Apr 30, 2005 3:49 pm

easterngray wrote:A towed trailer is subjected to 50-65 mph winds while enroute... a small turbine humming away on top of the trailer could charge a battery well I figure! Cheers, Alec

Some (seemingly fairly knowledgable) guys over at fiberglassrv.com discussed this question and demonstrated that given the relative efficiencies of modern wind turbine design and automotive alternators, the gas cost would be pretty much identical either way - apparently car/truck alternators are not that clever.

But a wind turbine designed to work at highway speeds would not be the same as a wind turbine designed to work when the trailer is stationary, so the two functions cannot be combined.

Andrew
User avatar
angib
5000 Club
5000 Club
 
Posts: 5783
Images: 231
Joined: Fri Apr 30, 2004 2:04 pm
Location: (Olde) England
Top

Postby WoodSmith » Sat Apr 30, 2005 5:42 pm

I think it would be an interesting project to try to use some of this http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/NewsNAPT78.htm for a roof covering on a tear.

Seems like it should be weather proof, UV stable, and a whole lot more usefull than just paint or aluminium. I'm betting that it would probably double the build cost of most tears though.
Glen Smith
Build Journal
WoodSmith
Donating Member
 
Posts: 213
Images: 40
Joined: Tue Mar 29, 2005 11:07 pm
Location: RTP NC
Top

Postby Denzagrad » Sat Apr 30, 2005 8:59 pm

Hers a bunch of information on home made wind power systems.

http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind.html
User avatar
Denzagrad
Teardrop Advisor
 
Posts: 85
Joined: Thu Dec 23, 2004 1:33 am
Top

Postby Gerdo » Mon May 02, 2005 11:40 pm

Woody

What size solar panel do you have?
User avatar
Gerdo
1000 Club
1000 Club
 
Posts: 1361
Images: 156
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 12:02 am
Location: Littleton, Colorado
Top

Postby mikeschn » Tue May 03, 2005 3:46 am

FWIW, I have a 65 watt solar panel... The KC-65. Similar to this, just smaller...

http://www.affordable-solar.com/afforda ... kc804.html

Mike...
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
User avatar
mikeschn
Site Admin
 
Posts: 19202
Images: 479
Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2004 11:01 am
Location: MI
Top

Postby Woody » Tue May 03, 2005 7:06 am

I have an 85 watt panel made by a subsidery of BP (British Petro.) It seems to handle the job with ample power. The trick is to get a decent controller/charger the maintains the batteries. I will have to look at the manufacture of it. I got it at West Marine and with the Port Supply discount I believe it was approx $65.00. normal retail was about $129.00 or something like that.
Woody
The Tear Jerker's, Florida Chapter Director
E-mail: [email protected]
Tear jerker chapter site http://www.tearjerkers.net/forums/
Check the SE section for gathering information
Tear Jerkers new site http://www.tearjerkers.net/forums/
Enjoying life in 12 ounce increments is what it's about
User avatar
Woody
2000 Club
2000 Club
 
Posts: 2006
Images: 26
Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2004 11:07 pm
Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Top

Postby fornesto » Tue May 03, 2005 4:19 pm

I thought of using one of those old-fashioned window mount air conditioners with a little alternator.
User avatar
fornesto
Donating Member
 
Posts: 774
Joined: Fri Jun 25, 2004 5:12 pm
Location: Lodi, CA
Top


Return to Electrical Secrets

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests