Spring Winds

[keyturbocars]

It's beginning to really feel like Spring around here (around 70F today).  The typical Spring winds seem to be firing up as well.  It was breezy yesterday (averaging maybe 15mph) for part of the day, and the Classic logged 6kwH.  Not a lot, but better than nothing.  Today, was much better.  It was dead calm this morning, but then late in the morning the winds gradually started picking up.  Averaged around 15mph for the first part of the day and then by late afternoon, they were averaging 20-25mph.  Now it's really calming down again and I see 8mph on my Davis weather station console.  The Classic 150 logged around 13.1kwH for the past 13 hours.  Tomorrow is supposed to be calm, and then breezy gain Saturday.  This time of year, it can blow for days on end.  Usually it's just blowing 10-20mph, but some days it can get much more exciting.

The Classic 150 and the rest of my wind turbine control set up continues to work well.  Today was the first time that I ever recall the "Turbo" fan kicking in on my Classic.  It was for a short while during the windiest part of the day.  Also, the fans I mounted on my heatsink were busy during parts of today.  I have a thermal switch that turns the fans on at 90F and off at 80F.  The heatsink keeps my 3 phase rectifier cool, the 3 phase AC SSR (AUX1 controlled Clipper), and my DC SSR (AUX2 diversion to heat water).  The Clipper did not do much today, because the winds were not too strong. 

Overall, it was a good day for wind power... enough wind to produce some decent power, but not so strong as to tear things up around the property.  I saw peaks around 32mph at times.  I'll take this sort of wind over the wild and crazy gusts that tear things up!

Edward

[kitestrings]

Edward,

Sounds like system is working well.  We just ordered 2-250's.  I'm sure I'll have questions.

What are you using for lightning protection?

~kitestrings

[keyturbocars]

kitestrings,

I have a Delta 3 phase lightning protector, and I have my tower grounded.  I live in a canyon and I've never seen a lightning strike down in the canyon, and I hope it never happens.  Even with lightning protection, I'm afraid things will still get fried.

Edward

[keyturbocars]

Speaking of Spring winds...

Had a real good wind power day today.  Over the past 19 hours or so, my Classic 150 has logged around 23.5 kwH generated from my HY-2000 wind turbine. 

Overall, winds were averaging right around 20mph over the past 19 hours, but this afternoon the average was probably closer to 22mph.  That's based on my Davis weather station.  Not real big winds, but brisk winds that were nice and constant.

Edward