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This is an excellent web-site for all you fence-sitters!   www.kyocerasolar.com/support/calculator.html TECH TIP Wind powered battery charging systems can be cost-effective if the average wind speed is nine miles perhour (mph) or more at the location of the wind generator. If you are using wind in combination with photovoltaic power, it may be cost effective if good wind is available only during part of the year. The power available from the wind is proportional to the cube of the wind speed. When the wind speed doubles, the power delivered is eight times as great . Most wind generators are designed to deliver maximum power at a wind speed of 30 mph. At 15 mph, they will deliver about 1/8 their rated power. A wind generator should be mounted at least 20 feet higher than any obstruction within 300 feet to avoid turbulence. You can expect the power output of a wind generator to decrease roughly 3% for every 1000 feet of elevation. That means that you'll get 70% of the power at 10,000 feet elevation. DO YOU HAVE A GOOD SITE FOR WIND? Towers We do not recommend mounting wind generatorson roofs. Though it is possible with a wind generator of 500 watts or less output, it will be noisy. Larger wind generators could cause severe damage to the building. Freestanding towers, guyed towers or guyed poles may be used with wind generators. Wind generators can be mounted on freestanding towers designed for antennas. They require a large, engineered concrete base for support, but since the do not require guy wires, they can be installed in the smallest space. Guyed steel truss towers, also designed for antenna mounting, are less costly and require a large area for guy wire placement. A tilt-up pole tower is the most economical and the easiest to install. Wiring and mounting of the wind generator are done before the tower is erected. No climbing is necessary. Steel tubing can be bought locally to save freight. Wiring It is important to avoid excessive loss of power from voltage drop in wire from the wind generator to the batteries. It is not necessary to use a wire size that minimizes voltage drop for maximum generator output. It will be more economical to choose a wire size that gives a 2% voltage drop at the average generator output for your site. The Air403 has two wire DC output. Use the wire loss chart on page 61 to decide on wire size. The Whisper wind generators have 3-phase AC output that is rectified to DC at the control box. Wire size can be smaller on these machines. Use a wire designed to carry the rated current of the generator you are using, but remember, three conductors are required. If wire size required is too costly, compare the price of a Whisper HVT machine, which has a 240 VAC output that is stepped down to battery charging voltage. This results in significantly smaller wire size, which will usually more than offset the extra cost of this machine. Call for details. Wind Speed (MPH) Wind Effect 0-1 Smoke rises vertically 2-3 Direction of wind shown by smoke drift but not by wind vanes. 4-7 Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; ordinary wind vane moved by wind 8-12 Leaves and twigs in constant motion; wind extends a light flag 13-18 Raises dust, loose paper; small branches are moved 19-24 Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters 25-31 Large branches in motion; whistling heard in power lines; umbrella use is difficult. Measuring Wind Speed You can use one of the measuring devices  to determine wind speed. The NRG wind totalizer acts like an odometer in a car, giving you the total wind passage over time. Average wind speed is calculated by the user by dividing the miles of wind passage by the number of hours the machine has been running. This unit can be installed and checked weekly or monthly. If you are patient, you can measure for a year or two and get a good idea of your potential power availability. Both the Dwyer and Kestrel wind speed indicators work like a speedometer, displaying current wind speed, but neither records any information for future reference. The Dwyer and NRG can be mounted on a tower to give you an idea of wind speed where the generator will be located. If you measure wind speed at ground level, you can expect about 1.5 times the wind speed 30 feet up, which equates to about three times the power. At 120 feet above the ground, wind speed will be twice what is measured at ground level and power output will be more than twice the output at 30 feet. If you do not have a wind gauge, you can get a rough idea of wind speed from the table. Guyed Tower Kits and Accessories Southwest Windpower has designed a series of tower kits for AIR and Whisper wind turbines. Each tower kit comes with all hardware necessary to install a tower, except guy supports, pipe and cement. The installation can take as little as half of a day without a crane or large foundation. All parts bolt or clamp together and no welding is required. AIR Tower Kits AIR Tower kits are available in roof mount, 27’ (8.1m) and 45’ (13.5m) heights. These kits are Professional Engineer Certified (PE Certified). Purchase 1-7/8" steel tubing from fence supplier. Auger kits are available below. Roof mounts include vibration isolators, wall brace clamps and a safety leash, but do not include pole or lag screws Whisper H40/H80 Tower Kits Whisper H40/H80 tower kits come in 24’ (7.2m), 30’ (9m), 50’ (15m), 65’ (19.5m), and 80’ (24m) heights. These tower kits use 2-1/2" (63.5mm) CQ40 fence pipe or schedule 40 water pipe. Actual O.D. is 2.875" (73mm) Whisper 175 Tower Kits Whisper 175 Tower Kits are available in 30’ (9.1m), 42’ (12.8m) and 70’ (21.3m) heights. Earth Auger Sets Screw-in "auger" type anchors can be used in loamy and gravelly soils. Other soil types may require concrete footings or expansion bolts. Use 36"and 48" augers with AIR and H40/H80 installations and 48" and 60" augers on Whisper 175 installations. Consult an engineer or geologist if you have questions about guy supports

The Kestrel 1000 measures instantaneous maximum and average wind speeds. (Measurement unit options are knots, meters per second, kilometers per hour, miles per hour, feet per minute and Beaufort.) Measurement units can be changed at any time. Accurate, tough and affordable. requires no setup. (Just hold it up to measure wind speed.) Large, easy-to read liquid crystal display. Ultralight impeller which turns on jewel bearings. Excellent accuracy (+/-3%). Measure down to 0.3 m/s. Impeller and protective housing pop out for easy and inexpensive replacement. Built to withstand daily use in tough outdoor conditions. Includes slip-on hard case that protects the impeller, buttons and display from damage in your pocket or toolbox. Completely waterproof and floats. The user-replaceable battery provides 400 hours of use. 1 year warranty.

 Description Item Code Price

The NRG 2100 measures wind speed averages for determining approximate energy production from a wind generator. The total wind passage in miles (or km) is displayed at all times. (Does not indicate actual wind speed. Average wind speed is calculated by dividing miles of wind by the elapsed time in hours.) Includes an anemometer, 60 ft. of sensor cable, anemometer stub mast for mounting and instructions. Up to 2000 feet (600 m) of cable can be connected between the sensor and the meter. The remote sensor mounts on a 1/2 inch diameter pole. Meter is in a plastic case that must be protected from the weather. Available in miles per hour (MPH) or kilometers per hour (KPH). Measures windspeeds from 0 to 200 MPH. Resolution is 0.1 miles and accuracy is +/-4% or better. The six digit counter goes up to 99,999.9. Powered by a 9 volt battery that lasts one year.

The new AIR-X has a peak output of 400 watts at 28 mph (12.5 m/s) wind speed and is suitable for locations where wind speeds reach up to 100 mph. Carbon reinforced blades and a microprocessor based speed control result in quieter operation and improved battery charging capability. AIR-X is available in 12 and 24 volt versions. AIR403 is available in a 48 volt version. The housing is unpainted aluminum and the tower weight is 17 pounds. 3 year warranty.

The H40 is designed to operate in a site with medium to high wind speed averages of 12 mph and greater. With its brushless alternator and high efficiency composite airfoil blade design, H40 delivers 900 watts peak power at 28 mph (12.5 m/s). It can provide 100+ kWh per month, 3.4 kWh per day, in a 12 mph average wind speed location. The H40, with its 7 ft. (2.1m) rotor diameter and 40 sq. ft. swept area, is rugged enough for extreme environments. The 3-blade design lasts longer and is more stable in turbulent wind. The Marine version is sealed and powdercoated for use in coastal and nautical environments

WHISPER 175

The most powerful Whisper, this 3000-watt rated turbine will deliver in excess of 500 KWH per month in a 12 mph wind. This machine has a 14-foot, 2 blade rotor providing 175 sq. ft. of swept area. It features a handmade fiberglass and foam core blade for smooth, high efficiency operation and low wind start-up. It also incorporates the patented "angle governor" design for quiet operation in high winds. The 175 is an excellent machine for village power projects, farms, ranches, back-up power and remote homes with large energy demands. The Whisper 175 can be shipped by truck only.

Tech Tip

The EZ-Wire I System Center provides battery charge control for the wind generator and for a solar array. An LED digital meter reads battery voltage, wind amps, solar amps and load amps. The EZ-Wire I system can also control up to 40 amps of solar modules (80 amps for the Whisper 175). EZ-Wire I Centers are shipped with the 12 volt version of the H40 and H80 and with all Whisper 175 turbines. The EZ-Wire I System Center can be set to control 24, 36 or 48 volt battery systems and the 12 volt H40 and H80 can be changed to these voltages by the user. There is a $75 charge to change the voltage on units with the EZ-wire I at the factory