Is it possible to hook up a wind turbine to a camper van/caravan to create and store energy for later use?

Question

I was wondering if it wold be possible to rig up a mini wind turbine on the top of a camper van so that when you are driving it would create energy to store in a battery.

Or would the extra energy needed to drive the van due, to the drag from the, any energy made by the turbine?

If so can you get mini camping turbines?

Thanks,
Martin.

Thanks for all your replies, they are great!

The plan is to use the turbine to charge a separate battery, not the actual one used to start the car. The second battery will then be used for music, laptop and other small electrical appliances.

I saw a guy on the UK version of Dragons Den who had a mini turbine but I was thinking that someone else must have done it already!

If anyone knows of any websites that sell them then that would be a great help too!

I look forward to your replies, thank you all so much!

Martin.

Answer 1

I myself would like to know if anyone makes mini-wind turbines.

But if they do, the energy to spin them while you drive would come from the motion of the van, which is derived from the operation of the engine under the hood. So in that case you might as well charge the battery off the alternator. The intriguing part would still be to see how much energy you could get from the wind once you are parked.

Answer 2

All answers above are good ones. Another idea is to mount a solar panel on top of the camper and let it charge your batteries in the camper. I sailed for a year and had a panel that kept my batteries charged this way.

Answer 3

Yes, I've seen portable wind generators at several exhibits. Great if you're camping in a windy area like the high desert. Combined with solar panels and a battery bank you can do quite well.

Answer 4

It would be more efficient to add an additional alternator to the engine. The decrease in mileage caused by the drag of the turbine would offset any possible gain in power storage.

Answer 5

You are right about the drag being a big factor. However, if you are just using it to charge batteries for later, the only thing you have to worry about is the extra gas you'll have to buy to make up for the lower mpgs you'll get. It would just be the equivalent of adding another alternator on to your engine.

Answer 6

You see what you are talking about on sail-boats all the time.

But in the case of driving, you would increase the drag on your vehicle by more than the amount of power you would get from the turbine. It would work when you are parked however.

Answer 7

confident you may, as Nickel referred to. although, getting it to the deliver is perplexing. appropriate for the ambience is probable purely handing over the wind capability to the powernet and tapping from it too. yet of direction, that doesn't provide you a "eco-friendly deliver". For that, i could say installation the deliver with batteries. Hydrogen shops capability properly too, however the significant downside is that the technique of arising hydrogen is extremely inefficient. Batteries have not got that difficulty. you may desire to cost the batteries with the wind capability immediately, and save the surplus in batteries on land, flywheels, or provide it to the powernet. yet another determination is to make a crusing deliver. there is unquestionably learn going for a huge deliver geared up with a "parachute" for propulsion already! :)

Answer 8

The small aircraft from many years ago had just the same thing,and it worked well.