2 kW Tail-less turbine

[Ian]

The Navitron Price List shows an option for a 2 kW 220v wind turbine which is “tail-less”…. Has anyone played with one of these beasts yet ? Unless anyone has had any bad experiences, this looks like the one I am likely to go for as the absence of a tail should make it look smaller and more visually pleasing.

Am I right in thinking this is a “down-wind” design ?

The details table for the 2 kW generators say that the overspeed protection is “autofurl” – how does the tail-less design do this ?

The details also mention Functional Features of “Low-End Boost, Slow-Mode, & Brake”. How do these features work ?

Output DC voltage is quoted as “220-300V”. Should this read AC or is it already rectified at the generator (in which case I do not understand the need for the rectifier in the packing list) ?

No mention of a “controller” in the packing list. How is the unit emergency braked ? How is the unit voltage limited / throttled in the case of zero load ?

What is the spec of the inverter for the 220 v model ? I am thinking more of the input DC voltage but other details would be nice to have.

The 2 kW model comes in options for a tailed and tail-less design – I do not understand why the tail-less version is more expensive than the tailed version. Are there any real cost-level differences ?

Does anyone have a view as to the noise levels and characteristic differences between a standard tail / tail-less design ?

Any feedback gratefully received.

Regards
Ian

[Ian]

Anyone ?

[Ivan]

The tail-less design is far more complicated. It is still an upwind design. It has electronic control - it uses inputs from an anemometer and a wind direction indicator to tell when and where to turn the turbine into the wind using a small motor. As this motor will require a DC input, it is not so easy to use for grid-connect systems (although it could be used, by utilising an isolation transformer and a rectifier to provide the DC input required).

The various features are controlled electronically by the computer in the charge controller unit, via various relays - which also control emergency braking, over voltage protection etc.


The output voltage of the turbine is a function of wind speed and load. A battery bank will always load a turbine to battery voltage.  Therefore for grid-connect systems, the voltage will depend on grid-connection settings. The turbine power curve typically starts at around 200V, and at the maximum power, it should be producing around 300V, although open-circult, it will get up to around 400v.

Noise levels would be similar for both designs, as the blades and hub are the same in each case.

Ivan

[Ian]

Thanks Ivan. Sounds like it is worth a play.

How do I order one of these as the on-line shop does not allow for this tail-less design.

Are they in stock ?

Regards
Ian

[Ivan]

Hi Ian,

No, they are not in stock. We did have some a few weeks ago - I bought them in to see how difficult it would be to grid-tie them, but then decided it was easier to go with the tail version.

We have some tailed versions arriving in a few weeks time, but we can always order some tailed versions with the next shipment. In the last batch, the tail less version had a wind speed indicator built into the controller - which is quite nice!

Ivan