This is my first post to this forum. I have lived off grid for nearly 7 years with both wind and solar. My wind harvesting has been done with 2 Bergey XL1 turbines. I recently replaced one of them with the new 48 volt stator and the Midnite Solar Classic 250 and AC Clipper. The improved performance is remarkable. The turbine is much quieter (furling/ unfurling is nearly eliminated), harvests more energy with less wind, and is generally more under control. I am also able to shut it down completely when we get a super high wind event. It is also very nice to be able to charge my battery bank just as accurately with the wind as with the sun. I would like to thank Ryan and the crew at Midnite Solar for such a great product and the timely technical support they have provided me as I was setting up my new turbine.
Do you have a website with text and photos of your setup? :)
My large array to small battery bank (2000w to 5kwh) is plenty fine for my off-grid tiny house with all the bobbles. However, I think it would be neat to have a small turbine just to trickle in a bit of juice at night.
- Cloud
very true since batteries aren't cheap and panel prices keep coming down.I am trying to do the same but have to have the $.
Excellent news, Windy Neighbor !
Thank you for the info.
boB
Hello Windy
I have a Kestrel so I don't get any improved harvest with the classic, but what I do get works hand in hand with the panels.
The neighbor is looking at a Bergy 1K. I was curious as to what kind of production differences you are seeing from your 2 turbines? Have you logged any longer term production #'s like a week or month and compared the 2?
Thanks
Wade
It has been awhile since I have been here and read the replies to my post. Thanks for the comments. I do not have a web site or pictures of my installation right now. I do not have any logged data comparing my old vs new Bergey XL1 installs. I have lived with wind as part of my offgrid energy mix for nearly 7 years and have spent countless hours listening, watching, and observing the output of my wind turbines. I have observed about a 80%- 90% instantaneous increase in power output new vs old and about twice the overall energy capture based on the fact the the new turbine does not furl / unfurl nearly as often which obviously leads to increased production as well. The new higher voltage stator with the Classic 250 and Clipper has revolutionized our wind energy harvest. Besides more production, it is quieter, no more breakers tripping, no more controllers burning up, and very precise battery charging. I strongly recommend installing the Clipper if you live in a windy location because above the max charging capacity of the Classic, the turbine will freewheel and can be quite noisy. Tail furling seems to be delayed by about 5-6 mph more than the old turbine ( I have an anemometer mounted on one of my towers as a reference ). Unlike the old setup, frequently I observe the tail furled about 45-60 degrees and just stay there with a power output of 1400 - 1700 watts continuous. Pretty nice for a 1000 watt rated turbine. If this product was available years ago, I would only have 1 turbine instead of 2 because the increased energy output and reliability of the new one exceeds 2 of the old ones.
I just talked to my battery manufacturer and for their AGM's they recommend .5a per battery/string, so in my case the EA is 1amp since I have two strings.