Sailboat Wind Power Generators

Wind-power generators are typically installed only on ocean-crossing vessels, where the vessel is away from the marina for extended periods of time and where there is a need for conserving onboard fuel.

The wind spins a blade attached to a generator that creates an AC electric current. The AC power is quickly converted to DC power using diodes and used to charge the batteries.

Wind turbines can get pretty innovative in their design and shape — all trying to pull as much energy from the moving air as possible. But with small wind turbines, there is not a lot of energy to pull. Manufacturers thus usually quote high wattage rates at high wind speeds which are not consistently realistic. For example, many quote their wattage rating at about 28 knots. But what happens if the wind drops to half of that to 14 knots or even 1/2 of that to 7 knots?

Wind power drops with the cube of the velocity, so a quoted 400-watt turbine will only produce 400/8 = 50 watts at 14 knots or 6 watts at 7 knots. That is not a lot.

Wind turbines have a big disadvantage of noise pollution to your neighbors.

A Wind Turbine