In nearly all cases, wind poweris not worth it for nomadic living. Unless you will be spending most of your time parked in very windy locations with very poor solar harvest, you can almost always get far more electricity from solar panels than you could from the wind. That said, a small wind turbine may work for you as a small supplementary power source if you have room for it and have a relatively unique use case.
Wind turbines are also known as wind power generators (or simply windgens), microturbines, or windmills. They are popular for off-grid houses and on boats. Van dwellers who stay in one place in very remote locations may gain enough benefit from wind power generation to make it worthwhile.
Disadvantages
- Wind generators require sustained winds, which are rare where nomads choose to camp. Compare manufacturer specs with this visual wind speed estimation chart. If you prefer to camp near trees or forest areas, wind speeds will be reduced.
- Wind generators need to be mounted as high as possible, with bases on the ground or mounted to the vehicle.
- In high winds, you need a way to dump load to keep the gen from overspeed damage in high winds. Some nice windgens have built-in electronic controls for this.
- In very high winds, the turbine must be taken down to prevent damage.
- Wind generators typically cost 3-4 times more than solar for the same output rating, and solar prices are falling.
- Wind generators must be taken down when driving.
- Noise can be significant.
- Generally cannot be used in cities or towns without attracting unwanted attention.
- Turbine blades can be dangerous at speed.
Advantages
Wind often works when solar performs poorly or not at all: in heavy weather, cloudy days, early mornings, late evenings, and overnight. As such, it can be a supplementary power source.
Wind requirements
Usable power typically starts around 10mph, where flags stand straight out. Full rating is typically achieved at 20mph+, where small trees sway and whitecaps appear on bodies of water.
Generally speaking, windgens with higher max outputs have higher minimum "start-up speeds", or speeds when the vanes start turning. Vandwellers in normal wind conditions will likely bias toward low start-up speeds, resulting in relatively low max outputs.
Recommended units
- D400 (UK) -
- Superwind (Germany) -