Wind generators in Florida

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Permalink Reply by neil cox on August 2, 2008 at 3:49pm

The only one I've seen here was tiny = 1/2 kw just before a storm destroys it. It was on a tiny island or narrow peninsala in the St.Johns River about 4 miles north-east of Blount Island where we almost built a nuclear power plant 30 years ago. There was a mile of water in at least three directions. It likely made about 20 watts on the average, enough to keep a large bank of batteries charged. It was only about 20 feet above the water. Likely the owner used it an hour once or twice per month, running the batteries down to 12.6 volts. It likely took about three weeks of negligible power use to get the batteries back to 13.6 volts.
500 hours at 20 watts = 10 kwh which is worth about one $1.50 and will charge 12 large 115 amp hours 12 volt marine or deep cycle batteries, from half charge to full charge, when they are new. As lead acid batteries age, their recharge efficiency, amphours, and maximum safe voltage decreases. Near the end after replacing several of the batteries with not as good as new used batteries, you can only draw one kilowatt hour from them, you need two kilowatt hours to recharge them, which takes about 100 hours = 4 days to recharge at 20 watts average, assuming the wind is average those 4 days = at least one bad wind storm. A one square meter solar panel likely recharges the battery bank faster even December 23 when the sun is lowest in the southern sky at noon. Lead acid batteries last much longer if you recharge promply after using half or less of their amp hour capacity. Very costly lithium ion batteries hold more energy per cubic meter and perhaps five times as much energy per kilogram, but you ruin them by over charging them even a little or discharging them too much. Installing the turbine up 100 to 200 feet almost always doubles the power, and occasionally produces ten times as much power. It is near hopeless where there are lots of 50 foot trees or other wind breaks. Neil

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