Windy Nation Rover Wind Turbine - Manual (Page 11)

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N·m). See Picture B in Figure 6 above. Take special care not to grab or push on the blades
while tightening the generator shaft nut as this could damage the blades.
Section 5.0: Final Assembly of the Rover Wind Turbine
The Rover Wind Turbine is now completely assembled and mounted on the
tower. Before continuing, look over the entire wind turbine to be sure everything is attached
correctly and securely. In particular, pay special attention to all fastener connections and wire
connections.
Section 6.0: Locating a Site for the Rover Wind Turbine
If mounted incorrectly, trees, buildings and other tall objects will block the wind available to all
wind turbines. For best performance of the Rover Wind Turbine, it should be mounted 20 feet
above all objects within a 100 foot radius. If you are mounting the Rover Wind Turbine on a
sailboat or recreational vehicle (RV), it will probably not be possible to mount the Rover Wind
Turbine 20 feet above all objects within a 100 foot radius. In this case, mount the Rover Wind
Turbine as high as safely possible and, also, mount it in a location where it has the best
unobstructed access to the prevailing winds of your site.
Section 7.0: Main Operational Characteristics of the Rover Wind Turbine
Electricity production and regulation
The Rover Wind Turbine produces energy by capturing kinetic energy from the wind. The wind
is captured by blades which use the wind’s kinetic energy to rotate a three phase AC
permanent magnet alternator. The rotation of the permanent magnet alternator (PMA)
produces electrical power which is transferred from the PMA to ground level by three electrical
wires.
At ground level the three phase alternating current (AC) produced by the
PMA is rectified to direct current (DC). This is accomplished by using a three phase bridge
rectifier. Once the three phase AC is rectified to DC, the electricity is used to charge a 12 or 24
volt battery bank.
The Rover Wind Turbine requires a device in place to prevent the battery bank from being
overcharged. Additionally, this device must keep the Rover Wind Turbine under an electrical
load while the Rover Wind Turbine is not charging the battery bank. To accomplish both these
tasks, a device called a diversion load (or dump load) charge controller is used. In the most
simple terms, a diversion load charge controller is a voltage monitoring device. The diversion
load charge controller monitors the voltage of the battery bank. When the voltage of the
battery bank reaches a level that indicates the battery bank is fully charged, the diversion load
charge controller disconnects the Rover Wind Turbine from the battery bank. Because the
Rover Wind Turbine must stay under an electrical load to operate safely, the diversion load
charge controller connects the Rover Wind Turbine to a diversion load. Generally, large wire
wound resistors or heating elements are used as the diversion load. Once the battery bank’s