Hornet sc60 wind turbine on clear blades

nexsuperne · 05-29-13, 08:12 AM

I have recently fitted one of these to replace my 48 volt 1kw Futurenergy turbine. Results so far are better than the FE unit, even though the swept area is smaller (60 inches vs 72 inches). I think this is down to a non-furling tail and less cog resistance on the generator. There are 10 clear hornet polycarbonate blades on this, which eliminate shadow flicker completely. To stop them becoming a giant magnifying glass, a mist coat of grey primer spray paint was applied to the back of the blades. The SC60 has put out over a kilowatt in a 35mph wind, and because the turbine starts making power at just 60rpm, it makes some power in the 10mph winds. The SC60 is charging my 48 volt system and was chosen with the 10 blade hub as most of the time the wind is in the low speed 15-45mph range. It has been known to hit 75mph, but only in bad weather. I have a 'watts up' meter connected to it as a crude data logger. I will go down the usb pc monitoring route, as I already have the pc tracking all power use from the grid.
The manufacturer has had his turbine flying in 100mph+ winds with no problems. These are designed to spin the blades at 2000rpm, but the generator will run at 18,000 rpm!

Daox · 05-29-13, 09:28 AM

Do you have any pictures of the new turbine? Sounds like its working out quite well.

nexsuperne · 05-31-13, 01:57 PM

Turbine pictures.

This is mounted on my roof, which is a 3 storey building. One side has nothing in the way, as it is towards the river. In winter, when the solar output is low, the wind comes in from the river at anything from 15 mph to 75 mph. Spring winds are fairly constant at 25 mph. The rest of the time the solar makes way more per day, but then that's the beauty of a hybrid system. It is all supported on 2" scaffold tube with heavy duty rubber naval engine mounts, which make a huge improvement to the generator cogging noise that would normally be transmitted through the structure.

Daox · 05-31-13, 02:33 PM

Looks really cool haha.

How much power does the turbine normally make in ~25 mph winds?

nexsuperne · 05-31-13, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox

Looks really cool haha.

How much power does the turbine normally make in ~25 mph winds?

Roughly 800 watts

gasstingy · 06-06-13, 08:02 AM

Looks great, thanks for mentioning the rubber mount(s) keeping the vibration noises low inside the structure. I was curious about that.

I live in an area with poor wind resource, but if we had the wind resource, I'm sure something like this could easily be done after about 5 years of arguing with the naysayers for permission to do something as extreme as this.

Ryland · 06-06-13, 08:46 AM

Average wind speed in the United States is 11mph a good site is 13mph.

Swept area is the collector size because once the turbine is spinning moving air doesn't sneak between the blades, it just goes around them if there is to much energy being extracted.
The advantage of more blades is higher torque in low wind for things like pumping water.

If you removed half of your blades I'm pretty sure you'd see your power output increase.

Mobile Master Tech · 06-06-13, 01:10 PM

Can you give us some pics, details and sources for your naval mounts? Sounds like a great way to eliminate the noise problems with a structure mounted generator.

nexsuperne · 06-12-13, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ryland

Average wind speed in the United States is 11mph a good site is 13mph.

Swept area is the collector size because once the turbine is spinning moving air doesn't sneak between the blades, it just goes around them if there is to much energy being extracted.
The advantage of more blades is higher torque in low wind for things like pumping water.

If you removed half of your blades I'm pretty sure you'd see your power output increase.

I will try that tomorrow. I can run either 2,5 or 10 blades with this hub and still maintain balance.

Mobile Master Tech · 06-13-13, 08:53 AM

Wax those clear plastic blades with automotive wax/protectant like Meguiar's Gold Class to keep them looking like that. Most people don't realize that car wheels and plastic lenses need UV and surface protection just like the paint does. Ever notice how many cars with plastic headlights have fogged/yellowed lenses?

05-29-13, 08:12 AM	#1
nexsuperne Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: 30 miles east of London, UK Posts: 88 Thanks: 12 Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts	Hornet sc60 wind turbine on clear blades I have recently fitted one of these to replace my 48 volt 1kw Futurenergy turbine. Results so far are better than the FE unit, even though the swept area is smaller (60 inches vs 72 inches). I think this is down to a non-furling tail and less cog resistance on the generator. There are 10 clear hornet polycarbonate blades on this, which eliminate shadow flicker completely. To stop them becoming a giant magnifying glass, a mist coat of grey primer spray paint was applied to the back of the blades. The SC60 has put out over a kilowatt in a 35mph wind, and because the turbine starts making power at just 60rpm, it makes some power in the 10mph winds. The SC60 is charging my 48 volt system and was chosen with the 10 blade hub as most of the time the wind is in the low speed 15-45mph range. It has been known to hit 75mph, but only in bad weather. I have a 'watts up' meter connected to it as a crude data logger. I will go down the usb pc monitoring route, as I already have the pc tracking all power use from the grid. The manufacturer has had his turbine flying in 100mph+ winds with no problems. These are designed to spin the blades at 2000rpm, but the generator will run at 18,000 rpm!

05-29-13, 09:28 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Do you have any pictures of the new turbine? Sounds like its working out quite well. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

05-31-13, 01:57 PM	#3
nexsuperne Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: 30 miles east of London, UK Posts: 88 Thanks: 12 Thanked 19 Times in 18 Posts	Clear blade pictures Turbine pictures. This is mounted on my roof, which is a 3 storey building. One side has nothing in the way, as it is towards the river. In winter, when the solar output is low, the wind comes in from the river at anything from 15 mph to 75 mph. Spring winds are fairly constant at 25 mph. The rest of the time the solar makes way more per day, but then that's the beauty of a hybrid system. It is all supported on 2" scaffold tube with heavy duty rubber naval engine mounts, which make a huge improvement to the generator cogging noise that would normally be transmitted through the structure. Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Daox; 05-31-13 at 02:12 PM..

05-31-13, 02:33 PM	#4
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Looks really cool haha. How much power does the turbine normally make in ~25 mph winds? __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

06-06-13, 01:10 PM	#8
Mobile Master Tech Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2012 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 142 Thanks: 38 Thanked 41 Times in 34 Posts	Can you give us some pics, details and sources for your naval mounts? Sounds like a great way to eliminate the noise problems with a structure mounted generator. __________________ "I‘d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don‘t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison, 1847 — 1931

06-06-13, 08:02 AM	#6
gasstingy Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Arab, AL Posts: 491 Thanks: 109 Thanked 49 Times in 43 Posts	Looks great, thanks for mentioning the rubber mount(s) keeping the vibration noises low inside the structure. I was curious about that. I live in an area with poor wind resource, but if we had the wind resource, I'm sure something like this could easily be done after about 5 years of arguing with the naysayers for permission to do something as extreme as this.

06-06-13, 08:46 AM	#7
Ryland Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Western Wisconsin. Posts: 913 Thanks: 127 Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts	Average wind speed in the United States is 11mph a good site is 13mph. Swept area is the collector size because once the turbine is spinning moving air doesn't sneak between the blades, it just goes around them if there is to much energy being extracted. The advantage of more blades is higher torque in low wind for things like pumping water. If you removed half of your blades I'm pretty sure you'd see your power output increase.

06-13-13, 08:53 AM	#10
Mobile Master Tech Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: May 2012 Location: Atlanta, Ga Posts: 142 Thanks: 38 Thanked 41 Times in 34 Posts	Wax those clear plastic blades with automotive wax/protectant like Meguiar's Gold Class to keep them looking like that. Most people don't realize that car wheels and plastic lenses need UV and surface protection just like the paint does. Ever notice how many cars with plastic headlights have fogged/yellowed lenses? __________________ "I‘d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don‘t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." Thomas Edison, 1847 — 1931