Wind Turbine Generator, share your knowledge?

Bbasso

Expedition Leader
I have a bunch of questions regarding wind turbine generators.
First question is, can it be integrated into existing solar panel setup so at night time there could be power being stored/used?
Second question, are the sub $500 ones even worth buying?
Third question with my existing 200 watt solar panel, mppt solar charge controller and a total of 310 amp hour battery bank will a 300 watt wind generator really help out?
Fourth question, what I'm trying to achieve is, will I be able to run a small efficient air conditioner while at a fixed location?
Obviously this has to do a lot with how strong the winds are I understand that. I am being given the opportunity to stay on some land with beachfront access so there is usually a very nice breeze there but it's also hot, humid and lots of bugs.
My goal is to be able to buy a small air conditioning unit to run a majority of the time when not working and not wipe out my current battery bank.
Last and final questions so you know what I'm trying to achieve...Can I achieve this without breaking the bank also can I do this without harming my existing system?

I do understand I have to buy a few more things like cables, connectors, inverter, A/C unit and properly mount a tall pole for the wind turbine to sit on...
If at all possible I'd like to stay under $800 for a total investment...

Please share your knowledge, thank you very much
 

Bbasso

Expedition Leader
Oh... that's depressing to hear, I've never looked into this nefore and didnt know there was so many complaints & negatives.
Oh well.
 

Joe917

Explorer
Wind turbines on sailboats are used most at anchor, some are even removed underway. Inexpensive marine wind turbines tend to be noisy.
It might be a good option as a permanent set up at a beach cottage but $800 buys a lot of solar.
Adding wind power to the system is not complicated but if it is windy enough for the turbine you might not need AC.
 
Oh... that's depressing to hear, I've never looked into this nefore and didnt know there was so many complaints & negatives.
Oh well.

I also heard "house hold" sized units suck unless the wind is really blowing.
.
I don't exactly have first hand experience but I used to work with the Facilities team at Adobe in San Jose CA and they have huge "wind spires" setup around their campus towers.
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roii_adobewindspiresalmaden.jpg

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adobe-windspires.jpg

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Upon inquiring about why I rarely saw them running (Literally I only ever saw 1 of them turning occasionally), they also commented that they didn't really get much output from them and employees complained about the noise so they were usually locked out. If a huge "Green" focused Silicon Valley business leader didn't find them particularly beneficial enough to use them in an industrial sized capacity, I'm inclined to think they aren't something I would want to spend money on.
 
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Joe917

Explorer
I also heard "house hold" sized units suck unless the wind is really blowing.
.
I don't exactly have first hand experience but I used to work with the Facilities team at Adobe in San Jose CA and they have huge "wind spires" setup around their campus towers.
.
roii_adobewindspiresalmaden.jpg

.
adobe-windspires.jpg

.
.
Upon inquiring about why I rarely saw them running (Literally I only ever saw 1 of them turning occasionally), they also commented that they didn't really get much output from them and employees complained about the noise so they were usually locked out. If a huge "Green" focused Silicon Valley business leader didn't find them particularly beneficial enough to use them in an industrial sized capacity, I'm inclined to think they aren't something I would want to spend money on.
That is an art installation.
Looks green but just a waste of time and money(art). Installed in the shelter of the surrounding buildings, might as well tilt your solar north.
 

Coachgeo

Explorer
Verticle wind turbines put out less energy. So for the expense, noise etc. its not worth it. But that is not true for all wind turbines. The other threads linked above are full of good info to start with.
 

Bbasso

Expedition Leader
ok, this seems like i'm over my head...

I'll do some more needed research, but I'll put this on a hold for now.

thanks, I appreciate the heads up on this.
 

CaliMobber

Adventurer
Just more of the same from me. Wind turbines are a excellent tool in the right location. the problem is they need to have a large sweep to capture any real energy. I used to love this site and even bought the books they made. Most small turbines advertise just make noise and very little power.

http://www.otherpower.com/20page1.html

Real world for most of us is Solar is just simple and the price has come down enough to not make wind worth it. too bad solar is so boring to look at hahaha
 

rruff

Explorer
I also heard "house hold" sized units suck unless the wind is really blowing.

The power available in the wind is proportional to V^3. A 20 mph breeze has 8x the amount of power that is in a 10 mph breeze. And you definitely wouldn't want a wind generator mounted on your rig.

What energy use do you expect from the AC? Probably makes more sense to add a solar panel and battery.
 

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