Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:34:05 +0100 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.0.3 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297949#Comment_297949 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297949#Comment_297949 Sat, 01 Oct 2022 10:19:25 +0100 XT600 ]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297952#Comment_297952 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297952#Comment_297952 Sat, 01 Oct 2022 11:45:29 +0100 tony
Noise and vibration will be biggest problems with turbulence due to land, roofs and buildings a close second.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297960#Comment_297960 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297960#Comment_297960 Sat, 01 Oct 2022 19:12:12 +0100 revor https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297990#Comment_297990 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=297990#Comment_297990 Mon, 03 Oct 2022 10:33:11 +0100 Gareth J
I doubt anything in a residential setting would prove cost effective and I definitely wouldn't want one bolted to the house - vibration.

If you've a field, with clear views all around, a small HAWT could be a great option. Although planning is a whole another ball game.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298043#Comment_298043 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298043#Comment_298043 Wed, 05 Oct 2022 16:23:39 +0100 SimonD Posted By: XT600Small Chinese turbines seem incredibly cheap at the moment...

As Gareth J says, be careful. The smaller the turbine, the higher the average wind speed needs to be to generate anything near useful. So first check the wind data for your geographic location and go from there. You'll probably find you need something with a tall-ish pole and few meters diameter blade, even for something like 3kW.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298049#Comment_298049 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298049#Comment_298049 Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:38:09 +0100 Gareth J https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298239#Comment_298239 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298239#Comment_298239 Thu, 13 Oct 2022 20:22:06 +0100 XT600 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298249#Comment_298249 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298249#Comment_298249 Fri, 14 Oct 2022 13:31:18 +0100 Gareth J
I don't know masses about it but turbine inverters are generally different to solar ones. They have to have a power curve programmed in to make the most of differing windspeeds, allowing the turbine to more or less idle at a low windspeed and increase turbine load to keep its speed in check as windspeed ramps up. I don't know if a solar inverter would be able to do that. There also needs to be some kind of failsafe, so, if there's a grid failure and high winds, or just very high winds, something to inject DC to act as a brake.

Does the turbine site have a good aspect without many trees or obstacles? They really like "clean" wind. Turbulence from obstacles causes gusts that a setup will struggle to make use of, compared to a strong, steady breeze, even if it's pretty windy.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298250#Comment_298250 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298250#Comment_298250 Fri, 14 Oct 2022 16:04:28 +0100 djh Posted By: Gareth JThere also needs to be some kind of failsafe, so, if there's a grid failure and high winds, or just very high winds, something to inject DC to act as a brake.I'd have thought the failsafe needed to be integrated with the turbine itself? Else what happens if the cable linking it to the inverter fails? I also thought they were slowed by shorting the turbine (or nearly so) so that they generate their own braking EMF. And/or mechanical or aero brakes.]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298251#Comment_298251 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298251#Comment_298251 Fri, 14 Oct 2022 20:20:38 +0100 WillInAberdeen
He also mentioned that the AC current from the wind turbine generator needs rectifying with quite a lot of smoothing as it is pretty spiky compared to the DC from a solar panel.

The current is quite high (1kW at 48 V =20A) so cables need to be short and beefy and connections made well.

There was something about the turbine earthing being kept isolated from the mains/house earth but I didn't understand it (not sure he did either).

Not sure that PV inverters would be able to do this kind of stuff, or that it would be safe to try without knowledgeable helpers...]]> https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298252#Comment_298252 https://www.greenbuildingforum.co.uk/newforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=17590&Focus=298252#Comment_298252 Fri, 14 Oct 2022 20:53:43 +0100 Gareth J

I'd have thought the failsafe needed to be integrated with the turbine itself? Else what happens if the cable linking it to the inverter fails? I also thought they were slowed by shorting the turbine (or nearly so) so that they generate their own braking EMF. And/or mechanical or aero brakes.

Yes, you might well be right. I've a slightly bigger turbine. I don't know exactly how it all works but there's a very uncomplicated "brake" box in the tower that you can manually set or have to reset in the event of an overspeed situation. Would make sense that it's just shorting some wires together. Before that happens though, the inverter should load up the turbine and if that's exceeded, the blades should feather to reduce their efficiency. Only if both of those methods don't sufficiently slow it should the brake come on. I think some smaller turbines don't have mechanical stalling functionality though, they just hit the brakes if speed it too high. Decelerating the machine from full speed to nearly nothing in a second or two puts quite some force on the tower!]]>