Alternative campsite power source

[the evil twin]

Solar is the way to go,mount it on top of your pod hook up to your batteries bobs your uncle your done,just keep them clean and you shouldnt have any trouble

Yeah, but then you have to park in the Sun... and that really sucks over here in WA I can tell ya.

At one stage I was looking at the flexible solar panels that I could fix to the Camper roof but the Sun issue soon put that idea to bed.

Conversely the wind over here is really reliable and blows anywhere along the coast. Absolutely not saying Wind Power is suitable for everyone or even everyone in WA but it is a very serious alternative to Solar here.

Probably to the point that at least 1 in 3 of the semi permanent Campers have switched to Wind now.

[89GQ]

Hiya Roscoe...

Never a shortage of wind here in WA, Methane or otherwise eh... Biggest advantage is wind tends to be 24/7 whereas peak Solar is only about 4 hours a day stretch to 5 or 6 in middle of Summer at prime angle

Been eyeing off a VAT (Vertical Axis Turbine) setup for a while. Looks just like a roof ventilator if you haven't seen one. They are very very quiet compared to the Propellor jobbies and handle turbulence significantly better so can be setup lower to the ground and near trees etc or on a much smaller mast. Need slightly higher initial wind speeds but that isn't an issue here in WA. Pricing is similar to the traditional propellor style.

The biggest thing in a comparo to Solar is that a 50 Watt wind turbine is equivalent to about a 70 Watt Solar Panel as Solar Panels are rated at peak volts of between 18 to 21 not 12 Volts so to get 4 Amps like in this Jaycar version http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MG4570 you need a higher rated Solar panel.

I can't justify one ATM as I have poo poo loads of electricity from my battery capacity and 100 Watt Solar panels.

For someone who is yet to purchase (and IF you live/camp where there is a reasonable chance of breezes) then I reckon a VAT Wind Turbine is a serious contender.

WOW Never seen these, Would two of them do the job and would they run through a regulator like solars do. The good thing with these is you can be getting power 24hrs a day when winds up as it allways is where i fish, Now more lost sleep thinking which way to go.

[Sir Roofy]

That sounds like the go as well,being portable and your traveling about you would have to pack it up and stow it,as you would panels,(can see the issue with the sun)would there be a problem with vibration thruogh a pole mounted to the vehicle can u off set them to slow them down plus you would have to have them high enough not to walk in to it and the wieght would it be a couple kgs ?

[Sir Roofy]

wow never seen these, would two of them do the job and would they run through a regulator like solars do. The good thing with these is you can be getting power 24hrs a day when winds up as it allways is where i fish, now more lost sleep thinking which way to go.

well that answered my queiry thanks et

[the evil twin]

WOW Never seen these, Would two of them do the job and would they run through a regulator like solars do. The good thing with these is you can be getting power 24hrs a day when winds up as it allways is where i fish, Now more lost sleep thinking which way to go.

Hmmm lot of variables to consider but IMHO... and, what I do when I am 'touring' is I tend to home base the Camper and explore everywhere I can in all directions for several days rather than camp and move.

Sooo, if you Camp each night when there is no sun but theoretically your batteries are at full SOC then wind does really come into it's own.

If you home base it like I do then a 4 (50 Watt) Amp Wind generator only needs to produce for 10 hours in 24 to equal a 120 Watt Solar Array which is rated as 6.7 Amp peak current (call it 7 amongst friends). Just rough figures means you will get about 50 to 60 Watts from the Solar... if you are babysitting it to get max output thne maybe a little more... but in my case the array gets pointed North and then I am outa there.

[DX grunt]

Been eyeing off a VAT (Vertical Axis Turbine) setup for a while. Jaycar version http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=MG4570 you need a higher rated Solar panel.

For someone who is yet to purchase (and IF you live/camp where there is a reasonable chance of breezes) then I reckon a VAT Wind Turbine is a serious contender.

Hey ET.

Thanks. I saw them and wondered if it would be strong enough to power my fridge. They reckon you need a 120w solar panel to run my 95lt Evakool fridge. So I guess I'll need 2 VATs. Don't know if that's possible, so I'll email the manufacturer. This evolution might be cheaper than I originally thought. lol. Fingers crossed.

With 9 of my last 12 days on holidays down south wet and windy, I recon a couple of them could have been enough to power half of Perth. lol

Rossco

[Maxhead]

As I said, it all depending on the environment

Looks like you guys have the best of both worlds...


Good luck choosing mate

[YNOT]

Of course if you were to camp with Bigrig and Dhuck you would have enough methane to power a reasonable size gas fired power station.

Tony

[DX grunt]

Of course if you were to camp with Bigrig and Dhuck you would have enough methane to power a reasonable size gas fired power station.

Tony

Do they inhale all the oxygen and exhale the carbon dioxide when they snore? lol

[the evil twin]

Hey ET.

Thanks. I saw them and wondered if it would be strong enough to power my fridge. They reckon you need a 120w solar panel to run my 95lt Evakool fridge. So I guess I'll need 2 VATs. Don't know if that's possible, so I'll email the manufacturer. This evolution might be cheaper than I originally thought. lol. Fingers crossed.

With 9 of my last 12 days on holidays down south wet and windy, I recon a couple of them could have been enough to power half of Perth. lol

Rossco

I would be looking for a higher wattage single rather than running two... and as they are rated differently to Solar Panels I would suggest one about 75 Watts would be oodles for you.

As I said, it all depending on the environment

Looks like you guys have the best of both worlds...

ROFL... absolutely agree, Cobber... on both counts. Wind wouldn't be any good in my old stamping grounds in the NT tho so you are dead right about the environment