"Leon Fisk" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:48:36 +1200, grumpyoldhori
wrote:

Leon Fisk wrote:

How windy is it there? Could you maybe supplement the solar
with a small wind generator? You probably wouldn't need
anything elaborate for this.


Plenty of wind, but like the solar panel it comes
back to money, the routers are only NZ $100 now.
But, either solar or wind work out at around
$800-$1000 with controller and battery.

The wires are there and cost nothing.

I haven't tried this...

If all you are trying to do is charge a 12v battery why not
brew up your own wind generator. Maybe a small AC Delco self
energizing alternator and your own fan blade. I understand
that it doesn't take a whole lot to convert the Delco
alternators to self energizing. The toughest part in my mind
is coming up with some sort of fan/blade.

Look up "Savonius rotor" online. For anything less than 25 W or so, it makes
more sense than a regular turbine. A good Savonius is only about 12 - 15%
efficient but you aren't paying for wind. g And a Savonius doesn't have to
be aimed at the wind, so it's one heck of a lot simpler.

I built one that used an old permanent-magnet refrigerator fan motor
(actually the fan motor from the freezer compartment) for an alternator. The
rotor was less than two feet tall and it produced around 8 W in a modest
breeze. It was for a kid's science-class demo or I would have made it
waterproof. It's easy to do because bearings can be covered easily and don't
need seals.

--
Ed Huntress