Robert Murray Smith (justifying inefficient design via lower prices)

[marshman]

Thanks, 10 - 15 watts plus solar top up is one small thru large (boxer) heated dog mat / cat mat in a kennel type environment, which would be helpful specced to be appropriate for small item needs.

Then it comes down to per unit cost & serviceable lifespan.

I know of several animal rescue places located in windier environs (cheap land)

Stables, field shelters, poultry sheds, wildlife hides, firewatch towers & the like where even a trickle of energy may be useful / supplemental.
(firewatch towers are typically 100 ft tall with a tiny cuppola cabin, fire season can be april to september, baking metal sheeting in summer, I could see some low wattage kit being useful after being carried / roped & hoisted.

Example

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.5164036

The big issue, and the major (in my opinion) difference in small scale PV and wind, is maintenance. PV requires virtually 0, not touched my original Fits set up in nearly 13 years except for rinsing the panels maybe half a dozen times. Wind turbines are a different kettle of fish. water ingress into bearings, slip ring failures (hawt), mounting issues (corrosion, mechanical tightness), wear on the blades, especially on the leading edge, the list is endless. Cheap plastic 3D printed blades are not going to last a season anywhere even mildly exposed and spinning at highish speeds will literally fly apart possibly resulting in injury to some innocent passer by (and no I am not a member of the elf n safety gone mad brigade. I love the idea but it will never be worth the effort on a small scale. Those few watts are far more easily, reliably and economically harvested using PV and storage - supercapacitors at low power are excellent.

In my opinion its time we forget small "micro turbines" and move on, In the right place a small domestic (>500W turbine) might be worth the effort but small (<100W) micro jobbies forget it - they are nothing more than a passing interest for enthusiastic hobbyists.

[Mr Gus]

Lucky we are by a wind blown field then (as previously stated) precisely why its an interesting alternative regardless.

Like I said previously its not to power a house, & its all about cost & site performance, if its cheap & proves durable then it may fit a niche application, likely not but all part of the curve if, knowing the likelihood of performance failure & still being willing.

A few extra potential watt hours in a climbers mountain hut in chamonix, or atop a shepards hut to float a battery alongside solar i'm all for.

Whats the lifespan of a wind powered spinning garage sign anyways?

I don't want to be first up the mountain, but I do wish to climb the trail & take a peak.

I too think the channel is more a money spinner than a wind cranker, esp as he was constantly reinforcing the "if its cheap" element for every few lungfuls of air he took on that video, which is why I ask how much in commercial production would this be?

How many of us started with a "useless" 10 watt solar panel & learnt by scale & environmental enlightenment, our north to south wind batters us here, as does the south to north, I'd like to try for some site data via type, regardless of reputation sometimes odds are overcome & expectations achieved if truly affordable to balance outlay or something close.

I cannot erect (nor want to) a regular bladed turbine, & look to scratch that itch if it is at a nigh on disposable price, other elements of kit can be redeployed when proven a wate of time over a solid 12 months of fly & try, to learn about the site.