wind turbine on sailboat

Sailboat Wind Generators: The Ultimate Guide 2024

Sailboat wind generators are a way to capture the energy of the wind and use it to charge your batteries and power electronics aboard your vessel.

A large part of the appeal of living on a sailboat, for many people, is being more or less self-sufficient – using the wind for propulsion, and the elements to generate all the power you need.

Solar panels are a wonderful technology, literally magic, but the sun doesn’t shine every day. In fact, of the most popular cruising grounds in the world aren’t even that sunny. It rains three to four days a week in Barbados or Antigua, for example (don’t even get us started on the English Channel).

And what about night sailing – keeping critical loads like autopilots and instruments online after the sun goes down?

A marine wind generator fills in those vital gaps in the energy picture, and eliminates the need to generate or run the engines to keep your electronics online.

In this expert guide we take a deep dive into sailboat wind generators, covering everything you need to know – from how they work through to the very latest technological advances.

With thousands and thousands of miles under the keel, we have lived off-grid using technologies just like this for almost a decade now. We’ve rewired more boats than anyone should ever have to. We’re marine electronics nerds, basically, and specifically very passionate about renewables like wind and solar.

That’s why we couldn’t wait to write about this topic, and why you’ve got a good 4000 words on it! Sorry about that! But feel free to skip and just read the information you’re interested in, we don’t blame you!

So, let’s take a close look at sailboat wind generators, how they work, what makes a good one, the best sailboat wind generators that we think deserve a place on your next nautical expedition.

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Table of Contents

The best sailboat wind generators – best budget choice, the best sailboat wind generators – best overall, what is a sailboat wind generator, why install a wind generator on a sailboat, wind generators vs solar power.

• What is a dump load on a marine wind generator ?
• Marine wind generators vs hydro generators

Our top budget choice: Nature Power 500

If you are in the US, the choice for the best budget marine wind generator is easy – it’s this guy , the Nature Power 500, which West Marine have sold for donkey’s years with eternally solid reviews.

It’s a 500-watt turbine that is natively compatible with both 12V and 24VDC systems. It’s made from marine-grade aluminium that’s also coated in a thick, durable coating to help it withstand years at sea.

This wind generator is rated for winds up to 110mph – well into hurricane territory – and it comes as a complete kit including a charge controller using the latest MPPT technology. The controller even has an electronic brake, even though it’s a manual one.

Honestly, this is just a lot of value for the ~$700 they’re asking, and very easy to recommend for the best budget sailboat wind generator.

We don’t massively recommend most of the budget options on Amazon for extended cruising – they’re just not built for the task. But if it’s all your budget will stretch to, something like a Pikasola 400 would be the best bet for a sailboat wind generator under $500.

Readers in the UK or Europe could look at something like a Rutl and 914i . You’ll pay a little more, around £850, but a Rutland is a proper piece of kit – they’re been manufacturing marine wind generators since the 1970’s, long before solar panels were even seen on pleasure yachts.

The 914i will produce about 260 watts in 30 knots of breeze, or 20+ amps into a 12-volt battery. In a hurricane it’ll make over 400 watts.

This is a genuine marine wind turbine built from quality parts and specifically designed for the aggressive saltwater environment. It comes with very few compromises, from the bundled MPPT tracker to its extremely quiet operation.

The charge controller supports a small solar panel as well, which is sort of nice – but we’d highly recommend using a top-quality, stand-alone MPPT charge controller for any solar panels if you can possibly afford it.   

If you are in Europe, or can import, we think the Silentwind Pro is probably the best sailboat wind generator you can buy right now. This is with the caveat that while we’ve seen these installed on lots of different yachts, talked to multiple long-term owners, and even handled one out of the box, we’ve never actually owned one.

That’s because they start at about €2,100, which is a considerable sum for a 420w wind generator. But what you do get is an incredibly refined package – one that picks up and starts generating with as little as four knots of breeze, and remains whisper-quiet right up into the high RPMs.

The Silentwind Pro uses hand-laminated carbon blades that are rated to withstand hurricane-speed winds, but that are also highly efficient across the curve. This is definitely one of the most engineered solutions on the market today.

The polished package is rounded out by features like an automatic electronic brake that kicks in if the wind exceeds a certain speed. Cheaper options may have an electronic brake but it generally has to be tripped manually by the crew.

Models without an electronic brake of any kind are frankly dangerous, because you have to lasso them to stop them – which is how the gentleman broke his arm, and wind generator, in the earlier example.

Other than Silent Wind, there are a few slightly cheaper options that are still very good. For readers in the US, one option made locally is the Air Silent X made by Primus Wind Power. We don’t have as much experience with these, but we have met a couple of happy owners and have heard similar things to Silentwind.

Primus claim they have the bestselling wind turbines anywhere in the world; we’re not sure about that given that Marlec / Rutland have been around nearly two decades longer, but either way their site states they’ve sold more than 150,000 wind generators since ’95, into over a hundred countries.

Primus make six different models at different price points that are all potentially worthy of consideration, but the Air X Silent or Air Breeze are both solid choices.

Rutland wind generators also remain easy to recommend across the board, particularly to readers in the UK and Europe, and a premium option would be something like a Rutland 1200 .

At around £1,500, or $1900, the Rutland 1200 can produce up to 480W flat out, and will hit 300W in only 20 knots or so of breeze. It’s a proper marinized unit built to withstand the rigours of life at sea, and that should provide years of low-maintenance service.

A sailboat wind generator, also known as a marine wind turbine or wind charger, is a device for capturing wind energy and turning it into electricity.

Sailboat wind generators typically have 3 or more long, aerodynamic rotor blades attached to a central hub. The blades translate wind energy into rotational force and spin the hub, sometimes at near-supersonic speeds .

The hub is attached to an electrical generator – a lot like the alternator on an engine – that generates electricity as it spins.

A wind turbine is an electrical fan operating in reverse. The fan takes electricity and uses it to spin a motor, attached to a hub and some blades, creating wind.

A wind turbine takes wind energy and uses it to spin a hub attached to generator, creating electricity.

You can actually just spin any DC motor to generate electricity , but it helps a lot if you pick one that generates the flavour of electricity you’re after.

Brushed motors are appropriate for generating DC, whereas a brushless motor is better suited to AC voltage applications.

A handful of marine wind turbines, mostly older ones, do use a brushed motor set up to produce a voltage that can directly charge a 12 volt or 24-volt battery.

Brushed motors are called that because they literally have a core of metal brushes that drags along inside outer, magnetic stator. Those brushes wear out over time and need to be replaced. They’re in something like a starter motor that works intermittently, but putting them in wind generators was always a bad idea.

They’re also noisy – which is a major consideration in a device that is going to run overnight, above your head, while you sleep, every night.

Brushless motors have so many advantages over brushed, from their efficiency to their lifespan to their reduced mechanical noise. As such, most wind generators produce AC electricity and then rectify it to DC at the regulator in order to charge the battery bank.

This means you will normally have three wires leading from the wind generator on your sailboat to the charge controller. It also means you definitely don’t want to connect those wires, carrying AC electric, to your DC battery bank, without passing them through the charge controller first.

Wind generators offer a lot of advantages – notably the ability to work day and night, and in both sunny and stormy weather.

Solar panels are great, but they only work during the day – and on sunny days, at that. They’re also affected a lot by the seasons, because in winter there are both less hours of daylight, and the sun is lower in the sky, its rays have to travel further and they strike the panel at an oblique angle. And, it’s cloudy or rainy nearly every day.

Regardless of season, as we’ve explored earlier in this guide, some of the most popular sailing destinations don’t actually have reliable sunshine – but all of them have reliable wind.

Not so with sailboat wind turbines, which work just as well on sunny days as stormy. They often generate even more power in winter, on days when solar might be producing at 10% or less.

This effect makes wind generators a big enabling technology for grey-weather sailing, from extending your sailing on into the “shoulder season” and benefitting from empty bays and anchorages, to exploring unconventional cruising grounds such as the Scandinavian fjords.

Besides stormy and overcast days, wind generators will keep on producing at night. This is particularly helpful when night sailing with the radar, AIS and full nav suite running, maybe plus an autopilot, and then all your domestic loads like your fridge and freezer. Even if you’re just at anchor, it’s nice to wake up with topped-off batteries every morning.

This doesn’t apply if you have a modern boat with ample battery storage, but when we were just getting started in sailing, we would frequently have half-flat batteries by morning.

Not only does this shorten the life of the bank, it occasionally even meant we struggled to pick up the hook in the morning – which is a bit of a safety hazard. Again, this is mitigated by wind.

None of this is to say that you should ditch solar power for wind. Solar power has many wonderful properties, explored below, and the two technologies actually complement each other very well. If you have a large enough vessel, we fully recommend you try to integrate both into your power plan.

Wind and solar are both very useful technologies to the cruising sailor, each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Their pros and cons in fact offset each other and synergise quite nicely, compensating for each other’s weaknesses.

As such, we’d argue it’s less about deciding which is better, and more about figuring out whether you can incorporate both into your power plan somehow.

Nonetheless, let’s have a look at how solar power and wind generators compare and contrast, and some of the pros and cons of each technology.

Advantages of solar power vs wind power

Solar power’s major advantage over wind is that it’s “solid state”. This means it has no moving parts to wear out, and requires almost no maintenance.

In fact, solar panels will generally sit and faithfully do their thing decade after decade with almost zero human interaction. A common standard nowadays is for panels to retain 90% of their producing power after 20 years .  

There’s a 10kW solar array in Switzerland that’s been feeding directly into the grid since 1982; it’s over 40 years old and going strong.

Solar panels benefit from wiping down once or twice a year, but other than that, they’re a totally set-and-forget technology.

Many sailing destinations have ample sunshine, with long hours of direct sun throughout the sailing season.

Solar is also cheap and plentiful nowadays, and panels come in all shapes and sizes that can fit almost anywhere on a yacht – including a handful of solar panels you can walk on, although those are not cheap.

Overall, though, solar is much cheaper than wind watt-for-watt. You might pay $0.50 per watt for a good rigid polycrystalline solar panel and charge controller. A wind generator may well run to $2000 for 400w – that’s $5 per watt, up to ten times more expensive. And the wind generator has moving parts that can require replacement.

Another often overlooked advantage of solar panels is that their solid-state nature makes them very safe – there are no moving parts to catch a finger in, or spinning blades that could strike a member of the crew. They just sit and silently do their thing, year after year.

Disadvantages of solar power vs wind power

Solar only works when the sun shines. The sun, as we’ve pointed out earlier, doesn’t always shine. You might be surprised by how cloudy places like the Caribbean can be – some islands have rain up to 50% of the time.

Some popular sailing destinations, like the English Channel, average about two hours of sunshine per day, with rain or overcast skies on 75% of days annually ( no, seriously ).

There’s always night sailing, as well. If you’re night-sailing, you may well have tools like radar and AIS running for safety, plus other loads like an autopilot and anything like fridges and freezers running below.

If you only have solar power, and no wind, you may have to run the engine to make it through the night – or invest in a large battery bank that can keep up until morning.

Marine wind generators are an excellent way to bridge the gap. It can be windy at any time of the day or night, and very often the cloudy or stormy days are the windiest. It’s only sunny during the day, and only some days, so this is a major disadvantage of solar power when compared to wind.

Another disadvantage of solar panels is that they lose power quite dramatically when shaded, and sailboats unfortunately have a lot of tall, shade-casting objects. These include the mast, the boom, the sails and anything like radar or Starlink dishes .

Somewhat paradoxically, solar panels also lose power as they get hot in the sun, meaning the normal, everyday conditions in many exotic destinations can actually reduce their efficiency by double-digit percentages. They are happiest somewhere cold with lots of sun, like on top of a mountain – not in the tropics.

Advantages of wind power over solar power

The wind doesn’t rise and set like the sun – it can blow around the clock. Okay, technically, the sun rising and setting down does change the temperature and create all the wind on earth.

But the wind often continues after the sun goes down. In fact, when you’re on a boat, on the water next to land, the wind usually just reverses at night .  

It’s often windy on the water on sunny days because all wind is caused by pressure flowing from high to low, and the main source of those differing areas of pressure is heat from the sun – particularly, say, where the adjacent land and water heat up at different rates.

That’s how wind is made on sunny days. But it’s often windy on non-sunny days, too, because it’s just about air rushing between those areas of high and low pressure, hot and cold air. As such, cold fronts can bring wind too.

This makes wind somewhat more of an always-on technology than solar – especially in the places that sailing boats are found. There is usually wind offshore, and often in the anchorages too as it rolls off the hills . In some parts of the world, such as those affected by the Greek Meltemi , it blows straight 30’s weeks on end.

Overall, sailing boats are just usually found in places with abundant wind energy, so there’s a lot of synergy between sailing boats and wind generators. And we’ve pointed out, many exotic sailing destinations in the world have more wind than sun, and that’s before we get started on sailing somewhere like Scandinavia.

A wind generator has a small footprint compared to a solar panel, although it does need a large exclusion zone around it for safety. Wind generators are sometimes mounted up the mast, but we don’t generally advise putting a large, pendulum-like weight at the end of a 50-foot-long lever arm if you can avoid it as it may negatively impact the motion of your boat.

Disadvantages of wind vs solar power

Wind generators do have some drawbacks compared to solar. The obvious one is that they have moving parts, which both present a hazard to the crew and require replacement or regular maintenance.  

The worst-case scenario is a crewmember being struck by the blades. The tips of something like a Silentwind Pro can spin nearly a hundred times a second and get close to breaking the sound barrier.

Here’s an example of where someone accidentally clipped their arm on a sailboat wind generator and it both shattered their arm and sent the turbine blade flying across the cockpit. The author notes that they had also seen the wind generator explode a seagull prior to this incident.

Much of this is mitigated by putting the wind generator outboard and features like electronic brakes, so you don’t need to stop it with your right ulna as the gentleman above did. The upshot is that wind turbines are dangerous in a way that solar panels are not.

The constant motion also generates wear and tear. It used to be worse, back when we used brushed DC motors – but the bearings in brushless motors do eventually wear out too, and they benefit from regular greasing a bit like your winches. It’s just an extra thing to maintain.

It can be too windy for wind generators, too. It can’t be too sunny for solar panels (although it can be too hot). Many modern, top-end marine wind turbines have that electronic brake built in to compensate for this, but you still have to shut down and stop producing when it blows a gale.

Another disadvantage of wind is that it’s really expensive compared to solar on a watt-for-watt basis. Good polycrystalline panels paired with a brand-name MPPT controller might come to $0.50 a watt at the time of writing, while a leading wind generator works out at $5.00 per watt.

This is compounded by the fact that wind does often produce on quite a concave power curve. That is to say, you need a fair amount of wind to produce anything at all, and probably need gusts into the 30-knot range to start to see your rated wattage.

Another often-overlooked point is that if you’re sailing downwind, you are robbing the wind generator of air. If you are sailing downwind in 15kts of breeze, making 7kts, the apparent wind speed at the generator is only 8kts – which might not even be enough to start generating.

Finally, wind generators can be noisy. Again, brushless motors have helped with this significantly, but there is still the rushing of the air over the blades, and any eccentricity in the bearings or blades will send maddening, resonant tremors down the pole and directly into your sleeping quarters at all hours of the night.

The latest wind generators make use of things like acoustic decoupling, a fancy term for having a rubber dampener between the end of the pole and the deck, to mitigate this.

What is a dump load on a wind generator?

A dump load , also called a dummy load or diversion load, is something used in wind power to get rid of excess power when the batteries are fully charged.

One of the small downsides of a power source that runs night and day is the potential to oversupply electricity and overcharge the battery bank.

As an electrical generator supplies more and more power, it gets stiffer and stiffer to turn. The power has to come from somewhere, and it’s felt as resistance – producing a braking effect.

If you suddenly take that braking effect away by disconnecting the battery bank, the wind turbine will start spinning at very high speed, causing anything from rapid and excessive wear on the bearings through to a catastrophic failure where the blades shear off at supersonic speeds.

In order to prevent this from happening, the charge controller has the option to switch between charging the battery and supplying power to a dump load .

The dump load can simply be a big resistor. It will heat up as the wind generator spins on, and safely apply a brake to it by literally just wasting power as heat.

You can probably guess where this is going. Another option is to use an element specifically designed to heat up, and use it to heat water. You can easily buy DC immersion water heater elements for $20-30 , connect them in the place of the dump resistor and use them to make hot water with the excess power instead.   

We’ve often daydreamed about using it to make ice or run a teeny tiny aircon unit as well.

Some of the top-end sailboat wind generators will automatically apply an electronic brake and safely stop the blades when the bank is full, and it varies from model to model whether they simply have that as an option, or it replaces the dump load entirely (including useful ones, like making hot water).  

Do not be tempted to use the dump load to charge a second battery, such as a starter battery, when the first bank is full. If you do, you will encounter problems once the second battery is full and the turbine starts to freewheel.

If you do want to charge several banks at once, or one after the other, you want a split charger connected to the main charging output instead, and a highly resistive load that can run indefinitely on the dump load output.

Marine wind generators vs hydro generators  

Hydro generators are another way of capturing the energy of the wind and turning it into electricity. But instead of capturing the flow of air, a hydro generator is dragged through the water behind a boat under sail.  

The elephant in the room here is that a hydro generator is only going to work when the boat is in motion. A wind generator, on the other hand, keeps on producing while you swing around at anchor.

The average cruiser spends around 90% of their time either at anchor, on a mooring ball, on town quays, or in marinas. This is because the everyday business of cruising is not so much about sailing as it is about fixing the boat, going ashore for provisions or parts, waiting for a weather window, or exploring the place you sailed to, socialising with the other yachties you just met, barbecuing on the deck, and so forth.

The wind generator works through all of that, night and day; the hydro generator only a fraction.

So why does anyone use hydro generators at all, then?

The answer lies in the fact that a traditional trade-wind circumnavigation, by far the most popular way to “sail around the world”, is almost all downwind .

As a result, you are often “running away” from the wind when you sail around the world, which has the effect of subtracting your speed from the true wind speed and deducting that much power from your wind generator.

Thus, if you want to sail around the world on say, a performance catamaran, it might make sense to drag a generator behind the boat instead of in the air. That way, its performance is tied to your boat’s speed through the water rather than the apparent wind.

An adjacent use-case to this is people who “sail around the world” in the sense of not stopping, or stopping very little. Someone sailing non-stop downwind around the world, particularly on any kind of record attempt, would probably get a lot more of out of a hydro generator.

Another place hydro generators are seen is in the regenerative systems of systems like Oceanvolt . In these sophisticated systems, the propellors of the boat itself work as hydro generators by spinning and capturing energy as they’re dragged through the water under sail.

This feature is even starting to show up on electric outboards, such as the ePropulsion Navy series.

In summary, wind generators are the most practical choice for the average cruiser, multi-year circumnavigator or liveaboard sailor. Unless you love sailing so much that desperately want to go and tack around for four hours to charge your batteries – in which case, more power to you.

Wind generators can form an incredibly useful part of the renewable energy mix on board a sailboat.

While wind power on a sailboat works out many times more expensive than solar power, watt-for-watt, it makes up for this by generating power day and night – and often making even more power at times when solar falters, such as during storms.

Cruising sailboats that only have solar power will be forced to generate or motor if it’s cloudy for days on end, something that happens at least once or twice a month somewhere like the Caribbean.

Solar, naturally, doesn’t produce at night either, so if you have a lot of electrical loads running overnight your battery bank can take a beating.

A common example of where you might get caught out is night sailing with the autopilot, radar, AIS and instruments all running, in addition to your regular loads like the fridge.

Wind generators might usually be sized to produce less than a solar array because of cost, space and weight considerations, but they have the potential to run all day and night and in any kind of weather, and as such they often punch above their weight in terms of the overall energy generation picture.

Electrical loads might slow down a little overnight, as the crew sleep and lower temperatures mean fridges and freezers don’t work as hard, but it’s not uncommon for the overnight draw on a sailboat to be 8-10 amps or more. It adds up, by morning. 

Wind represents an excellent bridging technology for nights and extended cloudy spells, naturally producing the most when solar fails – such as during storms. 

A sailboat wind generator is most effective when paired with solar and a good lithium battery bank , allowing you to generate in all conditions. day and night; and to store and retrieve that energy efficiently even at high currents. 

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Better Sailing

Best Marine Wind Turbine Generators For Boats

Unless you are happy burning endless amounts of fuel, a marine wind turbine is an essential item fr an offshore cruising sailboat. In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the best wind generators for your boat.

Today’s cruisers carry so much electrical equipment that wind turbines, solar PV arrays, and hydro-generators are becoming more and more common. The marine wind turbine has been around for several decades now and has gradually been refined to give a much higher degree of efficiency. Better alternators, CAD-designed blades, life-sealed bearings, and smart charge controllers make the latest devices more reliable, quieter, and safer.

Things To Consider When Shopping For a Marine Wind Generator

Horizontal axis vs. vertical axis wind turbine.

The majority of marine wind turbines are horizontal axis devices, either upwind or downwind driven. These are powerful and, as such, need speed and/or charge output limiters, or they can burn out the batteries and self-destruct in storm-force winds. Vertical axis turbines are more suited to trickle charging – usually connected to one or two batteries up to 200Ah capacity. The blade design means they are unidirectional and thus have no need for a bulky tail fin to point them into the wind. They are also considerably quieter than most horizontal turbines and much easier to mount and install.

What Blade Design Should Your Wind Generator Have?

Modern turbines usually sport a one-piece, cast aluminum body and, commonly, three aerodynamically designed plastic/composite blades. One of the first of these models, the original Air-X, worked exceptionally well, particularly in high winds. However, it was so noisy that neighboring boats frequently complained, leaving the owner the option of turning it off or moving well away from other boats. Since then, CAD-inspired blade design has significantly helped to reduce ambient noise levels, although none could be termed silent.

Once your battery bank is fully charged, additional energy from the turbine needs to be dissipated, or the turbine stopped. Low power vertical-axis models don’t usually produce enough to warrant fitting a regulator, but the more powerful models all need some form of charge limiter to prevent overcharging. The simplest form of regulation is to switch it off when no further charge is needed. If you electrically disconnect the turbine, however, it can either damage the alternator diodes or carry on spinning at an even higher speed, so most are electrically ‘braked’ by shorting out their output wires, and a high-current switch is usually provided for this action.

If you leave a turbine running unattended, you’ll need an automatic regulator, and there are two systems commonly available. The first lets the turbine continue to spin and produce power, diverting any that isn’t needed into ‘dump’ resistors to burn off the excess as heat. While effective, it is pretty rudimentary, and you have to be careful where you mount the bulky resistors, which can get quite hot. Alternatively, some use this unwanted charge to pre-heat the hot water tank via an immersed element. Other turbines incorporate ‘pitch control’, comprising feathering blades that either flatten out or turn edge into the wind to regulate turning speed at high wind speeds.

Charge Controllers

A variety of automatic charge controllers are available, some more sophisticated than others, and you don’t necessarily need to use one from the same manufacturer unless it specifically states that you must. A basic model has a voltage-sensitive on/off switch that will trigger at a pre-set threshold battery voltage. The more useful controllers have a built-in display for monitoring turbine output and battery condition. Some can also accept and distribute charge from other sources, such as solar or hydro generation.

>>Also Read: Best Portable Boat Generators

Here Are Some Of The Best Best Marine Wind Turbine Generators For Sailboats

Auecoor solar wind hybrid system – best marine wind turbine generator on amazon.

The Auecoor Solar Wind Hybrid System is the best system to hook your boat/sailboat with. It is a hybrid system that utilizes both solar and wind power generation. This system is highly efficient, it is designed to withstand heavy wind loads, and it is ready to install on a boat/sailboat. They also produce many models to serve your needs, from 500 Watts all the way up to 2000 Watts in optimal weather conditions. 

All models come with a 400-Watt wind turbine generator, and then you can add as many 120-Watt high-conversion, waterproof and flexible solar panels as you need. This unit is also pretty easy to install. The solar panels are easy to transport, and they come with pre-drilled holes for easy installation. This is my personal favorite kind of setup and the one that I believe is the best for any serious boater. It provides 2 renewable sources of power that guarantee that whether you are making a passage or liveaboard in a nice beach somewhere, you will have dependable power as if you were living connected to the grid.

Air Breeze 200

Although the latest generation Air Breeze, made by Primus Windpower, provides an increased charge output, it is also quieter and should apparently outlast its predecessors. Its low start-up speed (4.2kn) means that, on average, it should be able to produce more energy than some higher-rated turbines over long periods of low-to-moderate wind speeds. Though it only has a maximum output of 200W, its output has been optimized to provide a more constant charge in typical northern European and Mediterranean wind conditions. The new Air Breeze weighs less than 6kg and has an integral electronic charge controller and over-speed regulator, rendering bulky dump resistors unnecessary and making installation considerably quicker and easier.

Leading Edge LE-300 or LE-450

A UK company, Leading Edge supplies wind turbines for both marine and terrestrial installation. The LE-300 and LE-450 are available in 12V, 24V, and 48V versions and are remarkably light, making them ideal for sailing yachts. The output is DC via two wires, and a run/stop switch is supplied that breaks the turbine by shorting the output. The units can also be supplied with charge controllers, a dump load style regulator that allows you to leave the turbine on 24/7 without the batteries overcharging. The three-bladed LE-300 is very light (6kg) and one of the quietest of the three-bladed models. However, its output is poor for a horizontal-axis turbine, although it starts spinning in the gentlest breeze. The five-bladed LE-450 is more powerful (105W at 15-knots) while remaining quiet and stable. Another great feature of this wind turbine is that it is the quietest marine wind generator tested.

Rutland 1200

The latest in the Rutland wind turbine line up, the 1200, is Marlec’s answer to the third generation three-blade, permanent magnet turbine models. More powerful than the 914i, it features a ‘Tri-namic’ blade design, which is said to provide a low start-up speed, very quiet running, and more power towards the top end of the wind scale. With a claimed peak production of 483W (that’s 35.5A at 12V) in 29 knots of wind, the 1200 can also supply a very useful 40W of power in just 10 knots of wind – a more realistic average in most waters.

The 1200’s charge controller has dual outputs for two separate battery banks and can accept up to a 20A solar PV supply. It reduces the turbine speed automatically after winds reach 30 knots, regulating the charge without using dump resistors. It also has an integral start/stop switch and can support a remote display, which connects to the controller via a simple Ethernet cable.

Eco-Worthy Wind Solar Power Kit

What can I say? I just love a good wind-solar hybrid power generator. With this kind of setup, you won’t have any problem charging a 12V or 24V battery bank with this hybrid system throughout the day, in any weather condition. The Eco-Worthy Wind Solar Power Hybrid generator can guarantee enough power for you to remain comfortable on your boat and operate any appliance you need and enjoy your time on the boat. You can purchase any model that fits our needs starting from 400 Watts all the way up to 1,400 Watts. However, always buy a generator that has a higher power output than you think you will need because you almost always won’t be in optimal climate conditions.

The blades on this German-built device are very steeply pitched towards the hub, resulting in an early start-up in lighter airs, and they also incorporate tiny fins along their length, said to quieten them at high speed. The blades have a kinetic rotor pitch control system designed to feather them in very high winds, not unlike the large terrestrial wind turbines. With a charge controller in the circuit, the turbine can therefore be left spinning in all weathers without worry. The output is two-wire 12V or 24V DC, so it could, in theory, be directly connected to a battery bank.

It can also be used with a simple short-circuit stop switch, which will slow it down enough to be tied off. The Superwind 350 can also be supplied with a 40A SCR Marine charge controller, which has two independent, diode-isolated outputs for start and service battery banks and dissipates unwanted energy via two large, wire-wound dump resistors. Nominal power is 350W at 25 knots.

Silentwind 400 Wind Generator

As fitted to all boats in the Volvo Ocean Race and featuring ‘Silent Power Blades’ – hand-laminated carbon blades, successfully tested at hurricane speeds – the latest Silentwind 400+ has improved wind tracking and earlier start-up than its predecessor, the 400. Featuring aerodynamics combined with a three-phase Neodymium-Iron-Boron permanent magnet generator, the 400+ is said to have a start-up speed of only 4.3 knots and a peak output of 420W at 30 percent less rotation speed than other 400W generators. 12V, 24V, and 48V models are available.

The Silentwind has a 3-wire AC output, which connects directly to the matching hybrid multi-stage charge controller that enables trickle charging and the connection of up to 20A of solar PV power. An adjustable boost function increases performance and optimizes the power yield, while the LCD displays all the important charge information. When the batteries are fully charged, the turbine automatically stops or switches to trickle charge mode with a significant reduction in rotation speed. It can also be stopped (braked) manually with the built-in switch on the controller.

Rutland 504 Wind Marine Generator

The Rutland 504 is a small and lightweight (just 3.5kg) mini-horizontal turbine from the UK off-grid power specialist, Marlec. The earlier model (503) has proven to be extremely popular over the years, in both the small leisure craft market and in commercial applications such as remote street lighting and signage, buoy lights, ATON power, etc., and the 504 should prove equally so. Like its predecessor, it is very compact, and its blades are ‘encapsulated’ – i.e., they have a protective ring around them to prevent limbs and clothing from getting caught up in the blades. Its output is better than that of the vertical-axis turbines but nowhere near the more powerful generators listed above. It is, however, notably quieter.

Typical output is around 15 knots of wind is 12W (1A @ 12V), doubling to 24W/2A at 20 knots. It also has a lower start-up speed than the vertical turbines and, although it takes around 10 knots of wind to provide any useful charge, its low-friction alternator compensates for the gusts by ‘smoothing out’ its output. The 504 does require a charge controller if it is to be left unattended.

 Leading Edge Vertical Wind Turbine

The LE-V50 and V150 vertical axis turbines are compact, lightweight, and virtually silent. The V50 measures 270mm dia x 456mm high and is intended for trickle-charging batteries or for running low-power devices. Available in 12V, 24V, or 48V versions, it has a nominal output of 12W but a peak of 70W. In typical waters, this results in an average charge of 0.5-1.0A @ 12Vdc in a fresh breeze. The bigger V150 model has a peak output of 200W but a more typical rating of 24W in wind speeds of 15 knots – double that of the V50. 

Leading Edge wind turbines were originally designed to generate power for industrial data monitoring equipment in very remote areas where there is no other power source; these often supplement solar PV arrays in an off-grid sailing situation.

>>Also Read: How to Charge a Sailboat Battery

Final Thoughts

There you have it; these are the best Best Marine Wind Turbine Generators for your boat or sailboat. Whether you are boating/sailing during your holidays or liveaboard full-time, a reliable power source is necessary. It will always provide you with the necessary power to operate your essential electronics, and depending on the power output you go for, it can fill up your batteries without an issue. Remember that when you are out in the water, it will be near impossible that there won’t be enough wind for a marine wind turbine to generate power, so you will rarely be without power. However, that’s why I always sail with both a wind generator and solar panels on board. 

Peter is the editor of Better Sailing. He has sailed for countless hours and has maintained his own boats and sailboats for years. After years of trial and error, he decided to start this website to share the knowledge.

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Best Wind Generators for Sailboats of 2024

Sailing gives us freedom: we don’t need a motor or fuel to travel the oceans. That freedom isn’t absolute. Most sailors still rely on electricity for lighting, refrigeration, small appliances, and to run the electronics that we rely on for navigation and safety. That means we need batteries, and if we rely on batteries, we have to charge the batteries. Since we’re already using the wind to move us from place to place, it makes sense to use that same energy source to keep our batteries charged up and ready for action. Wind generators are increasingly becoming a standard feature on cruising sailboats, and a wide range of products have emerged to meet the demand. This review of the best wind generators for sailboats will help you select the product that best meets your needs.

For more of our top sailing gear recommendations, check out the Best Solar Panels for Sailboats .

Quick Answer - The Best Wind Generators for Sailboats

• AutoMaxx DB-400 View at Amazon
• Primus Wind Power Air-X Marine View at Amazon
• Nature Power 2000W View at Amazon
• Missouri General Freedom II View at Amazon
• Nature Power 400W View at Amazon

Comparison Table - Best Wind Generator for Sailboats

Reviews - the best sailboat wind generator, automaxx db-400.

• Optimal Power AT : 28 MPH
• Rated Output : 400 Watts
• Voltage : 12V
• Minimum Wind Speed : 6.7 MPH
• Maximum Wind Speed : 112 MPH
• Blade Diameter : 48”
• Automatic Braking Controls Your Speed In High Wind
• Built-In Charge Controller And Overcharge Protection
• Maximum Power Point Tracking Gets The Most Power From Any Wind

BEST BUDGET WIND GENERATOR

If you want to try out wind power without spending a fortune and you’re looking for a basic, versatile device suitable for use on land or water, the Automaxx DB-400 is what you need. The durable polypropylene and fiberglass construction of this affordable wind generator resists corrosion and all parts are protected from both water and UV radiation. 

Some reviewers complain that these units fail to spin at the advertised cut-in speed and generated less power than expected, but many others reported performance consistent with expectations. It’s difficult to say whether these deficiencies are caused by installation issues, inconsistent products, or excessive expectations. It’s always good to test your unit on arrival and assure that it’s doing what it needs to do! 

As with all units listed here, you’ll need a mounting pole for this generator, but other than that it’s ready to install: the charge controller is built-in and you can wire it to your battery pack and forget about it!

Primus Wind Power Air-X Marine

• Weight : 13 lb.
• Voltage : Adjustable Output
• Minimum Wind Speed : 8 MPH
• Maximum Wind Speed : 110 MPH
• Blade Diameter : 46"
• Easy Installation: Wire Directly To Battery Bank
• Auto-Brake Regulator Slows Blades When Battery Is Charged
• Built-In Charge Controller
• Marine-Specific Design And Materials

BEST OVERALL SMALL WIND GENERATOR

The Air-X Marine is the Rolls-Royce of small wind turbines. It’s made entirely in Colorado, and the relatively high price is reflected in the features and overall quality of the unit. It costs three times as much as an entry-level unit with the same output rating, but you get what you pay for.

The unit squeezes its mechanical and electrical components into a tiny ultralight package that is ideal for higher mounts and requires much less effort to secure than heavier bulkier units. You get a sophisticated built-in charge controller with external indicators to tell you when you are charging and when your batteries are full, and the unit is fully use-ready. Just wire it to your battery bank and you’re ready to charge.

This unit is one of the most popular sailing wind generators on the market for good reasons. It’s quiet, efficient, and gets the job done with no extra effort and very little maintenance.

Nature Power 2000W

• Weight : 38 lb.
• Optimal Power AT : 45 MPH
• Rated Output : 2000 Watts
• Voltage : 24V
• Blade Diameter : 70”
• External Controller With LCD Output Display
• Industrial-Strength Aluminum Body With Marine-Grade Coating Means This Generator Will Last Your For Years To Come
• Electromagnetic Brake System For Overcharge Control
• Low-Noise Carbon Fiber Blades

BEST OVERALL LARGE WIND GENERATOR

This is the big boy: a full-on 2000 watt marine wind turbine, ready to install and power up some serious juice to feed those hungry batteries. The unit is designed to be effectively maintenance-free, with a coated cast aluminum body and carbon fiber blades engineered for quiet operation. There’s an external charge controller with an LCD output display to let you know what you’re generating and what your charge status is. Electromagnetic braking prevents potential damage from high winds and overcharging.

You’ll need 45 knots of wind to generate the full 2000 watts, but even at lower speeds, you’ll be putting out enough power to keep your batteries topped up. Paired with a solar array, this wind generator will give you all you need for complete energy independence!

Missouri General Freedom II

• Weight : 59 lb.
• Blades : 11
• Optimal Power AT : Not Specified
• Voltage : 12/24V
• Minimum Wind Speed : 6 MPH
• Maximum Wind Speed : 125 MPH
• Blade Diameter : 62.5"
• Rust-Proof Galvanized Components With Zinc-Plated Hub Make This Wind Generator Almost Indestructible
• 28-Magnet Generator For Maximum Power
• Aerodynamically Tapered Carbon Fiber Blades

BEST POWER-TO-PRICE RATIO 

If you’re looking to step up to a higher-output wind system without spending a fortune, Missouri General delivers with the Freedom II. This unit adopts a radically different design philosophy, featuring 11 carbon fiber blades to get maximum power out of wind in the lower end of the charging range. The Freedom II uses a permanent-magnet generator and several other unique design features to achieve high efficiency and durability.

This unit is quite inexpensive on a price-for-power scale, but it does not arrive installation-ready and you’ll have to add a charge controller, a dump load to protect your battery from overcharging, and cables. You’ll probably also need to have an electrician install the unit to assure that those components are correctly connected and working as they should!

Nature Power 400W

• Optimal Power AT : 27 MPH
• Minimum Wind Speed : 7 MPH
• Marine Grade Coating And Sealing For Durability
• Low-Noise Carbon Composite Blades
• Smart Charge Controller For Maximum Output

BEST LIGHTWEIGHT BUDGET WIND GENERATOR

Nature Power turbines are designed specifically for marine use and offer a durable, corrosion-resistant cast aluminum body and whisper-quiet carbon fiber blades. There’s a specialized electromagnetic braking system designed to keep the unit within its electrical and mechanical limits without the wear and tear associated with mechanical braking and a smart controller that adjusts the voltage-to-current ratio for peak charging efficiency. The low weight of the unit makes it ideal for mast installations or other high mounts. As with any relatively low-output wind generator, you can’t expect to rely on this unit for all of your charging needs. It’s very well suited to use in conjunction with solar panels: on hot, still days the sun does the work, and when the weather turns sour or you’re out at sea, the wind will kick in with its share. This is an excellent choice for the wind component of a combined solar/wind generation system.

THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING A WIND GENERATOR

It’s important to recognize that while wind power is useful, it isn’t magic. Most modern wind generators will begin generating power in quite light winds, but the output may be minimal and you’ll need sustained higher winds to deliver the charge you want.

If you’re moving downwind, you may get less charge than you expect: if the wind is at 20 knots and your downwind speed is 8 knots, your wind generator will be effectively receiving 12 knots, not 20! Many sailors find that a wind generator combined with a solar array is the most effective power solution, and some add a towed generator that generates power when dragged through the water as an additional option. The power mix that best suits you is something you’ll have to decide, but there’s a good chance that wind will be part of it!

Read through these things to consider to get a better sense of how to choose which wind generator is right for you so that you can get back on the water and enjoy the wind in your hair without worrying about losing electricity unexpectedly!

MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS

A common complaint about wind generators is that they don’t deliver as much power as expected. This is more often a problem of simple physics than an issue with defective units or improper installation. The power delivered by wind increases with the cube of the wind speed, meaning that (keeping things very simple), a 20-knot wind delivers 8 times the power of a 10-knot wind. If you expect a unit that’s rated to deliver 400 watts of power at 28 knots of speed to deliver 200 watts at 14 knots, you will be disappointed, and it won’t be the unit’s fault!

While most units will cut in (start working) at 6 to 7 knots, don’t expect to generate measurable power until you reach 10-12 knots. Remember that if you’re on a downwind heading the apparent wind – the wind speed actually experienced by your generator – will be wind velocity minus hull speed. And remember that most anchorages were chosen because they are protected from the wind.

All in all, you are likely to find yourself generating less power than you expected. That doesn’t mean the installation is useless: it will contribute, it will charge your batteries while you sail, and if used in conjunction with solar panels, it can meet your charging needs. It’s a useful tool, not a magic bullet!

INSTALLATION

Your choice of generator will be affected by your installation options. Some sailors opt for masthead or mizzenmast installations, which can receive up to 50% more wind than lower placements but which are less accessible for maintenance and involve longer cable runs with more resistance. If you’re looking at such an installation, you’ll want a lightweight, low-maintenance unit. Most sailors prefer installation above the cockpit or transom, high enough to keep blades away from people and equipment but low enough for easy access and relatively short cable runs.

WATCH OUT FOR HIGH WINDS

Manufacturers claim very high maximum wind tolerances, but these are often based on wind-tunnel tests using controlled wind from a single direction. Turbulence can increase the burden on the device, and if you’re expecting wind in excess of 50 knots, taking down the generator is a wise precaution.

THE NOISE FACTOR

Noise and vibration were once huge problems with wind generators, with users reporting everything from a repetitive whump to a screaming howl. Modern construction and improved blade design have made turbines much quieter, but noise and vibration can still be issues. It’s great to generate power while you sleep, but not so great to have your generator keeping you awake! You may wish to check out some working installations to get a sense of how much noise is involved.

If you’re wondering whether to go with wind or solar, All At Sea and eMarine have useful articles weighing in on that eternal debate. For more information on Wind Generators, try these articles from Yacht Unlimited and Sail .

FEATURES EXPLAINED

About those numbers.

Rated Output is the maximum number of watts a unit can put out under ideal conditions. These numbers are based on wind tunnel tests and are rarely if ever achieved in the field.

Minimum (or “cut-in”) Wind Speed is the wind speed required to turn the blades. Very little power will be produced at this level.

Maximum Power is achieved at a specific target wind speed. Most units are designed to begin braking or “cutting out” power at speeds above this level.

Blade Diameter is the end-to-end distance between blade tips. You’ll need to consider this distance when mounting the unit to keep the blades well clear of any obstructions.

Voltage is the unit’s output voltage, which needs to match the voltage of your battery array.

Maximum Wind Speed is the highest wind the unit can survive. This may be substantially reduced by turbulence!

SOME COMMON FEATURES

Charge Controllers are devices that regulate the output of your generator to maximize the charging of your battery. Some units have built-in controllers with different levels of sophistication, and others do not.

Braking may be mechanical or electromagnetic and is used to assure that the unit’s rotation will not exceed its mechanical or electrical limits. Electromagnetic braking is claimed by some to produce less wear and tear.

Tracking Systems keep the blades facing the wind and keep the unit from spinning on its mount axis, which will twist the cable and damage the installation.

Blades may be fiberglass or carbon fiber, with more expensive units usually using carbon fiber. Many blades are designed to flex and shed wind if wind velocity exceeds design limits.

Corrosion Resistance is achieved by using a variety of coatings and materials. Marine environments place an aggressive burden on materials and both exterior materials and sealing are very important to keep units working.

A Dump Load is a device that diverts excess power to resistors that radiate it as heat, protecting batteries from overcharging.

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Bilge Pumps

How to Install a Wind Generator on a Sailboat

Last Updated by

Daniel Wade

June 15, 2022

The marine wind generator is, without a doubt, one of the most effective ways of charging your boat's batteries while you are away from the electricity grid. One of the most important things to take into account when selecting a marine wind generator for your boat is the installation process.

As a sailor, you'll most definitely rely on electricity in running various parts of your boat. In addition to the power needed to run the electronics that are of great importance for navigation and safety, electricity is essential for lighting, refrigeration, and running other appliances. But because you always sail deep in the water where there's no electricity, you need another source of power that we can use to charge the boat's batteries while we are out there on the water. This is where the wind comes in handy. You're already using wind to propel your sailboat, so it makes sense to use the very same wind to charge your boat's batteries and ensure that every part of your boat runs smoothly and meets your sailing needs.

Marine wind generators are more and more becoming a standard feature on sailboats. They are a great source of renewable energy and one of the most important things is to learn how to install a wind generator on a sailboat. Installing a wind generator on a sailboat is a process that must start with an assessment of the sailboat's power needs. Knowing the amount of power that your boat will consume in 24 hours will at least give you a rough idea of the size of the battery bank you require and how many amps your charging devices should produce.

You should also know where and how to install the wind generator's system. This will, of course, directly affect how well the wind generator's turbine converts the wind power into electrical energy. You should also ensure that the amount of battery storage available on your sailboat, as well as the controls available, is efficient in ensuring that the generated power doesn't go to waste.

In this article, we'll take a comprehensive look at how to install a wind generator on a sailboat and everything else you need to ensure that your wind generator works properly and efficiently.

Table of contents

The Importance of Using a Wind Generator on a Sailboat

Even though wind generators may not be of much help off the wind, they are increasingly becoming more appealing to sailors looking for an alternative source or extra power for their sailboats. The fact that they rely on the same wind that you use to move from one point to the other makes them quite a hit. Additionally, today's marine wind generators have undergone continuous improvement over the last few decades and are now well proven and quite reliable. This is exactly why wind generators are still common in sailing despite the advent of solar panels and hydro generators.

A wind generator will keep your boat's batteries charged at all times as long as there's wind. It doesn't matter whether you're at the port or out on the water, the wind generator will continuously pump out power even on cloudy days. That's not all; wind generators are cost-effective since they're maintenance-free and do not need any launch or recovery. More importantly, there are very powerful wind generator units that can produce more than 400 units of power, which is just enough to keep a fairly medium sailboat running and operating for 24 hours.

But just like with anything that has advantages, there must be some disadvantages. One of the most noticeable downsides of relying on a wind generator is that the power produced by the generator can significantly reduce if there's no wind. Most wind generators can manage to produce about 200 watts of power in wind speeds of 20 knots but things can even become worse when you're anchored at the port since winds are generally very low at the ports. As such, you may need an additional source of power such as solar panels, especially if your sailboat has heavy power requirements.

Installing a Wind Generator on a Sailboat

Installing a wind generator on your boat's charge system is a serious process that requires careful planning and attention. As we noted earlier, this process should start by first assessing your boat's power needs. You should be able to determine the amount of power that your boat and its appliances need to consume in at least 24 hours. This will certainly give you a clue of what you require.

The general idea is to ensure that you don't have to keep your boat's engine running so as to keep your batteries charged because this might not be enough in running your boat's appliances. In most cases, a boat's power needs are modest. Well, the boat generally needs power for lighting, running the navigation and safety equipment, refrigeration, and powering a stereo, if any.

The Equipment Required

One of the most important pieces of equipment required when installing a wind generator on your sailboat is the turbine. Generally speaking, the turbine should be functional at both medium and high wind speeds. You have to, however, keep in mind that even the biggest wind generator won't produce much power if the wind speed is below 8 knots. The turbine should be tough, reliable, and quiet. You certainly do not want a turbine that sounds like an approaching helicopter as this can be so annoying.

Given that early models are very noisy, three-bladed rotors are becoming more and more popular. They are smartly designed with CAD blades that significantly reduce the whistling and thrumming sounds that occur at the tips of the blades. These modern rotors are also designed to be more efficient and reduce friction through the use of permanent magnet alternators that allow speeds of the blades to be reduced, thereby reducing the noise levels considerably.

With that in mind, some of the best wind generators to go for include Air breeze, Eclectic Energy, Leading Edge, Rutland, Silentwind, and Superwind.

The Aerodynamics of Turbine Blades

Ensuring that power moves from the turbine's alternator and safely into your batteries may seem like a simple process. There are, however, aerodynamics involved and it only makes sense if you understand how they work.

In terms of the blades, they operate based on a similar principle or a plane's wing. There may be some differences but they are generally designed to produce optimum output. This means that the turbine blades should not go too fast as it can mitigate the wind generator's efficiency. The same applies if it is too slow. In essence, it works like a car gear so having very high or low gear can be inefficient. The idea here is that the airflow will become unstable if the blades are at very high speeds.

The best way to solve this problem is to rely on the "tip speed ratio". This technically describes whether or not the blade tips are moving faster than the actual wind speed. As such, the blade tips should be moving at 320 knots on 20-knot wind speed but there should also be the survival speed, which is just the right wind speed that is needed to produce the right amount of power to sustain your sailing needs.

The Amount of Power that Your Boat Needs

It's of great importance to budget for the amount of power to ensure that every facet of your sailboat is functioning properly. Of course, there are obvious appliances such as plotters, interior lights, and fridges. There are also navigation lights, engine monitors, entertainment systems, pumps, watermakers , gas alarms, electric winches, hydraulics, and many other things. You should also make a good margin that will have you covered if there's an emergency.

You should also consider other things such as air conditioning (though this may need fuel) as well as the type of sailing you're planning to do. Will you be sailing upwind or downwind? Well, such minute factors can significantly affect the amount of power that your boat needs. It is, therefore, crucial to determine a clear and accurate idea of how much power you need to generate to perfectly operate every part of your boat.

Mounting the Wind Generator

One of the most challenging things that revolve around how to install a wind generator on a sailboat is where to mount it. Location is very fundamental and can either positively or negatively affect how your wind generator operates.

The golden rule that governs the position of the wind generator is quite straightforward. It should be mounted in an area of the vessel where there will be no interruption of the flow of air or wind to the turbine from all directions. Generally, the wind generator is mounted on the boat's mast with two stays. You can easily raise or lower the wind generator if it is installed with a pivoting base. But if it is installed on a fixed mast, it can cause difficulty if you want to secure the wind generator when there's an impending storm.

And because the main aim is to optimize the output from a wind generator, there are a few important things to do. The most important thing is to ensure that it is very stable. This is because even a slight rolling or pitching might just be enough to rotate it away from the wind. The wind generator also requires clean air from all directions and as much as possible.

As you can see, these two principles seem to be at loggerheads given that you'll get more wind speed as you go higher but this may affect the stability of the turbines. With this in mind, mounting the wind generator on mizzen masts can be a good option but choosing to mount the turbine just above the cockpit is an even better option. The idea here is that it will be a lot easier to manually control the turbine if all other options of braking it doesn't work. Again, installing and maintaining the turbine overhead the cockpit is a lot easier than when it is mounted on the mizzen masts.

That's not all; mounting the turbine over the cockpit also means that the cables need to transport power from the turbine to the alternator are much shorter. This means that the wire diameter will be a lot smaller without necessarily affecting the voltage. The fact that the voltage can drop if the wind generator is mounted up higher on the masts should be particularly important.

This is because it can affect the overall performance of the wind generator and the power it produces and this means that the power supplied to your sailboat might just fall short. Again, a considerable amount of weight can be reduced if the turbine is mounted just over the cockpit. The cables will be reduced and the overall stability of the wind generator will be increased if it is installed overhead the cockpit.

Of course, you'll also have to install the electrics that come with the wind generator unit. For example, there's the controller that is used in regulating the power supply from the turbine, as well as the dump load resistor that is essential in absorbing any excessive current that may be produced when the batteries are fully charged. There's also an inline stop switch, which is essential in turning off the unit when it's not in use. Well, most of these installations are straightforward and are generally shown in the unit's installation guide.

Assembling the turbine should also be a walk in the park. Units do come with fasteners and are accompanied by installation instructions that are easy to understand and follow, thereby making the installation and assembling process a breeze.

So if you've decided to install the wind generator overhead the cockpit, which is our best location, you must find a perfectly sized pipe and mount it solidly at any corner of the stern. You have to ensure that you support the pole with at least some diagonal tubes so that it doesn't swivel. And if you are planning for an off voyage escapade, using the hose clamps to secure the main pole might not be the wise thing to do. This is because they'll most likely snap and twist as a result of constant vibration and miles of hard sailing.

Securing Your Boat's Wind Generator

With that in mind, you should also be prudent enough to secure the wind generator if there's a pending storm. As a sailor, you should be prudent, stay alert, and prepared in case there's a storm. The most important thing is to know the dynamic of the wind generator and how to apply electric brakes or even have the turbines lowered when there is a storm.

You can do this if the wind speeds are more than 15mph. This is of great importance in ensuring that the wind generator does not overheat or the blades do not break. You can also choose to remove the wind generator altogether and store it in a safe place.

All in all, the importance of having a wind generator on your sailboat as an alternative energy source can never be downplayed. This is a great source of renewable energy that will have your boat working perfectly well even if you are sailing in some of the remotest corners of the world. Just know how to install the wind generator, have it maintained, and protected when there's a pending storm and you'll be good to go.

Until next time, happy Sailing!

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Wind Turbines For Boats (A guide for seafarers)

If you’re a sailor or boat owner, you know how important it is to keep your batteries charged. But did you know that you can use sustainable energy to power your boat? In fact, you can harness the wind’s kinetic energy with wind turbines for boats.

Humans have been harnessing the wind for thousands of years. Early seafarers have used this wind to power their boats, getting as far as Australia!

But with modern technology, you can now use this kinetic energy to power your boat’s batteries!

We cover everything you need to know in this guide on wind turbines for boats. We look at the type of turbine you need, calculate the required energy, and the costs involved.

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Table of Contents

Can A Wind Turbine Power A Boat?

With advances in alternative power technology, boats have started taking advantage of solar and wind energy.

By installing a small turbine onto your vessel, you’ll be able to charge your batteries as long as there’s wind. 

However, this doesn’t mean you’ll be able to power your whole boat. Sure, you’ll be able to harness some kinetic energy from the wind, it might not be enough. 

There are a lot of appliances and crucial instruments on board that need power.

Ideally, wind turbines can power your average sailboat boat, but a couple of factors could affect this. 

Some of these influences are:

• The wind resources available in your cruising area:  windspeeds along a coastline differ from windspeeds on a lake.
• Turbine placement:  the higher you mount a turbine on a boat, the more electricity it’ll generate.
• How often you use your boat:  you’re more likely to experience higher wind speeds while sailing than in the harbor. 

Regardless, a wind turbine for boats is handy to install, even if it’s just for that extra boost. 

What Size Wind Turbine Does My Boat Need?

Your energy requirements will determine the size of your boat’s wind turbine.

For example, if you’re going for a fun and relaxed trip, you’ll only need power for your electronics. Conversely, if you’re going fishing or trolling, you’ll need a more extensive battery system. 

Understanding The Math Of Wind Turbines For Boats

Calculating a power turbine’s energy output can be a little confusing; let’s go through the math to understand everything better. 

This formula works out each electronics power demand and, ultimately, your boat’s power demand. 

Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A)

The next thing to remember is that each device has a runtime — while the device is running, it uses power (watts). The number of watts something uses in an hour is called watt-hours. For example, an appliance rated 500 W will use 500 Wh of energy in an hour. 

The same appliance rated 500 W will use 1000 Wh in two hours — this is the same as 1 kilowatt. 

Amperes – or amps for short – is a unit of measurement of electric current. They’re also used to indicate the capacity of your battery. 

Energy (Wh) = Voltage (V) x Capacity (Amp-hours or Ah)

For example, a 12 V, 100 Ah battery will give you 1200Wh

Wh = 12V x 100Ah ∴ Wh = 1200

That means your battery can give off 1.2 kW of energy per hour. 

How Much Power Does Your Boat Use? 

The size of your battery will determine what size your wind turbine you’ll need. For example, a wind turbine that generates 400 watts can charge an 800 Ah battery for a day on a 12-volt system . 

The average 45-foot sailing boat uses 150 amp-hours per day. However, your battery bank needs to be at least double or triple the size, so it doesn’t deplete. For example, a 450 Ah capacity battery in a 12V system would require 5.4 kWh per day. Can a wind turbine generate that much power?

As we’ll see later in this article, the average wind turbine has a max of 0.42 kWh. So on paper, that’s 10 kWh per day. However, in reality, it’s much different.

You see, the 0.42kWh is only guaranteed when you’re facing 20-knot winds all the time. Unfortunately, that’s not possible – at least for most of us. 

In fact, according to Betz law , your wind turbine will only generate 59% of its actual capacity. Taking that into account, let’s see if a 420 W wind turbine will still power our example boat: 

0.59 x 10 kWh = 5.9 kWh

That’s just over the amount your battery can handle. 

Which Boat Wind Turbine Is Suitable For You?

To determine which turbine is suitable for you, you’ll have to calculate the power demand of your boat. You’ll multiply the amps per device by its runtime to do this. For example, Autopilot uses 4 amps, and you use it for 12 hours — that’s 48 Ah. 

Based on this seafarer’s measurements, here’s a general look at how much power a vessel uses: 

If this sounds right for your boat, you’ll need 138.8 Ah during the day and 117.3 Ah at night — that’s around 256.1 Ah per day. 

Additionally, we’ll need to know the kWh to determine the turbine size. Using the calculation above, we can calculate that the required energy is 3073.2 Wh which is 3.07 kWh. 

To ensure that your battery doesn’t deplete, let’s double the required energy, which now equals 6.14 kWh.

In conclusion, you’ll need a turbine that generates 6.14 kWh per day. 

How Much Can The Average Wind Turbines For Boats Generate?

Due to external factors, your turbine will only generate 59% of its capacity. For instance, the average turbine can produce 0.42 kW at 20-knot winds. However, it’s more likely that your average recreational sailboat will experience 12-knot winds. 

At 12 knots, the average turbine generates 53 watts, equal to 1.2 Kwh per day. Unfortunately, 59% of that is only 0.75 kWh. That’s nowhere near the required amount.

Perhaps you’ll find that this amount of energy will power your boat. If not, hopefully, it can at least power your fridge, GPS, lights, and freshwater pump.

How Much Do Boat Wind Turbines Cost?

That was a lot to get through, but the hard part is over.

Now that you know your turbine requirements’ wattage, you can start looking at prices.

Off the bat, the average turbine will cost $1446 and can generate a maximum of 885 watts. But, of course, this is the maximum wattage, and you’re unlikely to reach this capacity.

Here’s a table of turbines that compares the wattage to price:

Surprisingly, the most cost-efficient turbines are the ones with higher wattage. Therefore, you can say that forking out the extra money for a higher wattage turbine is worth the investment.

Where Is The Best Place To Install A Wind Turbine On A Boat?

Wind turbines for boats are most efficient when facing directly into the wind. Any swaying or rocking will cause the turbine to turn away from the wind, decreasing efficiency. As such, it’s best to place the turbine near sea level or above the cockpit.

The Higher It’s Placed

Did you know that placing the turbine higher will increase its production rate? In fact, setting the turbine on the masthead can increase its efficiency by 50% . However, putting the heavy machinery that high can disrupt your vessel’s stability. 

In addition, the pendulum effect of the boat is more intense at that height, decreasing the turbine’s efficiency. 

Near Cockpit Level

However, placing the turbine just above the cockpit is a good option and here’s why:

• Having the turbine above the cockpit allows for easy access, making maintenance easier. 
• While the wind speeds are slower at this level, the turbine will be more stable.
• The distance between the turbine and the battery bank is smaller. This means you can run smaller cables between the two. 
• You won’t have to worry about voltage drop due to the short transfer distance.

The Downside

Having a spinning rotor and blades near you can be dangerous, especially in high winds. Just keep an eye out for the ‘sweep’ area of the blades and ensure the turbine is positioned high enough. 

How Much kWh Can A Boat Wind Turbine Produce?

‘How much’ is always tricky as multiple factors are involved. For instance, there are different wind speeds according to where you sail. However, most manufacturers say that their turbines have a max of 0.42kWh. 

To understand this better, let’s look at three different turbine models and compare their stats. 

The Silentwind turbine has a maximum output of 420w at a wind speed of 25 knots (28 mph). However, most boats will only experience a max of 20 kt (23 mph). At this wind speed, Silentwind can generate up to 140w. 

In addition, the turbine has a cut-in speed of 6.2 kt. (7 mph). However, common wind conditions of 12 kt. (13.8 mph) will generate 45w. 

The Silentwind turbine sells for $2,069 with the option of a mast-connector kit for $420. 

Rutland 914i Windcharger

The Rutland promises a 30% efficiency increase due to its maximum power point tracking (MPPT). It has a maximum output of 450w at a wind speed of 28 kt (32 mph) and a cut-in speed of 4 kt (4.6 mph)

At 20 knots wind, it generates 255w, and at 12 knots, it drops down to 60w. You can buy the Rutland for $729.95 and view its brochure here . 

Nature Power wind generator 

Nature Power offers a turbine that generates 500w, making it a good option for larger boats. It has a maximum wind speed of 24 kt (27 mph) and a 6.1 kt (7 mph) cut-in speed. 

Additionally, it ranges from 55w to 280w between 12 kt and 20 kt wind speeds. 

The turbine goes for $534 and includes an internal MPPT regulator.

Comparison Table Of Wind Turbines For Boats

Let’s put those in a table to compare the figures. Something to keep in mind is that 400w is about 800 amp-hours per day on a 12V system. 

Are Wind Turbines Better Than Solar Panels On A Boat?

Wind turbines and solar panels are great options to install on a boat. However, which is better? Their price and efficiency can determine this.

Cost Comparisons Between Solar Panels And Wind Turbines For Boats

When comparing costs, the number of watts generated is vital. For example, a solar panel might generate the same wattage as two turbines. 

You’ll have to do some research and calculations to determine your boat’s energy needs. By doing so, you can calculate how many solar panels/wind turbines you would need. 

In addition, the price of solar panels and wind turbines will depend on your location. But, a quick comparison puts wind turbines for boats in a higher price bracket than solar panels. 

Solar Panels cost anywhere between $400 and $1200. In contrast, most wind turbines fall in an $1100 to $1800 price bracket. 

Efficiency Comparison 

Both solar panels and wind turbines come with their advantages and disadvantages. These affect the efficiency and energy output of your boat. 

The most significant difference is that solar panels won’t generate power at night or on cloudy days. On the other hand, wind turbines can generate power 24/7. In addition, since they have low cut-in speeds, the turbines will continuously generate power as long as there’s wind. 

However, solar panels have a lifespan of 25 years, while wind turbines for boats only last 20 years. It’s also important to note that solar panels don’t need a lot of maintenance, whereas wind turbines do. 

Lastly, solar panels tend to generate more power than wind turbines. Depending on your sailing needs, you might prefer solar panels to wind turbines or vice versa. So at the end of the day, the choice is yours. 

Final Thoughts

And there you have it, a complete guide to wind turbines for boats!

We’ve looked at calculating the energy requirements of your boat and how to match that with turbines. Additionally, we compared different turbine costs and kW outputs. Lastly, we looked at three different types of marine turbines which you can use.

In conclusion, wind turbines are exceptionally efficient for smaller sailboats or recreational boats. However, wind turbines can also work if you have a larger boat and are just looking for an extra boost.

We suggest a hybrid solar panels and wind turbines system for larger boats with high energy demands.

If you have any questions or want to share your projects, we encourage you to join our community !

Tags: wind turbines for boats

Kyle is a researcher and content specialist at Climatebiz. He has a strong interest in green technology, particularly in photovoltaic systems. Kyle believes in a future where everyone has affordable access to renewable energy, regardless of their race, religion, or social status. This ideology led Kyle to found Climatebiz - with the goal to provide free information for anyone, anytime. You can follow Kyle on Twitter at @kylebrwng

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I have a wind generator on my boat + solar panels. I wish to buy the electrical device that shares and supplies the power to the boat batteries (the charger) that can work with both sources (generator + s. panel) . Where can I find it – and what are your recomendations?

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Choosing a Wind Generator for a Sailboat – Complete GUIDE

Nothing denotes a salty off-the-grid ready yacht more than the sight of a wind generator mounted on the stern. Once, these were the main component of a sailor’s renewable energy arsenal. 

But today, as is the case with wind generators for RVs , the technology has fallen behind the fantastic strides that solar panels have made. Today’s solar panels are less expensive and more efficient than ever before, while wind generator technology hasn’t progressed much in the last 50 years.

Still, there are limited times when wind generators make the most sense on sailboats. Here’s a look at who could benefit from one and five of the best options on the market.

Table of Contents

Is a wind generator right for me, how much power do i need, alternatives to wind power, things to look for in a marine wind generator, 5 great marine wind generators.

Before you dive into the whirlwind of information out there about marine wind generators, take a step back for a reality check. Wind generators were the standard-bearer for years onboard sailboats, but in the 21st century, their usefulness has all but been replaced by solar panels. Solar is efficient, silent, and completely maintenance-free. 

As a result, the usefulness of a wind generator is now much more limited. There are many pros for wind generators—but most of them can be negated by one simple fact–the amount of usable power they produce is significantly less and more expensive than solar. 

Furthermore, the two times when a wind generator does make sense are not conditions typically encountered by most cruisers. Wind generators are only effective for significant power when the apparent wind speed on deck is more than 15 knots. That’s apparent wind speed on deck—meaning most downwind sailing in winds less than 22 knots true or so would be out. 

And then there are anchorages, where sailors hope that a wind generator will help them live off-the-grid to avoid a generator or engine recharge. How many anchorages have you recently sat in that had a constant 15 to 20 knots of undisturbed wind blowing through them? Most of the time, we’re trying to get out of conditions like that, not anchor in them. 

There are some parts of the world where these conditions are the norm. Caribbean trade winds and high latitude winds make wind generators more attractive. Those sailors stuck in the “horse latitudes” in between will find their wind generators silent and motionless most of the year. 

The other time that adding a wind generator makes sense is when there is simply no other renewable energy option available. A wind generator can mount in many ways on nearly any type of sailboat. It has a tiny footprint, unlike a large solar array. 

The bottom line is this—only add wind power when you have absolutely no space left for solar. If you’re maxed out on solar, a wind generator can give you a little boost. But another solar panel will consistently outperform a wind generator—unless you’re that rare sailor whose anchorages of choice feature steady and uninterrupted 20-25 knot winds.

Pros and Cons of Wind Power for Boats

• 24-hour per day operation (as long as it’s windy)
• Small installation footprint, compatible with most sailboats
• Good options when solar panels cannot be used due to mounting problems or shading (especially on ketches)
• Very low power generation in most conditions
• Ugly and bulky, mast and mount included
• Not effective when sailing downwind (like most tradewind sailing)
• Not effective in protected anchorages
• Maintenance intensive, moving parts and bearings wear out
• Limited controller options, many not compatible with LiFePO4 battery systems
• Expensive compared to solar

When calculating your requirements for off-the-grid living, the math does not lie. The problem is not lying when you do the math. You can find many calculators and spreadsheets online to help you make the basic calculations.

First, you need to know precisely how much power every electrical consumer on the boat will use and how long it will run each day. These items are often variable—refrigerators will have to run longer in hot climates and the summer, and lights will burn longer during the dark winter months. For everything that uses electricity, calculate the watts used per day (24-hour period).

Next, you’ll want to take into account how much power is being generated. It’s impossible to get accurate numbers for your setup until you’re out there doing it. In general, solar can be counted on for its maximum output for three or four hours a day. How many sunny days a year depends on your location. Again, there are many calculators online.

The wind is good for 24 hours a day, of course, but the wind is seldom that constant. So when calculating the math for a wind generator , it’s very easy to feel good about the choice. But practice has routinely shown that even a small solar array will outperform it in nearly every location.

As already mentioned, the number one choice for most sailboats for renewable power is solar. Solar panels are inexpensive and last for decades with zero maintenance. The downside is that they require a lot of shade-free space to work best.

For boats looking to make power during offshore passages, hydrogenerators are another solution. As long as the boat is cruising at six knots or more, the water passing by has enough potential energy to run electronics and charge batteries. The Watt & Sea Hydro generator is one of the best options out there, but there are also towable generators that do not require permanent installation. Some boats even have the option to use the free-spinning propulsion propeller to create electricity. Of course, these options only help charge the batteries when the boat is moving under sail, and only then at fast speeds. 

Power Output

The first thing to realize is that you must take manufacturer’s ratings for their units with a grain of salt. The numbers are engineering calculations for ideal conditions. That is to say, conditions that a marine wind generator will likely never get to experience. 

Of all of the performance numbers worth considering, perhaps the most interesting numbers are those at the low end on the scale – when does the unit start producing power, and how much. Most of us boat in places with 15 knots of wind or less most of the time, so this is the range your wind generator will sit in for most of its serviceable life.

Noise Level

First and foremost – do not be fooled by online reviews. Every wind generator on the market produces noise. Since the noise is generated from multiple sources, it can be hard to compare apples to apples when shopping for a generator. 

Blade design has a significant effect on noise – some blades are simply noisier than others. Not only does the blade’s aerodynamics make noise, but they can also cause vibrations. All wind generators will require occasional rebalancing and adjustment to minimize vibrations from the blades. 

The moving parts inside the generator can also cause noise. Most are mounted with standard ball bearings that can and do go bad. Many manufacturers advertise these as maintenance-free, but that’s simply unrealistic in the marine environment.

Finally, the mount on the boat is a significant source of noise because it transmits the blade’s vibrations, no matter how minor, into the boat’s structure. Proper mounts have rubber dampening pads built-in, but even still, some noise will get through. This can sound like a buzz, hum, or even a thumping noise.

Quality of construction plays a huge part in how much noise a wind generator makes. As a result, you get what you pay for with wind generators. Unfortunately, the inexpensive hardware store models built for residential use are typically the noisiest. 

You can compare the noise output of various wind generators by taking a stroll around the marina docks or a dinghy ride around the anchorage. Bad or poorly-maintained wind generators can be heard from many boat lengths distance. On the other hand, a high-quality unit will be difficult to hear when you’re standing under it, much less on another vessel.

Correct Voltage

Wind generators should be matched to your primary battery bank—the one that you’ll be charging. Most boats will be 12 volts, and a few will be 24. 48-volt systems are becoming more popular on electric yachts and those using the battery bank for big consumers like air conditioning. These are the exceptions to the rule, however. 

Charge Controller Functions

Unlike solar, wind generators are typically matched to the charge controller that the manufacturer packages with the unit. There are simply a lot more factors that go into regulating a wind generator, including the generation technology it uses and how it brakes or diverts its load. 

Charge controllers are either PWM (pulse width modulation) or MPPT (maximum power point tracking). PWM is a less expensive technology, while MPPT controllers are more expensive. In the world of wind generators, which one a controller features is a bit of a toss-up. Some manufacturers swear by MPPT, while others say there is no benefit to the added cost. 

Most solar chargers accept a solar input, usually only about 100 watts, though. It’s probably more efficient to run your solar array on its own MPPT charge controller. But if you’re only planning on installing a small array and don’t want the hassle of programming separate charge controllers, having the option with your wind controller is a very nice feature. 

Finally, the programmability of the charge controller is a significant factor. Very few of the older PWM charge controllers allow you to input charging profiles. Again, this is less of a problem with wind power than with solar. But if you’re planning to use less forgiving battery chemistries like lithium, you’ll want as much control as you can get from your controller. 

Brake and Automatic Cut-Off

Being able to cut a wind generator off in an over-power or over-speed scenario is extremely important. All wind generators come with some form of braking system. The brake needs to be used when the system reaches a full charge, or the wind speed goes beyond the wind generator’s limits. 

Remember that the generator’s not simply limited by what the blades and bearings can handle. There is also the strength of its mounts to consider. For example, a 60-knot gust on a free-spinning generator will impose an unbelievable force on its mounts.

Then there are wiring considerations. The wind generator is only designed to output so much power, and during your installation, you must use wire sized for the maximum output. What happens if more than that amount of current goes through wires due to a brake failure? Heat and possible battery damage will result, but hopefully, the circuit breaker or fuse will cut it off before then. 

Some have aerodynamic brakes that turn the generator as wind speed increases. This theoretically means that it can never go over its designed limits.

Others feature a brake that is automatically or manually activated. It’s designed to come on when the current reaches a maximum, such as during powerful wind gusts. It also breaks the unit to a stop when the batteries are fully charged. 

An alternative plan is to have a diversionary load. Some wind generators will come with dump loads, which are nothing more than ceramic heating elements. When the wind generator produces too much power, power is redirected from the batteries into these heating elements. They’re also used when the generator produces too much power for the system during storms. 

Mounting and Unit Weight

The mounting mast used to secure the wind generator is sometimes more complicated than the wind generator itself. It must be strong and stayed from all angles. Stainless tubes with two supports are commonly used to mount them to the back of yachts. 

The construction and position of the wind generator are essential to reduce vibrations and noise within the boat. Don’t mount a wind generator over someone’s bunk! All proper mounts have sound-deadening materials like rubber grommets built in to make them as quiet as possible.

The blades of a wind generator must be positioned so that they can’t catch any lines, canvas, or flags from other parts of the boat. This makes stern-rail mounting almost impossible on ketches and yawls. On these boats, mizzen mast mounts are often the best alternative. 

Keep in mind as well that the spinning blades of a wind turbine are like spinning knives. Sailors have lost fingers trying to secure wind generators during storms. Therefore, they should be mounted high enough that it is impossible to accidentally come in contact with the blades during normal operations. 

As mentioned before, another critical component of the mounting is calculating the correct wire size. This is calculated from the unit’s maximum output, the round-trip length of the wire run, and the unit’s charge voltage.

Finally, the positioning of the wind generator should supply it with uninterrupted airflow. If the wind is blocked, even slightly, but a mast, sail pack, or hardtop, the wind generator’s efficiency will be negatively affected. These items could also induce turbulence into the air being supplied to the turbine, which could result in vibrations and noisy operation.

When shopping around for wind generators , notice that power output is not one of our main criteria. This might seem odd, but all of the wind generators on this list produce more or less the same amount of power in a given wind. Some start producing at lower speeds, and some keep producing at high speeds, but in general, these occurrences are so minor and so rare that they don’t calculate into the shopping process.

Eclectic Energy D400

The D400 has a legendary reputation among cruising sailors as the wind generator of choice. It is nearly silent to the point of being very difficult to hear. It is built by Eclectic Energy in the UK, and you can spot its distinctive shape and five-blade design on yachts worldwide. 

For all the pluses, there are some detractors from the D400. For one, it is pretty much the most expensive option. It is also the heaviest—it requires a much beefier mount than other options do. 

SilentWind Pro

The SilentWind has a few advantages over many other wind generators. For one thing, the included MPPT charge controller features Bluetooth programming via a smartphone or tablet. In addition, you can set many parameters for the charge profile—meaning that it is one of the few wind generators that are at least somewhat compatible with the next generation of lithium marine battery systems. 

Compared to the D400, the SilentWind has a more lightweight and compact body. It’s a three-blade design that features blue composite fiber blades. The SilentWind is made in Portugal. 

Rutland 1200

Rutland is the wind power branch of the Marlec renewable power company from the UK. Rutland makes a wind range of wind generators for yachts of all sizes. The 1200 is a three-blade generator that features an MPPT controller with a solar input. At 10 knots of wind, it produces about 40 watts of power. 

Primus Air Silent X

Primus makes a variety of wind generators from their facility in Colorado. The “top-of-the-line,” so to speak, is the Air Silent X. It’s an upgraded version of their Air X that comes supplied with quieter blades made of distinctive blue carbon fiber.

Superwind 350

The German-made Superwind has a unique overspeed and overcharge protection system—the units feature feathering blades. This is undeniably more complex than many other options on the market. These generators are designed to be installed in grueling conditions where a damaged generator cannot be repaired quickly. Their primary market is aimed at remote telecommunication equipment stations and offshore sailors.

Matt has been boating around Florida for over 25 years in everything from small powerboats to large cruising catamarans. He currently lives aboard a 38-foot Cabo Rico sailboat with his wife Lucy and adventure dog Chelsea. Together, they cruise between winters in The Bahamas and summers in the Chesapeake Bay.

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Wind generators – buyers’ guide

After a flurry of recent technological developments, Duncan Kent compares the latest high-output wind turbines

Three-bladed rotors have become increasingly popular. Although early models were quite noisy, smart CAD-designed blades have considerably reduced the thrumming and whistling sounds by removing the turbulence around the blade tips. Furthermore, the use of more efficient, low-cogging (less initial friction) permanent-magnet alternators has also allowed blade speeds to be reduced, further limiting ambient noise levels.

AIRBREEZE £1,169.50

The Airbreeze is easy to assemble as everything is contained within the casing, requiring only a quick blade assembly before being ready to mount. It’s not the most powerful and can be a little noisy in high winds, but it’s very good value as you don’t need to spend money and time installing an external charge controller.

Verdict: Easy to assemble, mount and operate, but noisier and less powerful than some

ecopowershop.com

ECLECTIC ENERGY D400 £1,350

Although it’s fairly straightforward to assemble, it’s not made any easier by the sheer weight of the generator.

During previous trials it proved to be one of the quietest on test, started quickly and outputting an increasingly progressive rate of charge. It is also less prone to yaw from side to side than some, keeping head into wind to ensure a more stable output.

Provided its mounting can handle the loads, its sturdy build allows it to continue operating in very high winds, producing a staggering 50A+.

Verdict: Solidly engineered, very powerful and quiet. The flip side is it’s heavy and needs dump resistors

eclectic-energy.co.uk

LEADING EDGE LE-300 £649.95

The device is easy to assemble and light enough to carry in one hand. An integral rectifier produces a two-wire DC output and its efficiency has recently been improved with the fitting of stainless steel counterweights to offset the effects of pitching and yawing common on a yacht.

A run/stop switch is supplied that brakes the turbine by shorting its output. It can also be supplied with a dump load style regulator to prevent overcharging (£189.95).

The LE-300 is probably the quietest of all the three-blade models available, but it’s also one of the least powerful.

Verdict: Light and great value, but with a lower output than many of the others

leturbines.com

LEADING EDGE LE-450 £899.95

The alternator uses rare earth fixed magnets and has zero ‘cogging’, allowing the turbine to start quickly and to spin in the lightest of breezes. Furthermore, having five blades of advanced design allows the swing radius to be kept to a minimum and reduces wind noise noticeably, while its light weight allows it to be safely mounted on a mizzen mast or possibly even a stout spreader.

Verdict: Well designed, lightweight and good value, but needs manual tethering in over 35kt of wind

RUTLAND 914i £649.96

An optional multi-stage charge regulator is available, which has an on/off switch and LED charge status indictors. It can also accept and integrate solar panels up to 160W.

The surprisingly cheap HRSi regulator (£78.50) works electronically to gradually slow the turbine in high winds or near full charge situations, rather than using resistive dump loads.

The 914 is quiet in operation and quick to start generating in light winds. Well made, its heavy metal hub acts as a flywheel, giving it enough momentum to smooth out the pauses during brief lulls in the wind.

Verdict: Quiet and inexpensive, with a smart controller. Relatively low output

marlec.co.uk

RUTLAND 1200 £1,195.00

High rotation speeds and efficient alternator design results in plenty of raw power. Marlec’s latest smart HRDi charge controller (£155.95) continuously alters the rotation speed of the generator, slowing it down as the batteries become more charged. It also incorporates the latest Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) technology to optimise all the available energy produced and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM), which enables multi-stage charging to keep the batteries topped up. Other features include dual-battery bank control, an input for up to 250W of solar panels and an optional remote digital display.

Verdict: Powerful, well-made and with smart regulation. Has a wide rotation diameter

SILENTWIND 400 £1,291.33

The Silentwind is heavier than it first looks, mainly due to its high output, permanent magnet 420W alternator. Recent (2016) upgrades include a boost feature in the generator and a lower start speed thanks to its ‘low cogging’ design.

Available in 12V, 24V and 48V versions, its three-wire AC output connects directly to a recently upgraded smart charge controller with solar inputs, an LCD display, integral brake switch and Bluetooth connectivity so the user can monitor their battery status and charge from a mobile device or laptop. Furthermore, the new controller (£410.42) now consumes only 20mA itself, rather than the 100mA of the old model.

Verdict:   High power output and a nifty Bluetooth smart controller, but all at a price

technicalmarinesupplies.co.uk

SUPERWIND 350 £1,528.75

The SCR Marine charge controller option (£384) has two independent outputs, for start and service banks, although it does rely on the rather crude method of dumping any excess loads to two large resistors, which can get very hot if the device is left running in a gale.

Despite having a slightly lower output alternator than some, in field tests this device gave a very respectable performance in wind up to 15 knots, and provided serious amps in higher winds up to 28 knots.

Verdict: Light, well made, quiet and powerful, but expensive and reliant on dump load regulation

mactramarine.co.uk

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Choosing a Wind Generator

Practical sailor begins its two-part report on wind generators for cruising sailboats begins with a look at features including blade size, number of blades, output considerations and installation..

When cruising sailors think of renewable energy, their thoughts immediately turn to the wind. When selecting a marine wind generator for your boat, several factors must be taken into account, and separating fact from fiction is hard. Claimed output data for specific units can vary greatly from real-world performance. In part one of our series we introduce the six units we test, the Air Breeze from Southwest Wind Power, the Superwind SW250, the KISS High Output, the Ampair 100, and the Rutland 913. The selection presents a good cross-section of micro wind turbines available today and allows us to make some conclusions regarding the best wind generator for particular marine applications.

In 2007, Practical Sailor tested six wind generators side-by-side over the course of four days in February. The previous time we attempted a similar side-by-side test, it was a bust. The turbines spun feebly in a marina with little wind. Prior to that attempt, we long-term tested five models individually on a hilltop in Rhode Island (“Wind Generators, Part 1: Ten Years of Experience,” Oct. 1, 1995, and “Fourwinds II Quietest Large Diameter Wind Generator,” Nov. 15, 1995). Although that round of testing didn’t compare units under the same conditions, we took enough output readings at various speeds to create output curves and came to the dismaying conclusion that over the long haul, an average 50-watt solar panel would outperform the units we tested. (None of the units exceeded an average output of 10 amp hours per day.)

The wrench in the works in both of those previous tests was lack of wind. This time, we had plenty of wind. The test site was at the water’s edge, and five of the six wind generators spun simultaneously: the KISS High Output Wind Generator (made in Trinidad), the Rutland 913 (England), the Superwind SW350 (Germany), a prototype Air Breeze from Air-X makers Southwest Windpower (Arizona), and the Ampair 100 (England).

Conspicuously missing from our test were a pair of two-bladed units: one from Hamilton Ferris (reviewed in our Feb. 15, 2003 issue ) and one model from Fourwinds. Both companies said they could not meet our timetable, despite our long lead time for delivering a unit. Weve been assured that as soon as these units become available,

Practical Sailor will be able to test them. Another unit that looked very promising on paper was the Ampair 300. (Theres also an Ampair 600 for 24-volt systems.) This three-blade, large-diameter unit had a problem with the motor shaft on the first day of testing, and we returned it for repair. We expect to test the refurbished unit soon.

The topic of wind generators is not easily digested over a long lunch. Performance alone may not be the deciding factor, and several other details come into play – not the least of which is the possible mounting location for a set of blades whose tips slice the air at speeds as high as 200 mph. So before we dive into the results of Practical Sailor’s most recent wind generator test , we will focus here on key decision points in purchasing a wind generator and some general conclusions regarding wind generator selection based on our testing.

Wind Generator 101

Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical power, and ultimately electricity. This electricity can be used immediately to power equipment, but is typically stored in batteries for future use. Larger turbines may generate enough power to carry or “float” larger loads (such as a small fridge during an overnight stay aboard), while smaller units produce enough electricity to power smaller loads for a few minutes (bilge pumps, etc.) or perhaps top off your battery banks after a weekend outing.

All generators share a few basic components: a rotor – they don’t propel, so theyre not propellers – with aerodynamic blades, an electrical generator, some form of rotor over-speed control, and a mounting system (pole, arch, etc.). Most also will have rotating electrical contacts, which enable the unit to operate in a continuous 360 degrees of rotation. All but one of the units in our test, the KISS, had this feature. The KISS generator has an internal spring (inside the mount) and a rope lanyard tied to the tail of the unit and mounting pole – the lanyard is a specific length to prevent the unit from rotating more than three or so times, after which the spring is supposed to return it to its original position once the wind dies down.

Wind turbines either produce direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC) power, which is then converted to DC via a rectifier. Of the models we tested, the KISS and both Ampair units utilize a rectifier to convert AC to DC, while the Rutland 913, Air Breeze, and Superwind 350 produce DC. Each approach has its pros and cons: AC can be transmitted over longer wire runs with less power loss (due to overall resistance of system wiring), even when smaller gauge wire is utilized. DC systems, on the other hand, don’t require the use of a rectifier, which reduces expense, cuts down on the number of parts that might fail, and eliminates a few installation steps. As for cons, DC motors have brushes and commutators, both of which require periodic maintenance to prevent generation of electromagnetic interference (EMI), which can disrupt onboard electronics. The rectifying diodes in AC-producing units can also be damaged if exposed to reverse-polarity voltages during installation or maintenance.

Design Evolution

In terms of design evolution, no great technological breakthroughs have emerged since our last test. According to Betz Law (see “Estimating Wind Power”) a wind turbine can theoretically use about 60 percent of the energy in any wind. Even the small turbines meant for use on land are still far from that ideal.

“What they are getting is a piece of that 60 percent Betz limit,” said Jim Johnson, a mechanical engineer for In the Wind at the National Resources lab. “The better units will produce about 40 percent of that limit.”

Ongoing research at National Wind Technology Center – including the development of more efficient, quieter blades – will eventually trickle down to micro-turbines (as the boat-sized units are called). However, the limited marine market, price-point competition, and design limitations imposed by marine applications likely will slow this process. Advances generally have been baby-step improvements in rotor noise, more efficient blades, reduced shaft friction, and smarter regulators. If the last 12 years are an indication of whats to come, what we buy this year probably wont be much different than what will be available five years down the road, when our turbine will likely need an overhaul or replacement. Like any moving part on a boat, these things do break down.

Power Output

Wind-turbine makers often bear a “label rating” according to potential output under ideal conditions. For instance, the Ampair 100 will produce 100 watts (volts x amps = watts) in a 28-knot breeze. Aside from the fact that no one purposely chooses to anchor for long in a 28-knot breeze, these numbers can be deceiving.

Turbine manufacturers will typically provide speed-output curves that graph output at all wind speeds within their units range of operation. Others will simply indicate projected output at a sampling of fixed, steady wind speeds. Either approach can yield a distorted picture of real-world output. Some makers base their steady-wind output projections on absolutely fixed wind speeds (impossible, except in a wind tunnel). Other makers reach their output numbers by using a standard wind distribution model known as the Rayleigh distribution, a statistical method used by wind power experts to translate average annual wind speed data into potential wind power estimates (see chart below).

“You should take any output figures published by the manufacturers with three very large grains of salt,” say Paul Gipe, whose website ( www.wind-works.org ) and book (“Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm and Business”), covers the topic of wind power for land applications in great detail.

This, of course, is one of the reasons we are looking at these units in a real-world application.

Wind Turbine Types

Wind turbines can usually be classified as either small rotor units (blade diameters less than 48 inches) or large rotor units, with typical blade diameters of around 60 inches. All things being equal, the highest potential output will increase with the diameter of the rotor. A rough rule of thumb is that larger units typically generate around 4 amps in 10- to-15 knots of steady wind, while smaller units average about 1.3 amps.

The main challenge confronting any wind generator is the fickle nature of wind itself. Wind generators present a Catch 22 scenario. While they are most effective when exposed to steady winds with the vessel at anchor, the best anchorages tend to be sheltered from the wind. As such, the cut-in speed of a wind generator (the point where it actually starts producing electricity) and its output in lower winds (10 to 15 mph or less) can be more important than maximum rated output.

Smaller, multi-blade units (typically six blades) have an advantage in this respect. These blades have less inertia, so they require less wind to start turning, allowing them to reach their cut-in speed and start producing power sooner in light winds. So, if your cruising anchorages are characterized by light breezes, a small blade is the way to go … or is it?

A key factor in potential power output is the cube rule: Available wind power varies as a cube of wind speed. So if wind speed doubles, energy content (measured in kilowatts per square meter) increases eight times. A 10-mph wind has one-eighth the power of a 20-mph wind (10 3 =1,000 versus 20 3 =8,000), and a seemingly insignificant increase in wind speed from 10 to 12 mph can increase available wind power by 73 percent.

What this means from a practical standpoint is that if you choose a quiet anchorage that experiences occasional higher-than-normal gusts (squalls or katabatic winds, for example), a wind turbine could potentially yield more energy than it would if you were anchored in a steady, moderate breeze during the same time period.

Wind generators with fewer larger blades have higher maximum outputs and can produce more power in higher winds. (A one-bladed rotor, odd as it may seem, has greater potential for output than one with multiple blades.) This means that while a large-blade turbine might not match the output of a small-blade wind generator in light winds, its higher output in gusts can compensate for its higher cut-in speed and poor performance in lighter winds. A key factor is whether the occurrence of higher gusts is high enough to keep up with power demands.

Another consideration output-wise is that while sailing downwind, you have to subtract the boats speed from the wind speed to get the apparent effective wind speed at the generator. If the true wind speed is 14 knots and boat speed is 7 knots, your generator is actually “seeing” only 7 knots, meaning output will be greatly reduced.

Rotor Speed Control

While wind generators obviously require wind to operate, at some point (typically around 35 knots of sustained wind), youre approaching the too-much-of-a-good-thing level, and some form of blade speed control mechanism is required to prevent physical damage to the unit and, in some cases, the boats batteries. Braking, or blade speed control, can be accomplished in a number of ways. Some units have “self-braking” blades that stall at certain speeds, while others are designed to gradually turn away from the wind as higher than acceptable speeds are reached. Friction or air-brake systems are also used, as well as electrical stop switches. Finally, some turbines require you to physically tie or secure the blades, often an unattractive prospect in a rocking boat, considering the speed at which the blades can rotate. For extreme weather conditions, even the makers of units with stop switches recommend that you physically secure the blades and rotate the units to reduce windage, or remove the unit altogether.

OtherConsiderations

While construction, size, weight, and ease of installation are all important considerations when choosing a wind turbine, noise is often a deciding factor. All models are noisy to some extent. However, some units are as loud as an engine or genset running at anchor, which defeats one of the reasons folks turn to renewable energy – peace and quiet.

Much of the noise from a wind generator is caused by air movement at the tips (tip vortices) and back edges of the blades, which is why there is constant refinement in blade design. Blades with fine, smooth trailing edges and smaller tips will generally be quieter. Although noise can be reduced by factors such as construction and blade design, as a general rule, units with smaller blades are quieter than those with larger blades. The number of blades is a factor as well – a six-bladed unit will always be quieter than a two- or three-bladed unit, provided the blade diameter and design is equal.

Some folks don’t mind the noise of a larger unit, equating it to the sound of “money” flowing into the proverbial energy bank. Others (often those anchored beside you) will find it annoying. A good way to compare noise levels of various units “in the wild” is to walk the docks of your local marina or dinghy around the mooring field and observe others wind gens – it also gives you the opportunity to ask how satisfied the owners are with each unit.

Wind-power study is rich with mathematical formulas, and theres one to account for mounting height as well. According to the Wind Profile Power Law, wind speed rises proportionally to the seventh root of its height above sea level. By this formula, doubling the height of a turbine, then, increases the expected wind speeds by 10 percent and the potential power by 34 percent. However, at the slight altitude changes that are possible on a boat (say the 20 feet between a pole mount and a mizzen mount), this formula will likely have little bearing.

More important for our discussions of boat mounting is the “roughness” factor, which accounts for obstructions that impede windflow. The slight shift from pole mount to masthead will clearly alleviate roughness. How this will affect output will vary from boat to boat. Estimated increases in output range as little as 10 percent to more than 20 percent.

Mounting a wind generator is often a balancing act of aesthetics and performance, meaning your choice can look good but operate poorly or vice versa. The best spots are those that offer an unobstructed flow of wind while keeping whirling blades well clear of rigging, self-steering vanes, davits, or, most importantly, the outstretched arms of the tallest crew member.

Stern Poles and Arches

Stern poles and arches are popular mounting choices – both keep your wind generator in place where it can be tied down or serviced, but up and out of the way of outstretched arms. Stern poles are less expense, but proper bracing is crucial not only for strength, but to reduce movement of the pole (which, in turn, minimizes vibration and noise transmission belowdecks). Arches cost more, although the added expensive of having one fabricated can often be justified if it will serve multiple purposes (i.e., mounting for radomes and solar panels as well). The multiple attachment points on deck can also serve to dissipate vibration on the deck.

Mizzen-Mast Mount

A boat with two masts has the option of mounting its wind generator about two-thirds up the mizzen or at the very top. Both choices offer more exposure to wind and provide a cleaner-looking deck, however, they do add weight aloft and the units will be more difficult to service. Theyll also require longer cable runs, meaning you may have to upgrade to larger wire sizes to address voltage drop concerns. Securing them will also be more of a challenge, particularly those that have to be physically tied off in high winds.

Rig-Suspended Mounts

Rigging-suspended mounts, such as a fore-triangle hoist, are a good alternative when you just can’t seem to locate that perfect mounting spot. This option produces less vibration, and units that are designed to be deployed in this manner can easily be removed and stored to clear the decks when needed, however, they can’t be used while underway.

Conclusions

Based on our research (including the most recent data that well report next month), a large-diameter, three-bladed unit is a good choice if maximum potential output is a chief concern. Small-diameter units can’t be written off, however. If low noise, small size, and a low cut-in speed (for low wind areas) are your first priorities, these units have much to offer.

Three of the units in our most recent test – the Superwind 350, the Air Breeze, and the Kiss High Output – had best days of 88-115 amp-hour production. Worst days were less than 10 amp hours. This is enough, or nearly enough, to meet the average amp-hour requirements aboard a modern cruising boat fitted with a watermaker and refrigeration.

Despite these persuasive numbers, our evaluations and experience in the field indicate that relying on a single wind turbine for ones primary energy source is not the most sensible way to optimize for efficiency, particularly while under sail, when the rocking motion of the boat further inhibits performance. Solar panels have no moving parts, are durable, and in many ways are better suited for a lifestyle that tends to follow the sun. With the assistance of todays Multi Point Power Tracking Technology (See “ Boosting Solar Panel Output ,” Chandlery, August 2006), a single, 80-watt solar panel can replenish as much as 60-80 amp hours on an ideal summer day. Wind turbines, in our opinion, should be regarded as a viable option for a cruising sailboat with high energy needs to supplement its solar panels, genset, or high-output alternator – not as the ultimate solution to onboard energy production. Next month, well take a close look at the performance and features of each of the units.

• Installation Options
• Wind Generator Details
• Plotting Wind Distribution
• More Wind Generator Details
• Wind Generator Blade Design
• Estimating Wind Power

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please watch out when buying a Chinese turbine or other power generator items. they say 400-watt turbine but what they really mean is 400 watts/day. i had this problem. I could only get maybe 3 amps out of it now I know why. I also saw somewhere in the article they talked about amp-hours why? are all specs really per hour?

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• The Ultimate Guide to Sailing with the Wind: Mastering the Art of Wind Sailing

Sailing enthusiasts, both novice and experienced, understand the sheer thrill of harnessing the power of the wind to glide gracefully across the water. Wind sailing is a unique and exhilarating sport that requires skill, knowledge, and a deep connection with nature. In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the intricacies of winds for sailing, sailboat wind dynamics, and strategies for sailing faster than the wind itself. So, hoist your sails and let's embark on this exciting journey! 

Understanding the Basics of Wind Sailing

What is wind sailing.

Wind sailing, often referred to as sailing or yachting, is a thrilling water sport that involves using the wind to propel a sailboat across the water's surface. Unlike motorized boating, wind sailing relies solely on the power of the wind to move the vessel, making it an eco-friendly and serene way to navigate the waters.

The Essentials of Wind and Sailing

To become a proficient wind sailor, it's crucial to grasp the fundamentals of wind and its interaction with a sailboat. Wind is the primary driving force behind sailing, and understanding its behavior is essential for safe and enjoyable sailing.

The Connection Between Wind and Sailboats

Sailboats are meticulously designed to harness the energy of the wind. This intricate dance between wind and sailboat is what makes wind sailing a captivating and challenging endeavor.

Choosing the Right Wind Conditions

Optimal wind speed for sailing.

One of the most critical factors in wind sailing is wind speed. Discover the ideal wind speeds for different types of sailing and how to make the most of your sailing experience.

Interpreting the Sailing Wind Chart

The sailing wind chart is a sailor's best friend. Learn how to read and interpret this valuable tool to plan your wind sailing adventures effectively.

Sailing Away from the Wind: Points of Sail

Exploring different points of sail, including upwind and downwind sailing, will expand your wind sailing horizons and open up new possibilities for exploration.

Sailboat Wind Dynamics

How sailboats harness the wind.

Unlock the secrets behind how sailboats capture and utilize the power of the wind. Understanding sailboat wind dynamics is the key to becoming a skilled wind sailor.

The Anatomy of a Sail

Delve into the components of a sail and learn how subtle adjustments can significantly impact your sailing performance and speed.

Adjusting Sail Trim for Optimal Performance

Discover the art of sail trim, where precision adjustments to your sail's position and shape can make your sailboat sail faster and more efficiently.

Sailing Faster than the Wind

The physics behind sailing faster.

Sailing faster than the wind may seem counterintuitive, but it's a reality for experienced sailors. Explore the physics that make this feat possible.

Strategies and Techniques

Master the strategies and techniques that will allow you to outpace the wind, leaving you with a sense of exhilaration and accomplishment.

The Role of Sailboat Design

Sailboat design plays a crucial role in achieving higher speeds. Learn how to choose or optimize your sailboat for the ultimate wind sailing experience.

Read   our  top  notch   articles  on  topics  such as  sailing ,  sailing   tips  and  destinations  in  our   Magazine .

Safety Precautions and Wind Sailing Etiquette

Staying safe on the water.

Safety should always be a priority when wind sailing. Discover essential safety precautions to ensure you have a secure and enjoyable sailing adventure.

Respecting Other Sailors

Sailing is a communal activity, and adhering to wind sailing etiquette is essential for a harmonious experience on the water.

Environmental Responsibility

As a wind sailor, it's your duty to protect the environment. Learn how to minimize your ecological footprint while enjoying the beauty of the water.

Mastering Wind Sailing: Tips and Tricks

Perfecting your tacking and jibing.

Tacking and jibing are essential maneuvers in wind sailing. Master these techniques to navigate efficiently and enjoy a smoother sailing experience.

Reading the Wind

The ability to read the wind is a skill that separates novice sailors from experts. Learn how to interpret wind patterns and adjust your sails accordingly.

Enhancing Your Sailing Skills

Continuous improvement is the key to becoming a proficient wind sailor. Explore tips and tricks to enhance your skills and take your sailing to the next level.

Common Challenges in Wind Sailing

Dealing with unpredictable wind shifts.

Wind shifts can be challenging to navigate. Discover strategies for handling unexpected changes in wind direction and strength.

Navigating Strong Winds

Sailing in strong winds can be both exhilarating and daunting. Learn how to manage high winds safely and effectively.

Handling Gusts and Lulls

Gusty winds and lulls can pose challenges to even the most experienced sailors. Explore techniques for maintaining control in varying wind conditions.

Sailing Wind Speed Chart: Your Ultimate Reference

Decoding the sailing wind speed chart.

The sailing wind speed chart is a comprehensive reference tool for wind sailors. Learn how to decode and utilize this valuable resource.

Wind Speed and Your Sailboat

Understand the relationship between wind speed and your sailboat's performance to optimize your sailing experience.

Conclusion: Embrace the Wind, Master the Waves

Celebrating the beauty of wind sailing.

Wind sailing offers a unique connection with nature and a sense of freedom that few other activities can match. Embrace the wind, and let it guide you on unforgettable journeys.

Unleash Your Inner Sailor

With the knowledge and skills acquired from this guide, you're well on your way to becoming a proficient wind sailor. Unleash your inner sailor and embark on adventures that will leave you breathless.

Set Sail for New Adventures

The world of wind sailing is vast and varied, with endless opportunities for exploration. It's time to set sail for new adventures and create memories that will last a lifetime.

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The Oceanbird: Swedish firm develops largest wind-driven cargo shop

The Oceanbird will be 200 metres long with capacity to carry 7,000 cars. Image:  Oceanbird/Wallenius Marine

.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;color:inherit;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:hover,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo:focus,.chakra .wef-1c7l3mo[data-focus]{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(168,203,251,0.5);} Alister Doyle

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Stay up to date:, energy transition.

• A Swedish company is developing a 200 metre long cargo ship that will be powered by wind.
• The ship will have an engine as a backup, but aims to save 90% of carbon emissions compared to a conventional ship.
• The ship is expected to cost more than a conventional car carrier but operation costs are expected to be lower.

Two centuries after the first coal-powered steamships crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a Swedish company is designing a futuristic throwback: a huge, wind-driven cargo ship that could help end the fossil fuel era and limit climate change.

Shipping accounted for 2.9% of man-made greenhouse gas in 2018, and the industry's share of planet-heating emissions has been rising in recent years, according to the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization.

Have you read?

The winds of change: 5 charts on the future of offshore power, could this electric ferry’s success herald an era of greener shipping, how decarbonizing shipping could unlock a global energy transition.

One solution may be to turn the clock back to pre-industrial times and again hoist sails to carry cargo around the world.

Sweden's Wallenius Marine AB, which designs and builds ships, is currently testing a sleek white model of an "Oceanbird" automobile carrier in a bay in the Baltic Sea.

Per Tunell, Wallenius' chief operating officer, said results from the seven-metre model were encouraging and that he was "very confident" the full-scale Oceanbird will be ready to order by the end of next year.

The sail-driven ship could be in service in 2024 on Atlantic routes, he said.

The Oceanbird will be 200 metres long with capacity to carry 7,000 cars. It may be the tallest sailing ship ever built, equipped with wing sails reaching 105 metres above the water.

The sails, however, look little like traditional billowing fabric sails, instead more closely resembling aircraft wings rising vertically from the deck.

The vessel will have engines as a backup, but aims to save 90% of carbon emissions compared to a conventional ship run on polluting bunker fuel.

It will take Oceanbird about 12 days to cross the Atlantic, compared to eight for a fuel-powered ship.

The design "could also be applied as a cruise vessel, a bulk carrier, a tanker," Tunell said. "One of the key conditions is that it shall be commercially feasible."

Oceanbird would probably cost a bit more than a conventional car carrier, he said, declining to estimate the exact price.

But operating costs would be lower, especially if governments trying to curb climate-changing emissions impose a price on carbon emissions from using fuel.

The Oceanbird is not the only emerging contender in the low-carbon shipping race.

Neoline in France is seeking orders for a smaller, 136-metre vessel, also suitable for transporting cars or farm machinery.

Like Oceanbird, it reckons its carrier could cut emissions by 90%.

High tech low emissions

Such cargo ships would mark a maritime revolution. Until now most companies trying to cut emissions have viewed sails as an add-on to curb fuel consumption, not as the main source of propulsion.

But new technologies, such as wing sails and tougher, lighter materials inspired by racing yachts in the America's Cup, may enable a fuller shift to wind.

More reliable long-term weather forecasts also allow better route planning to avoid storms or doldrums.

"It makes sense to use this historic wind power, but also new technology," said Jean Zanuttini, chief executive officer of Neoline.

He said negotiations were underway on possible contracts and shipyard deals, with the first "Neoliner" vessel likely to be in service by July 2023, at a cost of about 45 to 50 million euros ($54-60 million).

Partners in designing and using the ship include carmaker Renault, he said.

A "no brainer"

Among early ocean-going steamships, the SS Savannah took 29 days to cross the Atlantic from the U.S. state of Georgia to Liverpool in England in 1819. Paddle wheels on its sides to supplement sails were its main power source.

Later the SS Royal William crossed the Atlantic from Pictou in Canada to London in 1833, relying almost entirely on steam power from coal.

Many shipping companies trying to cut emissions are seeking a boost from sails, kites or Flettner rotors - tall spinning tubes that help push a ship forward in much the same way as wings on a plane provide lift.

Helsinki-based Norsepower, which has installed such rotors on cargo ships and cruise ships, says they can typically cut fuel use by 5% to 20%.

Diane Gilpin, head of the Smart Green Shipping Alliance in Britain, said wind-powered ships were alluring on the drawing board and sails were a "no brainer" for fighting climate change.

Nearly a decade ago, she led a company that designed a "100%renewable-powered cargo ship" with sails and an engine using biogas from municipal waste. Tests of a model were successful, but it has not been built.

"The biggest challenge is getting market uptake. Everybody loves the pictures, everybody loves the story. But nobody puts the money into it," she said.

Still, the International Maritime Organization has said it wants to cut climate-changing emissions from shipping by half by 2050, from 2008 levels, she said.

That means that any ships ordered today, with an expected lifetime of 30 years, will have to be far less polluting.

With more than half of the journey costs for a ship coming from fuel, Gilpin said governments could spur a green shift by imposing a carbon emissions price of perhaps $50 a tonne on shipping.

Among the drawbacks for wind-powered vessels are that ports operate on strict deadlines, meaning an unexpected extra day at sea can mean missing a slot for unloading cargo in port and long, costly delays.

Both Oceanbird and Neoliner plan to use engines, powered by fossil fuels or biofuels, to stick to schedules if the winds they depend on calm en route. But Tunell said the engines and fuel tanks would be smaller than on a comparable vessel.

"Most of the other companies are focused on wind assistance. We are focusing on wind power. This is a sailing vessel," Tunell said. Jakob Kuttenkeuler, a professor at the Swedish KTH Centre of Naval Architecture who is running tests for Oceanbird, said one research puzzle is what wind changes will be like as sails reach new highs above the sea surface.

Oceanbird's wing sails, likely to be built from aluminium, steel and composite materials, will rise from a deck 35 metres above the water, reaching 105 metres (345 feet) above sea level.

Most mariners have learned how to manage winds closer to the water line, where waves causes air turbulence.

"Not too many people have utilised this part of the atmosphere in the open ocean. Planes go higher and ships go lower," he said.

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Best Wind Generators For Sailboats

Wind generators for sailboats are a great way to power your boat while at sea. But what are the best wind generators for sailboats?

October 17, 2023

This article may contain affiliate links where we earn a commission from qualifying purchases.

The best wind generators are designed specifically to meet the demands of sailors. These include features like high strength, small size, lightweight, and corrosion resistance. Silentwind, MarineKinetix, Superwind, Rutland, and Automaxx build the best wind generators for sailboats.

The wind can be a sailor's best friend or worst enemy. When the wind is blowing, sailors love it because they can harness its power and use it to steer their boat. But when the wind suddenly dies down, the boat will lose momentum and may even drift off course without any way of correcting for this loss in speed. This is where a good-quality wind generator comes into play!

Our experts took the liberty of testing and reviewing the best wind generators for sailboats. After hours of testing, we were able to compile a list of the best wind generators for sailboats that are available on the market today.

Table of Contents

‍ 1. MarineKinetix MK4+

The  Marine Kinetix MK4+  wind generator is a top-of-the-line device that's perfect for boats and RVs. It features a built-in regulator that ensures your batteries are always fully charged, while its advanced cooling system keeps the unit running smoothly even in harsh weather conditions.

The Marine Kinetix MK4+ is a carbon laminated blade turbine. This type of rotor design results in enhanced airfoil aerodynamics that can dramatically improve power generation compared to older designs. It features an ultra-lightweight composite hub and blades, making it exceptionally durable even when exposed to corrosive saltwater or when run through heavy winds or storms.

The MarineKinetix is one of the most popular marine wind generators today due to its cutting-edge technology and soundless design. The MarineKinetix is the new standard for anchorages across the world. It has a 44 percent larger swept area than other marine wind generators, allowing it to collect more power and ensuring that all of that power reaches your battery bank safely.

The MarineKinetix MK4+ is a hands-off, no-fuss wind energy production system specially designed for use in the sea. The aerodynamic and structural features of this high-output, low startup speed system are based on the finest of European wind science. It also has world-class aerodynamic efficiency, thanks to its carbon-filled aero-acoustic rotor blades, which are designed to minimize noise while maximizing airflow.

Furthermore, the MK4+ is an incredibly quiet wind generator; we've never heard one quieter. It has a noise level of only 35 decibels at 17 feet in 10 knots of wind. This makes it perfect for use in small anchorages and crowded harbors.

The Marine Kinetix MK4+ is also one the lightest wind generator on the market, weighing in at only 17 pounds. It can be easily transported and is perfect for use with sailboats, powerboats, and RVs.

Overall, the Marine Kinetix MK4+ is an incredible wind generator and a great choice for any boat or RV. If you're looking for a quality, durable, and quiet wind turbine, the Marine Kinetix MK4+ is definitely the one for you.

• Rated power output: 450 watts
• Rated voltage: 12/24/48V
• No of blades: 3
• Rotor Speed: 500-1000 rpm
• Weight: 17 lbs
• Ultra-lightweight and durable construction
• Easy installation
• Carbon-laminated blades for enhanced power generation
• No noise at all!
• Three-year warranty
• Not the most powerful turbine around

2. Silentwind 400 Plus

The  Silentwind 400 plus  is a wind turbine that has been designed for use in both marine and land-based applications. It is a reliable and efficient turbine that can provide power for boats, RVs, cabins, and other applications where a reliable source of energy is needed.

Compared to its predecessors, the new Silentwind 400 plus is equipped with high-duty carbon laminated blades. The company has dubbed these 'Silent Power Blades.' Silent wind claims that these blades provide improved wind monitoring and faster startup times than last generation's 400. These have been tested to work at turbulent speeds, and the generator is IP54 classified as waterproof/weatherproof, which means it will handle high humidity and moderate rain without damage.

According to reviews, the 400 plus has a starting speed of 4.2 knots and a max output of 425W at a 30% lower speed than other comparable generators. This is mainly due to the Silent Power Blades, which create less resistance to the wind, along with a three-phase triple alloy magnet generator

Because this turbine uses neodymium magnets, it can be used in any weather condition, unlike generators whose magnets will become demagnetized from the effects of wetness. The 400 Plus also has a 1-year warranty.

The turbine's blades are easy to access for cleaning or replacement without needing to remove the entire generator. This is an extremely valuable feature as it allows units to remain ready for operation at all times, even if they need servicing. The company claims that this generator also operates more quietly than other models on the market due to its specially designed 'silent power' blades. In addition, this model does not require oiling like some competitor products, which reduces both short-term maintenance needs and long-term expenses.

In terms of functionality, this generator can provide energy in most weather conditions due to its high-performance blades, advanced alloy magnets, and high-efficiency circuitry. It also features an easy-access design that allows for quick maintenance, which is invaluable when power needs are critical.

The Silentwind 400 plus is rated for 420, 450, and 500 watts. Its available in 12, 24, and 48V models. The 12V model is the most popular, with a weight of only 25 pounds. The turbine has an adjustable speed range of 550 to 1700 rpm, which means it can start at very low wind speeds.

Furthermore, the Silentwind 400 plus also has a built-in regulator that protects against overcharging and discharging. It is also equipped with an LED display that shows the turbine's speed, voltage, and amps being generated. This allows the user to make necessary adjustments to ensure maximum efficiency.

The only drawback we could find was that the company does not currently have a distributor in the United States. However, Silentwind has stated that they are working on this and hope to have a U.S. distributor soon. Also, due to range limitations, the Bluetooth feature is virtually useless in the open ocean.

Overall, the Silentwind 400 plus is an efficient and well-made wind turbine that can provide power for various applications. It is reliable, easy to use, and has been tested at hurricane speeds. It is a great choice for anyone looking for a dependable source of energy for their sailboats.

• Rated power output: 420/450/500 watts
• Rotor Speed: 550-1700 rpm
• Generator weight: 15 lbs
• High-duty carbon laminated blades
• Quiet operation
• Minimal maintenance required
• Adjustable speed range
• Built-in regulator
• U.S. distributor not yet available
• Bluetooth feature useless in the open ocean

3. Rutland 1200 Wind Turbine

The  Rutland 1200 Wind Turbine  is an efficient and reliable model that's capable of powering anything from sailboats to recreational vehicles. It has a durable, white epoxy-encapsulated frame, carbon fiber blades, and sealed bearings for consistent power generation. The turbine works best in light-to-medium wind conditions but can also charge 12 V batteries on larger vessels or RVs.

At 500 watts, the Rutland 1200 is a medium-sized turbine that packs a powerful punch without taking up too much room. The turbine features a sleek and modern design that blends in perfectly with any sailboat or RV.

The Rutland 1200 is a top-of-the-line wind turbine that's built to last. It has a sturdy frame, carbon fiber blades, and sealed bearings that can withstand even the harshest marine environment. The turbine also features a smart controller that prevents overcharging and protects your batteries from damage.

Best of all, this turbine is easy to install. The manufacturer includes all the necessary hardware, so you can simply attach it to your mast. It also comes with an emergency tiller control that allows you to harness power when needed during an emergency situation, and the design of the blades ensures that the wind is captured smoothly and efficiently.

The Rutland 1200 is a top-of-the-line wind turbine that's built to last. It has a sturdy frame, carbon fiber blades, and sealed bearings that can withstand even the harshest marine environments. The turbine also features a smart controller that prevents overcharging and protects your batteries from damage.

According to some users, the rotor was too small for larger boats or RVs and didn't generate enough power to be useful in high winds. Others said the blades were too noisy and made too much vibration when in use. It's also relatively expensive, although the price tag is to be expected considering the brand name and its capabilities.

Overall, this turbine is a great option for anyone who's looking to take their boat or RV off the grid. It has a durable design that can withstand harsh conditions, easy installation, and smooth operation. It's an excellent choice for those who have been looking to harness wind power but don't want to spend too much money on a DIY kit.

• Rated power output: 500 watts
• Rated Voltage: 24 V
• Blade diameter: 48 inches
• Weight: 17.2 lbs
• Durable and well-built construction
• Highly portable – easy to install and uninstall
• Too small for larger vessels or RVs
• Makes too much vibration when in use

4. Superwind 350

The  Superwind 350  is a small, lightweight wind turbine that is perfect for sailboats. When in operation, it can charge various batteries, including the 12V battery found in most sailboats. This unit has a power output of 350 watts and is equipped with an LED display that shows how much energy is being generated.

The Superwind 350 also comes equipped with Auto-Feathering Overspeed-Avoidance System. In layman terms, this system prevents the turbine from spinning too fast and damaging the blades. It does this by sensing when the wind speed is too high and then automatically slowing down the turbine. This system is especially valuable for sailors who often find themselves in high winds and can prevent costly damage to the turbine.

The blades' speed decreases as the wind speed rise to 25 knots; they start "feathering" (dumping air) to be less efficient and slower. However, as the wind dies down, the blades re-pitch, becoming more effective. In comparison to other comparable products, this action delivers a steady stream of charging current to the batteries without shutting down to avoid overcharging.

The Superwind 350 can also run in combination with solar panels and traditional diesel generators, making it the perfect choice for sailors who charge their batteries with multiple sources throughout the day. In addition, this turbine can be used in conjunction with a voltage-sensitive relay to automatically start and stop a generator based on the battery's state of charge.

Furthermore, The Superwind generator family also employs a brushless A/C stator to minimize noise and radio interference while the unit is generating power. This is a great feature for sailors who want to run power-intensive electronics such as refrigerators and air conditioners.

The only drawback we could find was that it's not the quietest. This could potentially cause issues, especially if you're trying to sleep below deck.

Overall, the Superwind 350 is a great choice for sailboats looking for an efficient and reliable wind turbine. It is easy to use and comes equipped with various safety features. It is also compatible with a variety of battery types and solar panels.

• Rated power output: 350 watts
• Rotor Speed: 450-1250 rpm
• Weight: 24 lbs
• Automatic speed regulation system (feathering and re-pitching) prevents damage to the turbine.
• Compatible with solar panels and traditional generators
• Not the quietest turbine on the market

5. AutoMaxx DB-400 Wind Turbine

AutoMaxx DB-400  is a great and affordable choice for any boat or RV owner looking to harness the power of the wind. It features large blades that allow it to generate more energy than most other marine turbines out there, while its lightweight and compact design make it easy to transport and store when not in use.

The AutoMaxx DB-400 is an expertly designed and efficiently engineered model that's capable of powering any vessel or recreational vehicle. It has a sleek and ergonomically designed white rotor, bearings, and hub that ensure fast wind speed increases for optimum energy production. The turbine is also made from durable, high-quality materials that can withstand harsh marine environments.

The AutoMaxx DB-400 wind turbine installs easily and quickly on any boat or RV, and it comes with all the necessary mounting hardware. Once installed, it's easy to use and requires minimal maintenance. The turbine has been designed for 12 V systems, and it's capable of producing up to 400 watts of power.

When it comes to performance, the AutoMaxx DB-400 Wind Turbine really shines. The turbine has been tested in some of the worst wind conditions and still produces more than enough power to keep your batteries charged. It has a sturdy, all-weather design that can easily handle heavy winds and rough conditions. It's also extremely quiet and vibration-free, making it the perfect choice for any boat or RV owner looking to harness the power of wind energy.

According to a few users, the devices didn't spin at the stated cut-in speed and generated less power than expected, although most people said they worked as predicted. It's tough to tell whether these flaws are due to poor installation, miscommunication between vendors and consumers, or unrealistic expectations. It's always a good idea to put your device through its paces when it arrives to ensure that it's functioning as intended.

Overall, the AutoMaxx DB-400 Wind Turbine is an efficient and reliable model that comes at a great price. If you're looking to get started with wind energy on your boat or RV but don't want to spend too much, this turbine is definitely the best choice for you.

• Rated power output: 400 watts
• Rated voltage: 12 V
• Sturdy and durable construction
• Lightweight and compact design
• Budget-friendly
• Poor performance in high winds
• Not the most efficient in its class

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Yachting Monthly

• Digital edition

Navigating wind farms: The dos and the don’ts

• Toby Heppell
• April 24, 2020

Wind farms want to restrict where yachts can sail around them. The RYA is fighting for freedom of navigation. Stuart Carruthers told Toby Heppell precisely what you can and can’t do

Most wind farms only have a 50m exclusion zone around each turbine. Credit: Getty

They may not yet be a pervasive hazard to cruising, but with more wind farms arriving by the year it’s fair to say they are already moving on from being something only those on the east coast or heading to Belgium, Denmark or the Netherlands need to think about.

The Danish were the first to install offshore turbines in the 1970s but the earliest applications for UK wind farms were made only in 1996.

The Crown Estate owns almost all UK coastline out to 12 nautical miles and had to agree to lease the seabed before construction could start.

Talks with the Coastguard, the RYA and other interested parties were held by the British Wind Energy Association, which then formulated Best Practice Guidelines for offshore wind farm development.

Rotor blades may be no less than 22m above MHWS which should be fine for most cruisers

The first project in UK waters was completed in 2001.

Between 2004 and 2019, however, 38 offshore wind farm sites including a number of demonstrator sites have been commissioned.

Seven more are under construction, and further sites have either been consented or are in the planning stages of development.

It’s important to note that there have been no recorded incidents involving recreational craft and offshore wind farms since the start of operations around the UK coast.

Care must be taken, nonetheless, in the navigation of farms in the UK.

Elsewhere rules differ from at home too.

Holland and Belgium have been prohibiting any leisure craft within their wind farms completely, until Holland recently permitted transit through some eastern wind parks.

They are the Offshore Windpark Egmond aan Zee (OWEZ), Prinses Amalia Windpark (PAWP) off IJmuiden and Windpark Luchterduinen (LUD) off Noordwijk (courtesy of westhinder).

Thankfully, due in part to a push from the RYA and others, the UK does not have this same issue of restricted navigation.

Some farms in the UK do have a designated passage through them, such as the wide one through Foulger’s Gat, but generally there is only a 50m safety zone around each turbine so passage through sites is absolutely fine.

The number of wind farms in UK waters is increasing year on year

‘The RYA is representing to the developers, through the government, the need to maintain proper marking, to make sure exclusion zones are not put in place around wind farms, and that they meet minimum design parameters for rotor height and charted depth so that should you choose to sail through them, you still can,’ said Stuart Carruthers, cruising manager at the RYA.

‘The RYA is a member of the Nautical and Offshore Renewable Energy Liaison (NOREL) group which works to ensure that the commercial and recreational shipping and ports industries successfully co-exist with the offshore renewable energy industries.

‘The RYA regularly monitors the development of seabed areas leased by the Crown Estate in order to assess their potential impact on recreational boating. We meet regularly with the developers involved to discuss recreational navigational safety and respond to national consultations on behalf of recreational boating.

‘Mostly consultation in the UK has worked well over the years and cruisers are still able to navigate through wind farms with the 50m restrictions from each pylon in place. However, this is a constant process and it is worth making sure you are following procedure on your end to ensure an easy passage. Currently, something under discussion – and I’m about to meet with the MCA about this – are support vessels (or Service Offshore Vessels to give them their proper title) that take engineers out to the farms and dock onto the individual units using a bridge between boat and pylon.

Currently some farms are applying to have safety zones around these boats. From our perspective and that of the MCA, these are covered off by the ColRegs as they are simply a vessel of limited maneuverability.

‘This is just one area where the wind companies often try to nibble at the edges of the rules so we need to stay vigilant.’

Carruthers says that the system currently works pretty well and almost all cruisers report very little trouble understanding how to navigate the farms but he warns it is worth making sure you know your rights.

‘There have been a few instances where patrol boats have incorrectly told cruising boats that they may not navigate through a farm. In the instances where this has happened it has usually been a case of the crew of the patrol boat not being properly briefed so there is nothing particularly underhand going on but it can be difficult to get your point across in such circumstances.

‘We are seeing wind farms expand and they are increasingly becoming something all sailors in the UK need to understand. The Rampion windfarm off Brighton is set to expand and we would expect that to grow a decent amount. They are going up Lincolnshire coasts and more are coming in the Liverpool Bay area.’

Navigation marks

Wind farms are marked by aids to navigation and are required to be conspicuous by day and night, with consideration given to prevailing conditions of visibility and vessel traffic.

In certain cases cardinal marks may also be permanently placed adjacent to wind farms.

During construction, standard cardinal marks are used around the working area.

A corner structure, or other significant point on the boundary of the wind farm, is called a Significant Peripheral Structure (SPS) and must be marked with lights visible from all directions.

These lights should be synchronised to display simultaneously an IALA ‘special mark’ characteristic, flashing yellow, with a range of not less than five nautical miles.

There is anecdotal evidence of turbulence downwind of wind farms causing rogue guets, though currently little conclusive evidence

Aids to navigation on individual structures are placed below the arc of the rotor blades, typically at the top of the yellow section.

As a minimum, each SPS will show synchronised flashing characteristics. In some cases there may be synchronisation of all SPSs.

In the case of a large or extended wind farm, the distance between SPSs should not normally exceed three nautical miles.

A key focus for the RYA has been to ensure that the farms are positioned well offshore.

‘Initially when the government started approving wind farms we were assured they would be 12 miles offshore,’ Caruthers explains.

‘This was not the case for a few of the earliest farms but in recent years that has been upheld. We feel this is a very important point. There is due diligence to be done in terms of your passage planning when it comes to wind farms, we take the view that if someone is 12 miles off the coast then they are likely going on a fairly long trip so we can assume thorough passage planning.

‘If the wind arrays get closer then there is a possibility they could interfere with coastal day-cruising which could become an issue.’

Interference effects

Stuart Carruthers is the RYA’s Cruising Manager and is heavily involved in the association’s discussions with wind farm operators

‘Anecdotally I have heard that there are turbulence effects from the farms,’ says Carruthers.

‘But if you think about it, when they design the array, they have to leave space between each turbine so it does not have an effect on another in the farm, so I think the effect if any is probably minimal. I certainly don’t think you absolutely need to consider wind direction in reference to whether you will be downwind of an array in your planning for this reason.

‘Where wind farms can interfere, however is radar where they do have a slight blocking effect so it’s unwise to rely on radar around them. Again anecdotally we have heard from RYA members that they have an effect on VHF but there is not evidence to support that.

‘We have also heard that due to the cabling there could be an effect on compasses. Again there is no evidence to support that, but I think it is possible if not likely.’

Wind farm dos and don’ts…

• Update your charts – paper and electronic – at least annually, particularly in the North Sea and off Liverpool, where new windfarms are being added or extended every year.
• Check regulations for each wind farm when sailing in foreign waters. Some allow passage through the windfarm, others don’t.
• Keep an increased lookout for shipping, as sailing around windfarms may force small yachts into channels also used by larger shipping.
• Watch out for turbulence and sudden gusts when passing downwind of turbines.
• Take extra care when navigating near windfarms in restricted visibility. As new structures are being added and work boats may be moving unpredictably, it’s best to err on the side of caution and keep clear.
• Monitor a windfarm’s working VHF channel if available.
• Check your mast height. The lowest point of the rotor blades have a least air draught of 22m above MHWS – plenty for most yachts.
• Make use of windfarms as navigation marks, often showing the location of shoal patches.
• Sail within 50m of a turbine, as each turbine has an individual exclusion zone.
• Pass too close to work boats operating in windfarms. They don’t have exclusion zones, though some may claim they do, but may well be restricted in their ability to manoeuvre and should be respected as such.
• Forget about tide and wave energy. A number of sites on the English south coast, the Welsh and Irish coasts and off Northern Scotland have development sites that may need extra care.

Cargo Ships Reclaim Wind Power With High Tech Rigid Sails

Canvas sails once powered the cargo ships that sailed the 7 seas, and now the modern day shipping industry is taking steps to reclaim its wind power heritage — with a high tech twist, that is. In the latest development, last week the French startup Zéphyr & Borée received validation for a new container ship decked out with 8 rigid sails engineered by the firm Computed Wing Sails.

This New Wind-Powered Ship Is No Small Potatoes

The new sails received approval in principle from the leading global certification firm Bureau Veritas, which has developed a new classification system for oceangoing wind propulsion systems .

BV certainly had its work cut out for it with the Zéphyr & Borée project. The ship is no demonstration-scale venture. It is a full sized, 185-meter (about 607 feet) cargo ship with a capacity of 1,800 TEU, which refers to the number of 20-foot containers it can hold.

That’s not nearly as big as the biggest cargo ships at sea today, which can easily top 20,000 TEU. However, it’s big enough to showcase how wind power can be scaled up to help decarbonize the global shipping industry.

High Tech Sails For More Wind Power

Zéphyr & Borée was founded in 2014 on a platform of shipping industry decarbonization , and it is casting a wide net in the wind power area.

The rigid wind power harvester designed by Computed Wing Sail is a thick, asymmetrical sail that resembles the wing of a glider. Depending on the wind conditions, it can fold down to hold a position half its height for optimal efficiency.

Zéphyr & Borée has also been working with the naval architecture firm VPLP, which has contributed its experience in designing rigid wing sails for racing yachts .

As described by Zéphyr & Borée, one challenge is to design a rigid sail that can be furled, meaning it can be folded into a more compact shape during rough weather.

The new sails also meet the challenge of minimizing crewing and training requirements.

“The control of the rigging does not require additional sailors, the settings are entirely automated and the structure meets the robustness and reliability imperatives required by maritime regulations and commercial ship activities,” Zéphyr & Borée explains.

How About Some Solar Power With Your Wind Power?

The idea of a rigid sail brings up the potential for adding on a layer of thin film solar panels. The Japanese firm Eco Marine Power introduced a patented rigid sail that doubled as as solar energy harvester back in 2011. Somewhere over the years, EMP separated the sails and the solar panels, which can be installed individually or as an integrated system.

By detaching the solar panels from the sails, EMP also gave the solar side more room to grow. EMP notes that its solar technology is lightweight and flexible, so it could be installed on awnings and other surfaces of a ship.

Earlier this year EMP received approval in principle from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai for its “Aquarius Marine Renewable Energy with EnergySail” solar and wind power combo.

EMP emphasizes that its clean power system can continue to generate electricity when the ship is at rest.  That’s a significant consideration in the context of the ongoing shipping bottleneck, which has left thousands of cargo ships waiting to dock while running their diesel engines.

New Shapes For Wind Power

Another interesting development to pop up is a cylindrical sail that resembles a smokestack, engineered by the firm Norsepower under the name Rotor Sail. The cylinder can be tilted down to allow for low bridges and other infrastructure, which opens up a broader array of shipping routes and destinations.

The Rotor Sail made its first appearance at CleanTechnica in 2015, when our friends over at Rocky Mountain Institute explained that the tubular design is an update of the Flettner rotor, a wind-powered device that spins within a cylinder.

“The rotor generates thrust for the same reason that a spinning baseball curves through the air after it’s thrown — the Magnus effect. When air moves across a rotating body, it exerts a force perpendicular to the direction of the air,” RMI explained.

All was quiet for a few years until 2019, when the tubular, tilt-able sails popped back onto the CleanTechnica radar in 2019. Norsepower has been awfully busy since then.

Among the recent developments is an agreement with the global mining and shipping giant Vale to outfit one of its “Valemax” Very Large Ore Carrier cargo ships with an array of 5 Rotor Sails .

Last month, Norsepower also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the global maritime technology firm Kongsberg Maritime .

The new agreement adds wind power to KM’s growing portfolio of decarbonization solutions for the shipping industry.

Oskar Levander, SVP Business Concepts for KM, explains:

“This co-operation with Norsepower is an additional step towards KM’s ambition to become the leading integrator of green shipping technology, such as auxiliary wind power, alternative fuels/energy sources and energy saving devices…Together we will offer support to shipowners and shipyards looking for the most efficient and effective ways of applying Rotor Sail technology, and collaborate on new ship designs to integrate these technologies and improve energy efficiency overall.”

Onward & Upward For The Decarbonized Shipping Industry Of The Future

Of course, if people would just stop buying so much stuff from faraway places, there wouldn’t be nearly as much carbon emissions from the the shipping industry. However, that’s not going to happen. In fact, the whole industry is headed in the wrong direction.

According to the International Marine Organization, the global shipping industry (including fishing) has improved its carbon intensity in recent years. Nevertheless, the industry’s total greenhouse gas emissions are already 90% higher than the benchmark year of 2008 and they are projected to keeping increasing by up to 130% in 2050.

Meanwhile, IMO hopes to cut emissions back down to 2008 levels by 2050. It appears that wind power will be part of the solution, though only as a means of reducing fuel consumption. It’s difficult to imagine a Valemax ship of 360 meters and 400 tons dead weight powered exclusively by the wind, but using wind power to reduce carbon emissions from marine fuel can make a significant difference.

Norsepower confirmed a savings of more than 8% on fuel for its Rotor Sail back in 2018, and the company anticipates a savings of up to 25% under some conditions.

Battery-electric technology will also play a role. Though today’s batteries might not be up to propelling a full sized cargo ship, Yara has just launched a modestly sized electric ship in Norway that will amplify its own emissions savings by replacing thousands of truck trips annually on local roads.

Zero emission hydrogen fuel cells are emerging as another decarbonizing option, at least for ferries and other smaller watercraft, but only to the extent that the global supply of green hydrogen continues to grow (the primary source of hydrogen today is natural gas, but alternative sources are emerging).

For larger craft, shipping industry stakeholders are beginning to dip into the green hydrogen-ammonia field, in which renewable ammonia can be produced by combining renewable hydrogen with nitrogen from ambient air. That’s a huge sustainability step up from the current state of the ammonia supply chain, which leans heavily on natural gas.

There being no such thing as a free lunch, the shipping industry will have to do something about nitrogen oxide emissions from burning ammonia in a combustion system, so stay tuned for more on that.

Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey .

Image: Rigid sails provide wind power for cargo ship (courtesy of Computed Wing Sail ).

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Back to the future: Swedish firm bets on wind-powered cargo ships

A mock-up illustration of an Oceanbird wind-powered cargo ship. Credit: Oceanbird/Wallenius Marine

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A futuristic throwback - a huge, wind-driven cargo ship - could help end the fossil fuel era and curb climate change, its designers say

By Alister Doyle

OSLO, Dec 9 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Two centuries after the first coal-powered steamships crossed the Atlantic Ocean, a Swedish company is designing a futuristic throwback: a huge, wind-driven cargo ship that could help end the fossil fuel era and limit climate change.

Shipping accounted for 2.9% of man-made greenhouse gas in 2018, and the industry's share of planet-heating emissions has been rising in recent years, according to the U.N.'s International Maritime Organization.

One solution may be to turn the clock back to pre-industrial times and again hoist sails to carry cargo around the world.

Sweden's Wallenius Marine AB, which designs and builds ships, is currently testing a sleek white model of an  "Oceanbird" automobile carrier in a bay in the Baltic Sea.

Per Tunell, Wallenius' chief operating officer, said results from the seven-metre model were encouraging and that he was "very confident" the full-scale Oceanbird will be ready to order by the end of next year.

The sail-driven ship could be in service in 2024 on Atlantic routes, he said.

The Oceanbird will be 200 metres long with capacity to carry 7,000 cars. It may be the tallest sailing ship ever built, equipped with wing sails reaching 105 metres above the water.

The sails, however, look little like traditional billowing fabric sails, instead more closely resembling aircraft wings rising vertically from the deck.

The vessel will have engines as a backup, but aims to save 90% of carbon emissions compared to a conventional ship run on polluting bunker fuel.

It will take Oceanbird about 12 days to cross the Atlantic, compared to eight for a fuel-powered ship.

The design "could also be applied as a cruise vessel, a bulk carrier, a tanker," Tunell said. "One of the key conditions is that it shall be commercially feasible."

Oceanbird would probably cost a bit more than a conventional car carrier, he said, declining to estimate the exact price.

But operating costs would be lower, especially if governments trying to curb climate-changing emissions impose a price on carbon emissions from using fuel.

The Oceanbird is not the only emerging contender in the low-carbon shipping race.

Neoline in France is seeking orders for a smaller, 136-metre vessel, also suitable for transporting cars or farm machinery.

Like Oceanbird, it reckons its carrier could cut emissions by 90%.

HIGH TECH, LOW EMISSIONS

Such cargo ships would mark a maritime revolution. Until now most companies trying to cut emissions have viewed sails as an add-on to curb fuel consumption, not as the main source of propulsion.

But new technologies, such as wing sails and tougher, lighter materials inspired by racing yachts in the America's Cup, may enable a fuller shift to wind.

More reliable long-term weather forecasts also allow better route planning to avoid storms or doldrums.

"It makes sense to use this historic wind power, but also new technology," said Jean Zanuttini, chief executive officer of Neoline.

He said negotiations were underway on possible contracts and shipyard deals, with the first "Neoliner" vessel likely to be in service by July 2023, at a cost of about 45 to 50 million euros ($54-60 million).

Partners in designing and using the ship include carmaker Renault, he said.

A "NO BRAINER"

Among early ocean-going steamships, the SS Savannah took 29 days to cross the Atlantic from the U.S. state of Georgia to Liverpool in England in 1819. Paddle wheels on its sides to supplement sails were its main power source.

Later the SS Royal William crossed the Atlantic from Pictou in Canada to London in 1833, relying almost entirely on steam power from coal.

Many shipping companies trying to cut emissions are seeking a boost from sails, kites or Flettner rotors - tall spinning tubes that help push a ship forward in much the same way as wings on a plane provide lift.

Helsinki-based Norsepower, which has installed such rotors on cargo ships and cruise ships, says they can typically cut fuel use by 5% to 20%.

Diane Gilpin, head of the Smart Green Shipping Alliance in Britain, said wind-powered ships were alluring on the drawing board and sails were a "no brainer" for fighting climate change.

Nearly a decade ago, she led a company that designed a "100%renewable-powered cargo ship" with sails and an engine using biogas from municipal waste. Tests of a model were successful, but it has not been built.

"The biggest challenge is getting market uptake. Everybody loves the pictures, everybody loves the story. But nobody puts the money into it," she said.

Still, the International Maritime Organization has said it wants to cut climate-changing emissions from shipping by half by 2050, from 2008 levels, she said.

That means that any ships ordered today, with an expected lifetime of 30 years, will have to be far less polluting.

With more than half of the journey costs for a ship coming from fuel, Gilpin said governments could spur a green shift by imposing a carbon emissions price of perhaps $50 a tonne on shipping.

Among the drawbacks for wind-powered vessels are that ports operate on strict deadlines, meaning an unexpected extra day at sea can mean missing a slot for unloading cargo in port and long, costly delays.

Both Oceanbird and Neoliner plan to use engines, powered by fossil fuels or biofuels, to stick to schedules if the winds they depend on calm en route. But Tunell said the engines and fuel tanks would be smaller than on a comparable vessel.

"Most of the other companies are focused on wind assistance. We are focusing on wind power. This is a sailing vessel," Tunell said. Jakob Kuttenkeuler, a professor at the Swedish KTH Centre of Naval Architecture who is running tests for Oceanbird, said one research puzzle is what wind changes will be like as sails reach new highs above the sea surface.

Oceanbird's wing sails, likely to be built from aluminium, steel and composite materials, will rise from a deck 35 metres above the water, reaching 105 metres (345 feet) above sea level.

Most mariners have learned how to manage winds closer to the water line, where waves causes air turbulence.

"Not too many people have utilised this part of the atmosphere in the open ocean. Planes go higher and ships go lower," he said.

Zero carbon at sea? Rotterdam port eyes a greener future

Shipping industry proposes $5 billion research fund to help cut emissions

Sustainable transport

(Reporting by Alister Doyle ; editing by Laurie Goering : (Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit http://news.trust.org/climate)

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This Wind-Powered Super Sailboat Will Carry 7,000 Cars Across the Atlantic

The cargo ship of the future is coming.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us?

• Traditional cargo ships are a requirement of the global economy and account for 2 percent of energy-related carbon emissions.
• This sailboat uses vertical "airplane wings" and an algorithm to continuously maximize speed.

A wind-powered super sailboat could change how we ship cargo, reducing energy-related carbon emissions in a method still used by 90 percent of manufactured goods . The Wallenius Marine OceanBird can carry 7,000 cars at a time and is powered totally by wind.

🚢 You like badass boats. So do we. Let's nerd out over them together.

Cargo ships are a gigantic worldwide business, and freight lines have already made changes to use fewer fossil fuels. That includes slowing down, because freight ships already take long, steady journeys that can absorb some extra lead time. But a wind-powered alternative could even eventually increase speeds without putting more demand on the global fossil fuel infrastructure.

OceanBird has five “sails” that are more like airplane wings or helicopter rotors, using rushing air at different speeds to pull the ship forward. For now, it can reach 10 nautical miles per hour, or knots, and will make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean in 12 days compared to eight in a fossil fuel cargo ship.

ScienceAlert reports on the smart and gigantic sails:

“The retractable wing sails stand 80 metres (262 feet) tall, and will be controlled by algorithms that calculate exactly how to make the most efficient use of wind power out on the ocean. An auxiliary engine, running on clean fuel, will be available as a backup and for getting in and out of harbours.”

So, like a Prius and other hybrids, the ship will use a fuel engine to get going and then the most efficient energy to cruise. In addition, the development team has made changes to the shape of the ship’s hull and added robust computing power that calculates the best possible configuration to harness the most speed at any give time.

What results is a sleeker, smarter ship design that the company says could also be used to improve cruise ships—a distant-feeling thought in 2020’s COVID-19 shutdown, but something that will eventually come back into play. Overall, Wallenius Marine says it has cut emissions by 90 percent.

While the global cargo shipping industry has taken a variety of steps to reduce its fossil fuel emissions, the sheer size of the industry and ongoing demand means it still makes up about 2 percent of all global emissions. The OceanBird is strictly in the design phase for now, with a fully realized design next year and earliest possible production in 2024.

Wallenius Marine wants to drum up interest now, but it also hopes sharing its ideas will encourage others in the space to continue to innovate. Goods will always need to circulate around the world, making cargo shipping an industry where even small changes can have a tangible and immediate impact.

The Best Solar Panels for Your Buck

160W Monocrystalline Solar Panel

If you aren't really sure where to start, this solar panel is a failsafe option. It's relatively budget-friendly (solar panels can get expensive fast ) and it performs. It's made of PET, EVA and monocrystalline silicon, and it's anti-reflective and high transparency. It's also easy to use and compact in size, making it easy to store when not needed. 

DOKIO Monocrystalline Foldable Solar Panel

If you live somewhere with low light, you might be worried that solar panels aren't for you, but these actually perform excellently in low light conditions. The high conversion efficiency 100 watt PV panel can charge 12v /24v batteries, and it comes with a portable folding suitcase. This one is easy to take on-the-go with you if you're camping, and easy to store if you're using it at home in case of a power outage. 

Renogy 300 Watt Monocrystalline Solar Panel

If you want to really go all out, you can't go wrong with Renology's 10-piece, 300-watt solar panels. They're capable of withstanding high winds and snow loads, they're anti-reflective, and extremely versatile. These are ideal for residential or commercial rooftops, but they're compatible with a ground-mount as well. 

Renogy 100 Watts 12 Volts Monocrystalline Solar Starter Kit

Anyone new to solar panels should start with a good kit, like this one by Renology. You'll get everything you need in one, including an 100W solar panel, 30A PWM negative ground charge controller, MC4 connectors, a 8Ft 10 AWG tray cable, and mounting Z brackets for an RV or boat. It can fully charge a 50Ah Battery from 50% in 3 hours.

Caroline Delbert is a writer, avid reader, and contributing editor at Pop Mech. She's also an enthusiast of just about everything. Her favorite topics include nuclear energy, cosmology, math of everyday things, and the philosophy of it all. 

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• Open access
• Published: 19 March 2024

Larger wind turbines as a solution to reduce environmental impacts

• Naveed Akhtar 1 ,
• Beate Geyer 1 &
• Corinna Schrum 1 , 2  

Scientific Reports volume  14 , Article number:  6608 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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• Physical oceanography
• Wind energy

The EU aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, focusing on offshore wind energy. Investments in North Sea wind farms, with optimal wind resources, play a crucial role. We employed a high-resolution regional climate model, which incorporates a wind farm parametrization, to investigate and address potential mitigating impacts of large wind farms on power generation and air-sea fluxes. Specifically, we examined the effects of replacing 5 MW turbines with larger 15 MW turbines while maintaining total capacity. Our study found that substituting 15 MW turbines increases the capacity factor by 2–3%, enhancing efficiency. However, these turbines exhibit a slightly smaller impact on 10 m wind speed (1.2–1.5%) and near-surface kinetic energy (0.1–0.2%), leading to reduced effects on sea surface heat fluxes compared to 5 MW turbines. This was confirmed by a stronger reduction in net heat flux of about 0.6–1.3% in simulations with 5 MW compared to 15 MW wind turbines. Air-sea fluxes influence ocean dynamics and marine ecosystems; therefore, minimizing these impacts is crucial. Overall, deploying 15 MW turbines in offshore wind farms may offer advantages for ocean dynamics and marine ecosystems, supporting the EU's carbon–neutral objectives.

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Impacts of accelerating deployment of offshore windfarms on near-surface climate

Naveed Akhtar, Beate Geyer & Corinna Schrum

Introduction

The deployment of wind energy is a significant step towards reducing carbon emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy sources. Offshore wind farms (OWFs) have become a major focus in recent times due to the higher, more consistent, and reliable sea winds they offer compared to land-based wind farms 1 , 2 . Wind speeds over the sea, approximately 10 km off the coast, are typically 25% higher than those over land. Offshore wind resources have the capacity to generate electricity for 2–3 times longer periods compared to onshore wind resources 3 , 4 . Offshore wind turbines are situated far away from public areas, which makes the issue of noise, which often leads to complaints with onshore wind developments, less of a concern. Furthermore, offshore wind energy developments enable the construction of large, clustered wind farms with taller and larger wind turbines, which is not feasible on land.

The North Sea is a major hub for offshore wind energy 5 . This is due to several unique characteristics possessed by the region. Such as strong, consistent, and reliable wind resources at shallow water depth that allow bottom fixed wind turbines and other technologies to be deployed far from the shore. Europe has made significant strides in wind energy, with 207 GW of onshore and 28 GW of offshore capacity, resulting in a total installed wind power capacity of 235 GW 6 . The European Union (EU) aims to increase its offshore wind energy capacity to 60 GW by 2030 and 300 GW by 2050 7 . To support these targets, the North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) has committed to achieve at least 260 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2050, which is more than 85% of the EU's offshore wind capacity target 8 . The deployment of offshore wind installations in the North Sea is expected to increase significantly in the future 9 .

Efforts to maximize power generation from offshore wind energy have led to the development of more efficient and larger wind turbines. These larger turbines have greater rotor diameters, allowing them to capture more wind and generate more electricity. Additionally, taller turbines can produce more energy due to the faster and more consistent winds found at higher altitudes, resulting in a more stable and reliable source of energy. They can also continue to operate at lower wind speeds, increasing the number of hours they can generate electricity. Moreover, larger turbines can help to reduce the number of turbines required for a given wind farm capacity, ultimately reducing the overall cost of energy production. For example, the Haliade-X 13/14 MW offshore wind turbines, with longer blades and larger rotor areas, are scheduled to be installed in the Dogger Bank, one of the world's largest offshore wind farms 10 , 11 and these turbines are more efficient and less sensitive to wind speed variability, with a capacity factor (CF) ranging between 60 and 64%.

Offshore wind farms (OWFs) are typically clustered together in order to take advantage of the best wind resources and to minimize infrastructure and operating costs. However, this clustering can result in a decrease in power generation for downwind wind farms due to wakes generated by upwind wind farms. Wind turbines create wakes—areas of reduced wind speed and increased turbulence—as they extract kinetic energy from the wind to convert some of it into electrical energy and dissipate the rest as turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). The amount of TKE generated by turbines varies with the wind speed and is responsible for the formation of wakes and a downwind wind speed deficit 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 . These wakes can reduce the efficiency of downwind turbines by decreasing the wind speed and changing the wind direction, leading to a loss of power generation 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 . It is expected that wakes generated by wind farms would be longer over the ocean than over land due to the weaker turbulence intensity over the ocean 19 , 20 . Observational evidence suggests that wakes generated by wind farms can extend up to 50–70 km under stable stratified atmospheric conditions 21 . There is some evidence that the wakes generated by wind farms can have an impact on the local microclimate. For example, it has been observed that there is an increase in temperature by 0.5 K and humidity by 0.5 g per kilogram in wakes up to 60 km downwind of the wind farms at hub height 22 .

It's noteworthy that the majority of studies on wake dynamics have focused on either single wind turbines 23 , 24 or individual wind farms 22 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 . Limited research exists on the analysis of wakes generated by one wind farm affecting another wind farm 16 , 18 . In our previous studies 14 , 15 , we pioneered a multi-year period basin-wide scale simulation of extensive clusters of offshore wind farms in the North Sea, encompassing both operational and planned installations. Our analysis delved into their influence on power generation and regional climate by modifying sea surface fluxes. It was found that annual wind speed deficits at hub height within the wind farms can reach 2–2.5 ms –1 , depended on the shape of the wind farms 15 . The substantial size of wind farms and their proximity impacts not just the performance of their downwind turbines but also that of neighboring farms, resulting in a reduction of the capacity factor by 20% or more. This decrease in efficiency elevates energy production costs, leading to economic losses. Wind turbines do not only affect the wind speed within the rotor area but also reduce the surface wind speed by approximately 1.0 ms –1 . This decrease in the annual mean wind speed results in a reduction in the annual mean values of net heat flux, indicating a 2% less heating of the atmosphere from the sea surface 14 . Further investigation revealed that the wakes generated by wind farms induce significant alterations in annual biomass primary production, causing local changes of up to ± 10%, not only within the wind farm clusters but also distributed across a broader region in the North Sea 31 .

These studies demonstrate that large offshore wind farms can exert a significant impact on the local climate and ecosystem of the North Sea. Therefore, more meticulous planning is essential to mitigate the effects of large offshore wind farms on the local climate and the ecosystem of the North Sea.

The size of the wake in a wind farm is influenced by several critical factors, including wind speed, turbine dimensions, and spacing. The management of these factors plays a pivotal role in shaping both the operational efficiency and the ecological footprint of wind farms. To mitigate the impact of wakes on power generation, one promising strategy involves upscaling wind turbines, both in terms of their height and rotor diameter, while simultaneously reducing the density of turbines, without compromising the total installed capacity. The emergence of floating wind turbines represents a concept with numerous environmental and deployment advantages. Floating turbines can be situated in deep waters, far from coastal areas, where the wind is consistently stronger and more reliable. Additionally, they offer greater flexibility for relocation and maintenance. The disparities in wakes produced by fixed and floating wind turbines are marginal, especially noticeable in higher wind speeds and lower wave heights 32 .

The deployment of larger and taller wind turbines holds the potential to significantly boost power production, particularly because wind speeds tend to be higher at greater altitudes. However, it's crucial to adopt a balanced perspective that accounts for the potential environmental and ecological consequences associated with larger turbines and lower turbine density. Striking the right equilibrium between energy output and environmental sustainability demands careful evaluation and consideration.

This research endeavors to explore the potential positive contributions of larger and taller offshore wind farms (OWFs) toward the mitigation of environmental impacts. Within the scope of this study, we investigated scenarios featuring homogenous wind farms, equipped with two distinct turbine types with varying capacities, either 5 MW or 15 MW, but with equivalent installed power across the domain. The wind farm parametrization considers these wind turbines as fixed to the bottom. The selection of 5 MW and 15 MW turbines was primarily motivated by two considerations: Firstly, the 5 MW turbine size aligns with those commonly found in existing wind farms in the North Seas 15 . Secondly, the choice of a 15 MW turbine is justified by its close resemblance in size to the 14 MW turbine installed in the Haliade-X Dogger Bank. The primary objective of this study is to delve into potential disparities in the near-surface climate impact between employing a low turbine density of larger wind turbines and a high-density configuration of smaller turbines. Additionally, we assess how wake effects affect power generation in scenarios using fewer, larger turbines compared to those with numerous, smaller turbines.

Experimental design

The regional atmospheric model COSMO-CLM 33 , which includes a wind farm parameterization 14 , 15 , 34 , 35 , was used to investigate the interactions between OWFs and the boundary layer, as well as the wakes generated by them. COSMO-CLM solves the non-hydrostatic compressible primitive equations on an Arakawa-C staggered grid, with a uniform horizontal grid spacing of 0.02˚ (~ 2 km; 396 × 436 grid cells) and a stretched grid spacing in the vertical with 62 terrain following model levels. This allows for 5 and 8 vertical levels within the rotor areas of 5 MW and 15 MW turbines, respectively. Time integration was performed using a third order Runge–Kutta scheme with a time step of 12 s, and vertical turbulent diffusion was parametrized using a one-dimensional prognostic TKE advection scheme 36 . The model used a delta-two-stream scheme for longwave and shortwave radiation with a cloud microphysics scheme 36 . Initial and boundary conditions for the model were taken from the coastDat3 simulations 37 , which are available at hourly intervals on a 0.11˚ grid and are driven by European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecast (ECWMF) ERA-Interim reanalysis dataset 38 . Additionally, to the atmospheric forcing the model is forced at the bottom boundary by prescribed sea surface temperature, and the surface roughness over sea is calculated using the Charnock formula 39 .

The wind farm parameterization in COSMO-CLM treats wind turbines as a momentum sink on the mean flow, converting kinetic energy (KE) into electrical energy and TKE 15 , 34 , 35 . The magnitude of the momentum sink varies with wind speed, air density, turbine density, thrust coefficients, and power coefficients. The thrust and power coefficients, which are functions of wind speed, are derived from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 5 MW and International Energy Agency (IEA) 15 MW reference wind turbines for offshore system development 40 , 41 . Table 1 provides key parameters, such as values of cut-in, cut-out, and rated wind speeds, hub heights, rotor diameters, and turbine density, for both turbines used in this study. A comprehensive validation of the wind speed simulated by COSMO-CLM and the simulated wakes against available observations was conducted in a prior study 15 .

We simulated the atmospheric conditions of 2008–2009 with all existing and planned OWFs in the North Sea for a technical future scenario created in 2015 42 (see Fig. SI 1 ). Two simulations were conducted with different wind turbine configurations: 5 MW and 15 MW with turbine densities of 1.8 km -2 and 0.6 km -2 , respectively, resulting in an installed power capacity of 108 GW (Table 1 ). The COSMO-CLM simulations with wind farm parameterization that includes 15 MW, and 5 MW wind turbine characteristics are referred to as "CCLM_WF15″ and "CCLM_WF5″, respectively. A simulation without wind farm parameterization as control experiment is referred to as "CCLM”.

Results and discussion

This section provides a detailed discussion of the impact of wakes generated by 15 MW and 5 MW wind turbines on 10 m wind speed, turbulent kinetic energy, 2 m temperature, 2 m specific humidity, and net surface heat flux (NH) and its components at the sea. The North Sea experiences significant spatial and temporal variability in wind speed, with stronger winds in the western regions and during winter. Our simulated wind speeds were validated against observations in a previous study 15 that extensively investigated wind farms' influence on air-sea heat and momentum fluxes. Here, we focus specifically on changes in air-sea fluxes due to fewer and larger wind turbines 14 . As the focus of the wind industry remains effective energy conversion to electrical power, we add an analysis of the effects of changed wake effects on capacity factors.

The impact of wind farms on the atmosphere reaches up to 600 m above the sea surface, as shown in Fig.  1 . The vertical profiles of mean horizontal wind speed and TKE over the wind farm areas indicate that the highest change in wind speed and TKE occurs between the hub height and the upper tip of the blade. The maximum wind speed reduction due to wake effects is found to be about 14% in CCLM_WF15 and about 18% in CCLM_WF5 over the wind farms. The increase in TKE is about threefold in CCLM_WF15 and fourfold in CCLM_WF5 in the wind farm areas. The increase in TKE and reduction in wind speed is weaker in CCLM_WF15 compared to CCLM_WF5 due to less turbine density.

Mean vertical profiles of the CCLM_WF15, CCLM_WF5, CCLM for ( a ) wind speed and ( b ) turbulent kinetic energy over the wind farm areas during the period of 2008–2009. The solid circles indicate the main levels ( a ) or half levels ( b ) of the model. The solid gray line (red lines) indicates the 90 m (150 m) hub height of the turbine, while the dotted gray (red) lines represent the lower tip of the rotor at 27 m (30 m) and upper tip of the rotor at 153 m (270 m) for the 5 MW (15 MW) turbines.

Impact of OWFs on 10 m wind speed and TKE

The impact of wind turbines' wakes extends beyond their rotor area and affects the near-surface climate. Recent research has demonstrated that 10 m wind speed is reduced in the wake areas and TKE is slightly reduced at the lowest atmospheric level 14 . Additionally, an acceleration in 10 m wind speed is observed at the upstream edge of wind farms due to the wind channeling effect, which is more pronounced for southwesterly winds. The results indicate that taller and larger wind turbines, combined with their lower density, have a lesser impact on surface wind speed.

The comparison between CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_5MW wind farms shows that the reduction in 10 m wind speed is smaller by 0.2–0.4 ms –1 (about 1.3%), for wind farms with fewer and larger turbines than for those with many smaller turbines (Fig.  2 ) in case of southwesterly winds. For all wind directions these differences are about 1.5% (Fig. SI 2 ). This is due to the lower turbine density, higher hub height, and the greater distance between the lower tip of the blade and the sea surface, which is approximately 3 m more for CCLM_WF15 than for CCLM_5MW wind turbines (Table 1 ).

The mean difference of 10 m wind speed between ( a ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM, ( b ) CCLM_WF5 and CCLM, and ( c ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 for southwesterly winds (200–280°) for the period of 2008–2009. The legend provides root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean differences (MD) over the wind farm areas for the same period. This figure was created using Matplotlib (Hunter, J. D., Matplotlib: a 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science and Engineering 9, 2007) and Cartopy (Met office, Cartopy: a cartographic python library with a matplotlib interface. Exeter, Devon, https://scitools.org.uk/cartopy , 2015).

The acceleration in wind speed at the upstream edge of the wind farms is slightly weaker for CCLM_WF15 compared to CCLM_WF5. It is worth noting that both observations and model simulations have found near-surface wind speed acceleration 14 , 43 , 44 . However, when the wind speed analysis includes all wind directions this near-surface acceleration in wind speed only leads to areas with diminished reduction at the OWF borders, as shown in Fig. SI 2 .

The conversion of kinetic energy (KE) into electric power by wind turbines results in a reduction of the wind speed and an increase in turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) within the wind farm and downwind wakes 14 , 34 . The vertical profiles reveal that TKE exhibit different behavior in the lowest layer compared to the layers within the rotor area and at hub height. Figure  3 illustrates the near surface differences in TKE between offshore wind farms and wake areas, compared to boundary-layer flow without wind farms, for southwesterly winds (200–280°). For the wind farm areas CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 show similar reduced values of surface TKE compared to CCLM of about 3.3% and 3.2% respectively. In the wake areas the reduction of TKE is stronger for the 5 MW turbines. Similar differences are found in case of mean turbulent kinetic energy for all wind directions (Fig. SI  3 ).

The mean difference of turbulent kinetic energy at lowest atmospheric level between ( a ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM, ( b ) CCLM_WF5 and CCLM, and ( c ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 for southwesterly winds (200–280°) for the period of 2008–2009. The legend provides root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean differences (MD) over the wind farm areas for the same period. This figure was created using Matplotlib (Hunter, J. D., Matplotlib: a 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science and Engineering 9, 2007) and Cartopy (Met office, Cartopy: a cartographic python library with a matplotlib interface. Exeter, Devon, https://scitools.org.uk/cartopy , 2015).

Impact of OWFs on 2 m specific humidity and temperature

When wind turbines operate, they generate turbulence in the air around them, which can cause the upward movement of moist air 45 . Studies have shown that wind turbines can lead to a decrease in annual mean temperature and an increase in specific humidity above the hub height over the wind farms. This is because the upward movement of moist air can cause it to cool and release its moisture, which can then mix with the drier air from higher altitudes 14 . Wind turbines have been found to alter the vertical profile of the atmosphere primarily within the wind farm area through increased vertical mixing. As a result, the atmospheric levels below the hub height become drier and warmer, with the most significant changes occurring at the edge of the lowest rotor tip.

In case of southwesterly winds, the annual mean difference in specific humidity at 2 m was found to be reduced by up to 0.12 g kg −1 (1.8%) in the wind farm areas and wakes of the CCLM_WF15 simulation compared to the CCLM simulation, as shown in Fig.  4 . Furthermore, compared to the CCLM_WF5 simulation, the differences in 2 m specific humidity were slightly lower (ranging from 0.02 to 0.03 g kg –1 ) in the downwind stream and slightly higher at the upstream edges of the wind farm in the CCLM_WF15 simulation. Including all wind directions, the differences in 2 m specific humidity between the CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 simulations are very small, approximately 0.01 g kg –1 or 0.1% as shown in Figure SI 4.

The mean difference of 2 m specific humidity between ( a ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM, ( b ) CCLM_WF5 and CCLM, and ( c ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 for southwesterly winds (200–280°) for the period of 2008–2009. The legend provides root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean differences (MD) over the wind farm areas for the same period. This figure was created using Matplotlib (Hunter, J. D., Matplotlib: a 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science and Engineering 9, 2007) and Cartopy (Met office, Cartopy: a cartographic python library with a matplotlib interface. Exeter, Devon, https://scitools.org.uk/cartopy , 2015).

The increase in 2 m temperature observed in the wind farm areas (Fig.  5 ) is caused by the decrease in moisture resulting from enhanced vertical mixing. Specifically, the annual mean temperatures at 2 m show an increase of up to 0.11 °C primarily in the wind farm areas in the CCLM_WF15 simulation compared to the CCLM simulation. The differences in 2 m temperature between the CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 simulations are small, about 0.01 °C for the prevailing winds as for all wind directions (Fig. SI 5 ).

The mean difference of 2 m temperature between ( a ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM, ( b ) CCLM_WF5 and CCLM, and ( c ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 for southwesterly winds (200–280°) for the period of 2008–2009. The legend provides root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean differences (MD) over the wind farm areas for the same period. This figure was created using Matplotlib (Hunter, J. D., Matplotlib: a 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science and Engineering 9, 2007) and Cartopy (Met office, Cartopy: a cartographic python library with a matplotlib interface. Exeter, Devon, https://scitools.org.uk/cartopy , 2015).

Impact of OWFs on net surface heat fluxes

The impact of wind turbines on near-surface wind speed and TKE affects the net heat flux in the atmosphere by modifying the turbulent fluxes such as the latent heat (LH) and the sensible heat (SH) fluxes, as well as radiative fluxes including shortwave (SW) and longwave (LW) radiation 14 . The changes in these fluxes are mainly influenced by the change in 10 m wind speed, TKE, specific humidity, and temperature gradient between the surface and the lowest atmospheric level. The decrease in TKE results in a reduction in mixing in the lowest atmospheric layer, which leads to a decrease in turbulent fluxes 14 .

The comparison between CCLM_WF15 and CCLM indicates an average increase of LH flux by about 0.7 Wm -2 (1.4%) in the wind farm areas during southwesterly winds (Fig.  6 ). However, locally, these differences vary between − 1.5 and 1.5 Wm –2 . Similarly, when comparing CCLM_WF5 and CCLM, the differences are around 0.6 Wm −2 (1.3%), varying from − 3 to 3 Wm –2 . The increase in LH flux mainly occurs in areas where the upstream wind speed accelerates. Figure  6 (third row) shows that larger and fewer wind turbines cause a slightly stronger increase in LH flux, with only a 0.2% difference compared to smaller turbines. For winds from all directions, the LH flux difference between CCLM_WF15 and the standard CCLM version is increased by 0.6% (Fig. SI 6 ).

Mean differences between CCLM_WF15 and CCLM (first row), CCLM_WF5 and CCLM (second row), and CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 (third row) for (fist column) net heat (NH) flux, (second column) latent heat (LH) flux, (third column) sensible heat (SH) flux, (fourth column) net upwelling longwave (LW) radiation, and (fifth column) net shortwave downwelling (SW) radiation for wind directions of 200–280° during the period of 2008–2009. The legend provides root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean differences (MD) over the wind farm areas for the same period. This figure was created using Matplotlib (Hunter, J. D., Matplotlib: a 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science and Engineering 9, 2007) and Cartopy (Met office, Cartopy: a cartographic python library with a matplotlib interface. Exeter, Devon, https://scitools.org.uk/cartopy , 2015).

According to the results, the SH flux in CCLM_WF15 causes a reduction of approximately 1.4 Wm –2 (38%) when compared to CCLM for southwesterly winds (Fig.  6 ). The difference between CCLM_WF5 and CCLM is approximately − 1.5 Wm –2 (40.8%). This suggests that the reduction in SH is slightly less in CCLM_WF15, at around 0.10 Wm –2 (10.4%), compared to CCLM_WF. When considering the mean winds in all directions, the reduction in SH flux in CCLM_WF15 is about 0.11 Wm –2 (2.5%) weaker when compared to CCLM_WF5 (Fig. SI 6 ).

The installation of fewer and larger wind farms also affects the SH flux by causing less reduction in 10 m wind speed (Fig.  2 ) and changes in 2 m temperature (Fig.  5 ). In comparison to CCLM_WF5, the reduction in SH is lower in CCLM_WF15 by approximately 0.1 Wm –2 (10.4%) for southwesterly winds (Fig.  6 ) and about 0.11 Wm –2 (2.5%) in mean for all wind directions (and SI 6). The SH flux is primarily influenced by the temperature gradient between the sea surface and the lowest atmospheric layer, in addition to wind speed, as noted in previous studies 14 .

Changes in the specific humidity/temperature contrast between the surface and the lowest atmospheric layer are the main cause of changes in the surface turbulent fluxes (Fig.  6 ). Variations in wind speed also indirectly impact these fluxes. Furthermore, the decrease in TKE in the lowest atmospheric layer (Fig.  3 ) results in a reduction of the turbulent diffusion coefficient for heat.

Studies employing the same wind farm parameterization utilized in this study have similarly documented a reduction in the LH flux when the lowest atmospheric layer is warmer and drier compared to the surface layer, particularly for onshore wind farms 45 , 46 . Likewise, a numerical study conducted using the mesoscale model METRAS over the German Bight region identified a decrease in turbulent fluxes 47 . Additionally, experimental evidence derived from wind-tunnel experiments substantiates a reduction in surface heat fluxes by approximately 4%, in the context of staggered wind farms 48 . Conversely, when the lower atmospheric layer is moister and colder than the surface layer, an increase in LH heat fluxes has been observed 49 .

Wind farms can indeed exert an influence on low-level clouds, subsequently affecting radiative fluxes 14 . Low clouds tend to increase because of flow convergence and uplift occurring at the upstream edge of wind farms 45 . The turbulence generated by wind turbines results in increased moisture at higher altitudes, leading to heightened relative humidity and cloud coverage due to adiabatic cooling. An increase in low-level clouds above the wind farms is also evident in our findings (Fig. SI 7 ). The annual mean values differ slightly for the WF simulations and show an increase of up to approximately 4.2% in low clouds in the CCLM_WF15 and in CCLM_WF5 compared to the CCLM over the wind farm areas for southwesterly winds. For all wind directions, the difference between CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 is low as well with approximately 0.1%. This additional formation of clouds above wind farms has also been observed 50 .

The primary effect of an increase in clouds is to reduce incoming solar radiation (Figs.  6 and SI 6 ). There's a minimal disparity in the impact on radiative fluxes between CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5, particularly when considering southwesterly winds (Fig.  6 ). When examining the overall averages across varying wind conditions, we observe only slight deviations in their influence on radiative fluxes due to the presence of fewer but larger wind turbines, as depicted in Figure SI 6. Furthermore, cloud cover and precipitation exhibit similar patterns in their mean values when subjected to winds from all directions, as revealed in Figures SI 8 and SI 9. The alteration in cloud patterns, characterized by an increase over the wind farms and a subsequent reduction downwind of the wind farms, has been reported in previous studies 47 .

Impact of OWFs on capacity factor

The increase in wind speed with altitude from 90 to 150 m height might lead to an increase in the CF of power production by about 3–5% (Fig. SI 10 ) without wake effects. This is because the wind is stronger and more stable in greater heights, which gives the possibility for optimum power generation by the installation of taller and larger wind turbines, such as 15 MW turbines with a 150 m rotor height and 240 m diameter. However, it is also important to estimate the impact of wakes generated by these wind turbines on power generation.

Figure  7 shows that the reduction in the annual mean wind speed is notable, reaching up to 2–2.5 ms –1 during prevailing southwesterly winds (200°–280°). The mean differences between CCLM_WF15 and CCLM are approximately − 1.4 ms –1 (11.8%), and between CCLM_WF5 and CCLM, it is about − 1.3 ms –1 (12.5%). The wakes generated in CCLM_WF15 are slightly stronger (0.07/9.0%) in magnitude and larger in extent than the wakes generated in CCLM_WF5 at their respective hub heights of 150 and 90 m for prevailing southwesterly wind directions. On average, wakes extend approximately 40–45 km downwind 15 . Observational evidence indicates that, depending on wind speed and atmospheric conditions, the wake may extend more than 70 km downwind 22 , 30 . Despite the turbine density in CCLM_WF15 being about three times lower than in CCLM_WF5, the wakes generated by the wind farms installed with 15 MW turbines are stronger by about 0.2–0.4 ms –1 downwind of the wind farms and more far reaching due to the larger rotor diameter (Table 1 ). Over the wind farm area, the differences in wakes generated by CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 are minor. The differences in wake strength with regard to wind speed between the two wind farm configurations is around 4% over the wind farms areas when considering all wind conditions (Fig. SI 11 ).

The mean difference of wind speeds at hub height between ( a ) CCLM_WF15 (150 m) and CCLM, ( b ) CCLM_WF5 (90 m) and CCLM, and ( c ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 for southwesterly winds (200–280°) during the period of 2008–2009. The legend provides root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean differences (MD) over the wind farm areas for the same period. This figure was created using Matplotlib (Hunter, J. D., Matplotlib: a 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science and Engineering 9, 2007) and Cartopy (Met office, Cartopy: a cartographic python library with a matplotlib interface. Exeter, Devon, https://scitools.org.uk/cartopy , 2015).

Due to the stronger wake effect generated by the wind farms with 15 MW turbines, there is a further reduction in CF by up to 1% downstream of the wind farms (as shown in Fig.  8 ). However, within the wind farm areas, the CF of CCLM_WF15 is higher (1–2%) than CCLM_WF5 due to a lesser density and better wind conditions at the higher level (not shown). Additionally, the difference in CF within the wind farm is due to the difference in the rated wind speed of the wind turbines, as specified in Table 1 . When considering the winds of all directions, CCLM_WF15 shows a slight decrease in CF of about 0.5% outside the wind farm areas compared to CCLM_WF5 (Fig. SI 12 ). However, inside the wind farm areas, CCLM_WF15 shows an increase of about 1% compared to CCLM_WF5. Considering the 3.5–4% increase in CF from 90 to 150 m there is an overall gain of 4–5% in CF.

The mean differences of capacity factor at hub height between ( a ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM, ( b ) CCLM_WF5 and CCLM, and ( c ) CCLM_WF15 and CCLM_WF5 for southwesterly winds (200–280°) during the period of 2008–2009. The legend provides root mean square errors (RMSE) and mean differences (MD) over the wind farm areas for the same period. This figure was created using Matplotlib (Hunter, J. D., Matplotlib: a 2D graphics environment. Computing in Science and Engineering 9, 2007) and Cartopy (Met office, Cartopy: a cartographic python library with a matplotlib interface. Exeter, Devon, https://scitools.org.uk/cartopy , 2015).

The magnitude of wake effects produced by wind farms can exert a substantial influence on adjacent downstream wind farms, especially when the wind farm is situated to the east of them. In cases where windfarms are located near the boundary of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), the wakes generated by a wind farm can affect the wind resources of the downwind farms located in the EEZ of another country. Therefore, political agreements must be reached to protect the rights of the parties involved.

Transects analysis of the wind speed deficits and CF at hub height through the wind farms for prevailing southwesterly wind directions show that wind speed deficit can reach up to 35–40 km downwind of the wind farms (Fig.  9 ). Inside the wind farms, wind speed deficits are smaller in CCLM_WF15 than CCLM_WF5. This results in about 3–4% higher CF in CCLM_WF15. Transects along paths 1 and 3 are shown in the supplementary information (Fig. SI 13 ).

Transects of wind speed (left axis), and CF (right axis) deviations from means at hub height for CCLM_WF15 (blue), and CCLM_WF (orange) for the prevailing wind directions of 200–280° in 2008–2009 taken at ( a ) transect II (see Fig. SI 1 ) latitude 54.8° N–54.4° N and longitude 4.4° E–8.4° E, and ( b ) transect IV (see Fig. SI 1 ) latitude 54.8° N–55.35° N and longitude 1.0˚ E–4.10˚ E. Gray sectors indicate the wind farm positions.

Discussion and conclusion

The study compared the wakes generated by wind farms with 15 MW and 5 MW turbines in the North Sea and analyzed the potential to reduce human impact on the near-surface climate and effects on power production. The installed capacity for both scenarios was approximately 108 GW, but the turbine density differed significantly, with the 5 MW scenario having almost three times as many turbines. The rotor diameter of the 15 MW turbines was nearly double that of the 5 MW turbines. The findings suggest that wind farms with fewer and larger turbines increase the power production capacity. However, the impact on near-surface winds and heat flux is slightly less with fewer and larger wind turbines (15 MW) compared to many smaller wind turbines.

The increase in wind speed with changed hub height from 90 to 150 m can lead to a 3–5% increase in the capacity factor of power production, but the wakes generated by the larger turbines result in a reduction in the CF (0.5–1%) downstream of the wind farms. The extent of the wakes generated can have significant impacts on downstream wind farms. The study found that the wakes generated by offshore wind farms with 15 MW turbines are slightly stronger downwind than those generated by 5 MW turbines, with a difference of up to 0.4 ms –1 . The wakes can extend up to 35–40 km downwind with a maximum wind speed deficit of up to 2–2.5 ms –1 .

Wind turbines' wakes have a significant impact on the near-surface climate beyond their rotor area. The reduction in 10 m wind speed is smaller for wind farms with fewer and larger turbines than for those with many smaller turbines. This reduced impact on 10 m wind speed (0.2–0.4 ms –1 ) is due to their lower density and higher hub height. It also influences the turbulence fluxes, mainly the latent heat flux. Larger and taller wind turbines have a reduced impact on latent heat flux due to changes in wind speed and turbulent kinetic energy. The impact on sensible heat flux is minimal, and the difference in radiative fluxes between larger and smaller turbines as well. Wind farms can modify low-level clouds, but the impact on cloud fraction and precipitation are similar for 5 MW and 15 MW turbines.

The study suggests that wind farms with larger and taller wind turbines (15 MW) have a reduced impact on near-surface wind speed and heat fluxes compared to wind farms with many smaller wind turbines (5 MW). This could mean that larger wind turbines have less impact on the ocean dynamics and ecosystem, as sea surface winds and heat fluxes are important drivers of these systems. A recent study 31 , employing consistent atmospheric forcing and wind farm scenarios, along with the identical 5 MW turbines used in this experiment, emphasizes the substantial impact of wind wakes on the ecosystem of the North Sea. Ocean and ecosystem modeling studies, employing the strategy of incorporating atmospheric forcing to account for wake effects, aim to enhance our understanding of the potential impacts of various types of wind farms on ocean dynamics and ecosystems.

Furthermore, essential technical advancements are needed to integrate various types of wind turbines into the COSMO-CLM model to achieve more realistic scenarios in wind farm simulations. Moreover, a greater availability of observational data is required for result validation. Additionally, wind farm parametrization in RCMs has inherent limitations, including a simplified representation of wind farms, limited consideration of wake interactions between turbines, coarse spatial resolution, and a lack of feedback between the ocean and the atmosphere.

Data availability

The COSMO-CLM_WF and COSMO-CLM model datasets supporting the results and the COSMO-CLM name lists are available from the authors upon request. The COSMO-CLM simulations employ the community-wide, publicly available ( http://www.clm-community.eu ) COSMO-CLM code. All the data will be available from corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The study is a contribution to the BMBF funded project CoastalFutures (03F0911E) and the Helmholtz Research Program “Changing Earth- Sustaining our Future. The study is a contribution to the ‘CliCCS—Climate, Climatic Change, and Society’ Excellence Cluster at the University of Hamburg, funded by the DFG through Germany’s Excellence Strategy EXC 2037, project number 390683824, and a direct contribution to the CliCCS project ‘C3-Sustainable adaptation scenarios for coastal areas’, the Research Mission ‘Sustainable Use of Marine Areas’ and the Coastal Futures project of the German Marine Alliance (DAM). The authors would like to acknowledge the German Climate Computing Center (DKRZ) for providing computational resources. The authors also acknowledge F. Chatterjee for facilitating the implementation of the wind farm parameterization in COSMO-CLM. We thank the CLM Community for their assistance and collaboration.

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N.A. implemented the wind farm parameterization within COSMO-CLM, conducted the design and analysis of atmospheric simulations. B.G. contributed by providing the necessary forcing data and helping in the analysis. C.S. initiated and oversaw the entire project. N.A. was responsible for drafting the initial manuscript. All authors actively participated in the collaborative process of writing, reviewing, and editing the manuscript.

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Akhtar, N., Geyer, B. & Schrum, C. Larger wind turbines as a solution to reduce environmental impacts. Sci Rep 14 , 6608 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-56731-w

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Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO) announced plans to invest $5.1 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in research and technology development to advance modeling for next-generation offshore wind turbine blades. This future funding opportunity announcement will seek applications to fill critical gaps in the development of multi-megawatt wind turbines (>10 MW) for offshore wind deployment and promote adoption of sustainable wind turbine technologies across the United States.

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Six innovative ways to float skyscraper-sized wind turbines

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Yes, you read that right – float. You may have seen a wind turbine in the sea before, but chances are you were looking at a “fixed” turbine – that is, one that sits on top of a foundation drilled into the seabed. For the new frontier of offshore wind power, the focus is on floating wind turbines. In this case, the turbines are supported by floating structures that bob and sway in response to waves and wind and are moored with chains and anchored to the seafloor.

This is becoming the focus of the sector for the simple reason that most wind blows above deep water, where building fixed platforms would be too expensive or simply impossible. Designing these new floating platforms is a true engineering challenge, and is a focus of my academic research .

These wind turbines are enormous, reaching up to 240m tall – about the size of a skyscraper. Since they are so tall, strong winds far above the sea surface tend to make the turbine want to tilt, so platform designs focus on minimising this tilt while still being cost-competitive with other forms of energy.

There are more than 100 ideas for platform designs, but we can broadly group them into the following six categories:

Spars are narrow, deep platforms with weight added to the bottom to counteract the wind force (this is called “ballast”). They are usually relatively easy to make because they normally consist of just one cylinder.

However, they can extend 100 metres or more underwater, which means they can’t be deployed in normal docks which are not deep enough. Specialist installation procedures are required to install the turbine once the platform has been towed into deep water.

Barges are wide, shallow platforms that use buoyancy far from the centre of the structure to counteract the wind force on the tower. As they usually extend less than 10 metres underwater, they do not need any specialist deep-water docks or installation vessels.

However, they can be difficult to make because the platform is usually a single, large unit with a complex shape.

3. Tension-leg platform

Tension-leg platforms, or TLPs, use taut mooring lines to connect the platform to the seabed and stop the turbine from tilting in the wind.

These platforms are usually smaller and lighter than the other types, which makes them easier to fit at a standard port. Also, their seabed “footprint” is small due to the taut lines.

However, the platforms are usually not stable until attached to their mooring lines, meaning that a special towing and installation solution is required.

4. Semi-submersible

Semi-submersibles consist of three, four or five connected vertical cylinders, with the turbine in the middle or above one of the columns. The platform utilises buoyancy far from the centre (similar to the barge) and ballast at the base of each column (similar to the spar).

Like barges, semi-submersibles do not require specialist tow-out equipment and work for a wide range of water depths. Manufacturing is again a challenge.

5. Combination-type

The four categories above are the more “traditional” platforms, influenced by their predecessors in the oil and gas industry. Since the 1960s, floating platforms have meant huge oil rigs can access deeper water sites (the deepest is over 2,000m). Most of these oil rigs in deep water are either semi-submersibles, anchored to the seabed with chains, or TLPs, connected to the seabed with taut cables.

More recently, there has been a trend towards platforms more specialised to floating wind. Specifically, some use a combination of the stability mechanisms, taking advantages from each of the previous designs.

For example, “lowerable ballast” platforms look like traditional semi-submersible or barge platforms, but with a weight hanging from from taut cables.

During turbine installation at the port and tow-out, the weight is raised, so that a traditional (non-deep) dock can be used and no specialist equipment is needed. At the site of installation, the weight is lowered and the platform gets extra stability from a low centre of mass.

Other designs use the benefits of stability from taut mooring lines (similar to a TLP) but are designed to be stable during tow-out and so don’t need a special installation vessel. For example, the picture below shows the X1 Wind platform:

The taut mooring lines are attached to a single column, which is installed initially. The rest of the platform, which is self-stable, is then towed out and connected to the pre-installed column with the taut mooring lines. The platform uses the extra stability from the mooring lines but without the tow-out instability typical of TLPs.

6. Hybrid platforms

These platforms add another type of renewable energy, most commonly a wave energy converter. This increases the overall amount of energy generated, and reduces costs as power cables, maintenance and other infrastructure can be shared.

A wave energy converter also reduces platform motion, which in turn increases the power performance from the turbine.

Room for improvement

Four floating offshore wind farms have already been built, the largest of which was opened in 2023 off the coast of Norway . Two of these farms use the Hywind spar design and two use the WindFloat semi-submersible .

There have been 18 other platform designs to reach at-sea testing, including at least one of each of the categories described above. Some have plans to build floating farms in the next few years, and additional early-stage designs have plans to deploy their own prototype devices in the near future.

Interestingly, platforms are actually diverging in design. After many years, wind turbines have mostly converged on the three-bladed design that you see today, but there has been no such convergence yet on a consensus “best” floating platform. This suggests significant improvements are still possible, especially in terms of reducing motion and decreasing cost.

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A rare mayday preceded Baltimore bridge collapse: 'I couldn't think of a worse situation'

The Dali cargo ship was cruising away from the Port of Baltimore when its lights suddenly went out just after 1:24 a.m. Tuesday.  

The Singaporean vessel, which stretches nearly 1,000 feet long, had apparently lost power. It was now effectively rudderless and at the mercy of the currents.

“The worst sound you ever hear on a ship is dead silence, because that means everything’s gone wrong,” said Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime expert and historian. 

Four minutes later, the Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The 1.6-mile span crumpled into the harbor within seconds. Six construction workers who were filling potholes on the bridge remain missing.

Video of the ship, emergency radio transmissions and analysis from maritime veterans paint a picture of a disastrous scenario. It is rare for ships of that size to lose power and rarer still for it to happen in a narrow channel near the pillars of a major bridge. A last-minute mayday and quick actions on the ground most likely averted a much higher casualty count.

“Hold all traffic on the Key Bridge,” an unidentified first responder said over emergency radio transmissions posted online by Broadcastify, a website that streams and records radio communications. “There’s a ship approaching that just lost their steering.”

At that point, the Dali was drifting, powerless, toward the bridge at a speed of about 8 knots. Maritime experts said there was most likely little the crew could have done to avert catastrophe.

“An engine conking out 3 miles out in the ocean is an aggravation and an economic problem, because you lose time,” said Henry Lipian, a retired Coast Guard lieutenant and founder of the Introtech accident reconstruction firm. “In a narrow channel at night, with a bridge in front of you, I couldn’t think of a worse situation to deal with.”

A ship can drop anchor in an attempt to avert a collision, but given the Dali’s size, speed and distance from the bridge, such a move most likely wouldn’t have helped, said Morgan McManus, an instructor at SUNY Maritime College in New York who has worked on cargo ships and tankers.

“At 8 knots you need a couple thousand yards to do it,” McManus said.

Investigators are now working to piece together what happened. Lipian said he suspected that fuel or an issue with the fuel system might have been the culprit. 

“While in port, did they take on a load of fuel?” he said. “Was it the proper grade of fuel? Was it contaminated?”

The ship had data recorders on board, but they have yet to be analyzed, officials said.

“We chose not to board the vessel today to allow some time for the search and recovery, which we did not want to interfere with,” said Jennifer Homendy, chair of the National Transportation and Safety Board.

She described the recorder as a “critical piece of our investigation.”

An inspection of the Dali in Chile in June noted “deficiencies” in “propulsion and auxiliary machinery,” including gauges and thermometers, according to data on the website Equasis, which publishes safety-related information about ships. But the Dali had subsequent inspections, including one in September in New York, in which no deficiencies were noted.

Experts cautioned not to read too much into the deficiencies recorded in June. They could have been a result of something minor, like paperwork issues. 

The Dali, a Singaporean-flagged vessel chartered by the Danish shipping giant Maersk, was bound for Sri Lanka.

“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” Maersk said in a statement. “We are closely following the investigations.”

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Synergy Marine Group, which operates and manages the ship, said that two port pilots were at the helm of the Dali at the time of the crash and that all 22 crew members on board were accounted for. Port, or bay, pilots play a crucial role in helping large ships navigate narrow waterways. They hop on ships approaching ports and hop off after they leave the harbors, using their extensive knowledge of their areas to guide vessels to safety.

“There’s very little margin of error going through some of these ship channels,” said Mercogliano, the maritime expert, who is an adjunct professor at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and a history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina.

Mercogliano said a local tugboat operator who heard the mayday call told him a pilot issued it. 

“What the pilot did was what they were supposed to do,” Mercogliano said.

Containerships' colliding with bridges is rare but not unheard of. Last month, a cargo vessel struck a bridge outside the city of Guangzhou, China, causing a section of the roadway to come crashing down, killing five people. 

The deadliest such collision in the U.S. occurred in 1980, when a cargo ship rammed into the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa Bay, Florida, bringing it down and killing 35.

Dramatic video captured the moment the Key Bridge tumbled into the water at 1:28 a.m. Tuesday.

The boat’s lights, after having gone out at 1:24 a.m., went back on one minute later, and dark smoke began billowing from the ship’s chimney. Then, at 1:26 a.m., the ship appeared to turn sharply. Before it slammed into the bridge, the Dali’s lights flicked off and on again. 

Local residents said they were shocked by the sight of the gaping hole above the bay where the bridge had stood for nearly a half-century. 

“It’s literally at the end of the street; you see it coming home every day,” said William Reynolds, of Dundalk. “And now it’s just not there.”

Rich Schapiro is a reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit.

Jon Schuppe is an enterprise reporter for NBC News, based in New York. 

Environment | Here’s how Dominion’s wind turbines will look…

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Environment | here’s how dominion’s wind turbines will look from the virginia beach shore.

VIRGINIA BEACH — For more than 200 years, the view from one of the country’s oldest lighthouses has been the vast ocean stretching beyond the horizon.

But that will soon change. A line of turbine blades will be visible in the far distance   from the old Cape Henry Lighthouse when Dominion Energy builds a wind farm 27 miles off the Virginia Beach coast.

“When you climb to the top of the lighthouse you’ll see the turbines probably better than anywhere,” said Will Glasco, chief operating officer for Preservation Virginia, a nonprofit organization that operates the 1792 landmark. “This viewshed is forever changed.”

Images created by environmental consultant Tetra Tech for Dominion Energy simulate how much of the $9.8 billion Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project will be seen from onshore. The simulated images were included among hundreds of pages of documents and reports Dominion submitted to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in September as  part of the federal review process .

While the visibility of the 800-foot-tall turbines will vary by location, time of day and weather, the images show they will be most visible from the lighthouse, Virginia Beach’s resort area and other points south. One image depicts the view from 17th Street Park on a summer day where a long line of pointy turbine blades can be seen on the horizon.

“At that distance, the curvature of the Earth will make it difficult to see the turbines clearly from shore,” Jeremy Slayton, a Dominion Energy spokesperson, wrote in an email. “However, the turbines could be more visible at higher elevations and at night due to necessary safety features, such as navigational lighting.”

Two 6-megawatt pilot turbines were installed in 2020. They are 200 feet shorter than the planned 14-megawatt turbines and can been seen from shore on a clear day.

“They are difficult to see, and it may require binoculars to see them,” Slayton wrote. “You can find them by first finding the Chesapeake Lighthouse, which is 12 miles offshore. Then look slightly to the right and the turbines will be another 15 miles farther out.”

The turbine towers will be painted light gray but the photo simulations depict them in white and show roughly 30 more than are planned, Slayton said. Navigational safety lights will  activate only when there are airplanes around the turbines, he said.

Dominion will begin work in May to install an additional 174 turbines, which are anticipated to generate enough energy to power up to 660,000 homes. The project will help avoid carbon emissions equivalent of removing one million cars off the road each year, according to the company. It’s scheduled to be completed in 2026.

The City Council did not review the images before approving a viewshed compensation package for historic resources impacted by the wind project, according to Vice Mayor Rosemary Wilson and member Worth Remick, who represent districts along Virginia Beach’s coastline.

But members of the city’s planning department and council-appointed historic commission looked at them as they determined which historic sites would be affected, said Sharon Prescott, commission chair.

“Our concern was visual impact on historic resources,” said Prescott. “You’re not going to make the windfarm go away, but you can continue to try to preserve resources.”

Glasco saw them as well. Preservation Virginia prepared its own requests for compensation separate from the city’s.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management determined the construction, installation, operations, and maintenance of the wind turbine project has the potential to adversely affect 23 Virginia Beach historic properties and is subject to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires mitigation funding.

Virginia Beach will receive $290,000 to mitigate “adverse visual effects,” while the lighthouse secured $650,000.

“The amount was determined relative to the agreed upon projects that will be funded,” Mark Reed, the city’s historic preservation planner, wrote in an email. “City staff reviewed the proposed funding and determined it to be sufficient based upon our experience with similar projects.”

The money provided by Dominion Energy will fund maintenance, educational and preservation projects associated with the historic sites. Cultural resource consultants provided funding estimates to BOEM and Dominion Energy.

Dominion Energy officials have publicly shared details about the wind project with the council, but most of those presentations and subsequent discussions centered around city easements needed for transmission cables, not viewshed issues. Reed said the council did not request additional information about the visual effects.

The city’s historic commission has reviewed mitigation for cellular towers with antennas, but past Dominion Energy projects in Virginia Beach haven’t required Section 106 review. That only occurs when there is a federal undertaking, which is the case with the offshore wind farm, Reed said.

Preservation Virginia has previous experience with compensation from Dominion Energy for historic Jamestown when the company built towers and a high-voltage transmission line across the James River. The power company paid $90 million to reduce the impact of the project on environmental resources and historic sites in 2017.

“We put out a number and did some negotiation,” Glasco said about the compensation for the wind project.

The money will be used for renovations to the lighthouse visitors center and educational programs.

The renderings are circulating online. John Knight, a Croatan resident, took a deep dive into Dominion Energy’s environmental impact statement and found them. He shared an image from 17th Street on a Facebook group this week.

“Who in the world wants to go to the beach and look at that!” Knight wrote in the online post.

Remick said he has concerns about the views from sites within his district which includes the North End and part of the resort area.

Wilson has become a sounding board for Croatan residents, including Knight, who are dealing with noise from construction of the wind energy transmission cables landing near their houses.

When asked if she thought Virginia Beach is receiving enough compensation for the impact of the project, Wilson, who lives in an Oceanfront condominium, said “probably not” — but she still supports it.

“It’s going to be good for economic development,” Wilson said. “It’s good for the environment in the long run.”

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, [email protected]

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