We’ve talked a lot about solar power on this blog over the years, and we’re big fans. We’ve got what for us is the ultimate RV solar panel system, and it has served us very well overall. But there’s no getting around the fact that the sun goes down every night, and that cloud Contact online >>
We’ve talked a lot about solar power on this blog over the years, and we’re big fans. We’ve got what for us is the ultimate RV solar panel system, and it has served us very well overall. But there’s no getting around the fact that the sun goes down every night, and that clouds, rain, trees, and other things that interfere with the sun happen regularly. We recently read about an innovative portable RV wind turbine, and it got us thinking – would a wind turbine be a good choice for RVers and campers?
An RV wind turbine is essentially a portable windmill that uses the power of the wind to generate electricity to power your RV’s devices and appliances when you’re off-grid.
An RV wind turbine is usually mounted on the roof of the RV, mounted to the RV ladder, or sometimes on a pole that stands independent of the rig (using either a hitch-mounted flag pole holder or one you can park the RV’s tire on).
A wind turbine has large blades that turn by the power of the wind. As the blades spin, the aerodynamic force of the rotor blades turns the generator, creating electricity. The faster the rotor blades spin, the more electricity is generated.
In theory, a wind turbine can power an RV. But in real-world practice, it’s not quite as smooth a process as one might think, simply because the amount of electricity generated by a wind turbine that’s small enough to be easily portable isn’t all that much… and is very much dependent on the weather. Depending on how much power you need to generate, and how cooperative the weather is, you could easily find yourself short on power.
The cool thing is that though the sun goes down at night, and thus doesn’t generate solar power, wind can continue through the night. This means a wind turbine can continue to generate electricity.
But because wind turbines only generate power when the wind is blowing, it’s important to connect an RV wind turbine to a battery bank to store that energy for later use. Some RV wind turbines plug directly into an RV house battery bank, however, it’s more efficient to connect the turbine to a charge controller just as we do with solar panels. This not only increases efficiency but also protects the battery bank. Many RV wind turbine systems include a charge controller for this reason.
Some (but not all) wind turbines can be combined with a solar power system, and there are combination kits available on the market that do exactly that. These are generally referred to as hybrid systems.
The greatest disadvantage of RV wind turbines is that a wind turbine generates no power at all unless the wind is blowing. And we’re not talking about a slight breeze here. Wind turbines typically require winds blowing at greater than 20 mph for maximum output.
However, it can be hard to enjoy camping in strong winds. Also, when using an RV wind turbine, you need to make sure there are no trees or other obstructions blocking the wind (though that’s less of a problem than trees blocking the sun for solar).
It’s also critical that the wind is blowing at just the right speed, and consistently so. And that’s something outside your control. But large gusts of wind not only aren’t helpful but can also shut the wind turbine system down (or, in the worst-case scenario, actually knock the system down).
So, generally speaking, RV wind turbines, while they’re capable of generating power with winds at around 10 mph, they require continuous winds of approximately 26-30 mph to generate electricity at their maximum rated capacity.
Wind turbines work best when situated high in the air, with no obstructions nearby to block the wind. Unfortunately, this essentially makes them a lightning rod near or above your RV. Tall pointy objects are the subject of most lightning strikes, as noted in our post “How Safe is an RV in a Lightning Storm?”… so having a wind turbine mounted on a pole nearby your RV is increasing this risk.
RV wind turbines are relatively inefficient, especially when compared with other off-grid power options like solar. This is because even given optimal wind speeds, a wind turbine produces less energy and is highly unlikely to fully power the devices and appliances in your RV.
Another problem is that wind turbines require a minimum wind speed, known as the “cut-in speed”, to generate any power at all. If the wind doesn’t reach the cut-in speed, no power is generated.
They also have a “cut-out speed” which is the fastest wind speed a given turbine can handle. Winds that blow faster than this speed risk damaging the wind turbine, and they also generate no additional electricity.
Another disadvantage of RV wind turbines is that every time you move to a new location – or move your rig at all – the wind turbine needs to be lowered or dismantled, and then set up again once you reach your next destination.
Some wind turbines can be quite noisy. The noise they make is often described as “whooshing” and/or “clicking”. If they’re mounted directly to your RV, they can also create vibrations that you’ll feel inside, which can be annoying to some.
With all of the above said about the cons to using wind to provide power for your RV, there are some upsides. Especially if you’re considering using one as an additional source of power above and beyond your other options (solar or generator). Or, if you have minimal power needs (recharging small portable electronics) and tend to camp in shady areas (bad for solar) with steady winds.
We don’t think wind power is ready to be considered as a complete solution for off-grid power generation, but it does provide an interesting option for augmenting your power needs in certain situations.
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