4 ms·

Wind blows 24 hours, 3 times more water and more cheaply too: https://youtu.be/9xYXWISWv5I?t=6m28s https://youtu.be/9xYXWISWv5I?t=6m28s

jws 11y ago
At this scale, two solar panels, so something like 1200 watt hours of energy per day I don't think you'll find a wind generator and tower to beat the price. 24 hour operation may not be requirement. Clean water stores just fine. I was going to list a counter example of a place where wind would be a better idea, but all the cloudy places I can think of have rain, so they probably get water from that. It's a big world though, I'm sure lots of places have bad enough sun that the number of panels would make the cost tip in favor of wind.
- timonoko 11y ago
  I was also contemplating windshield wiper motor and solar panel. My tests showed I needed at least 30 watt panel, which was too cumbersome in a kayak. So my collapsible windmill equals 24*30 = 720 Watt hours of solar energy. I had 10 liter can and I needed 3 liters/day, so I started the windmill only twice per week.
- froo 11y ago
  > At this scale, two solar panels, so something like 1200 watt hours of energy per day I don't think you'll find a wind generator and tower to beat the price. There are many small scale wind generators that produce more than enough energy to run watermakers on yachts, much more cheaply solar panels for the energy output. This has been a solved problem for quite a few years.
cpeterso 11y ago
Wind may blow 24 hours. And some places are less windy than others.
Oatseller 11y ago
Wind blows 24 hours ... Not everyone in Mexico lives on the Baja coast. ... 3 times more water ... What part of "uses solar power to purify water" lead you to believe it has anything to do with quantity?
mapt 11y ago
What wind power does not do well is scale down. There are abundant small-scale wind turbines available, but there are rarely opportunities for them to perform nearly as well per installation effort & cost, as large 1MW+ turbines mounted on massive towers. A town of 100 households who each set up wind turbines in their backyards are paying >10x what a town of 100 households who buy a share in a wind farm coop for the same amount of electricity are paying. Wind has gotten very cheap very quickly over the years since Altamont Pass was put in with 100kW turbines, and a lot of it is down to bigger turbines and towers. http://www.sunnypanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wind-energy-costs-per-kwh.jpg http://www.sunnypanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wind-e... http://www.power-technology.com/projects/solaronesolar/images/6-wind-power-costs.jpg http://www.power-technology.com/projects/solaronesolar/image... Solar photovoltaic power, on the other hand, scales down fairly well. It doesn't deal with altitude-dependent winds. The economies of scale, while still considerable, are smaller because no matter the scale, all solar photovoltaic facilities involve parts that fit on a shipping pallet.

jws 11y ago

At this scale, two solar panels, so something like 1200 watt hours of energy per day I don't think you'll find a wind generator and tower to beat the price. 24 hour operation may not be requirement. Clean water stores just fine. I was going to list a counter example of a place where wind would be a better idea, but all the cloudy places I can think of have rain, so they probably get water from that. It's a big world though, I'm sure lots of places have bad enough sun that the number of panels would make the cost tip in favor of wind.

timonoko 11y ago
I was also contemplating windshield wiper motor and solar panel. My tests showed I needed at least 30 watt panel, which was too cumbersome in a kayak. So my collapsible windmill equals 24*30 = 720 Watt hours of solar energy. I had 10 liter can and I needed 3 liters/day, so I started the windmill only twice per week.
froo 11y ago
> At this scale, two solar panels, so something like 1200 watt hours of energy per day I don't think you'll find a wind generator and tower to beat the price. There are many small scale wind generators that produce more than enough energy to run watermakers on yachts, much more cheaply solar panels for the energy output. This has been a solved problem for quite a few years.

cpeterso 11y ago

Wind may blow 24 hours. And some places are less windy than others.

Oatseller 11y ago

Wind blows 24 hours ... Not everyone in Mexico lives on the Baja coast. ... 3 times more water ... What part of "uses solar power to purify water" lead you to believe it has anything to do with quantity?

mapt 11y ago

What wind power does not do well is scale down. There are abundant small-scale wind turbines available, but there are rarely opportunities for them to perform nearly as well per installation effort & cost, as large 1MW+ turbines mounted on massive towers. A town of 100 households who each set up wind turbines in their backyards are paying >10x what a town of 100 households who buy a share in a wind farm coop for the same amount of electricity are paying. Wind has gotten very cheap very quickly over the years since Altamont Pass was put in with 100kW turbines, and a lot of it is down to bigger turbines and towers. http://www.sunnypanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wind-energy-costs-per-kwh.jpg http://www.sunnypanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/wind-e... http://www.power-technology.com/projects/solaronesolar/images/6-wind-power-costs.jpg http://www.power-technology.com/projects/solaronesolar/image... Solar photovoltaic power, on the other hand, scales down fairly well. It doesn't deal with altitude-dependent winds. The economies of scale, while still considerable, are smaller because no matter the scale, all solar photovoltaic facilities involve parts that fit on a shipping pallet.