We're back in Grenada just a couple of months after bidding the island farewell! You may previously have read that we've been gradually making our way back south to source and install a wind generator. So, why is it we need this wind generator when we have an AC generator, four solar panels and two engines on board to charge the batteries? Well, it's like this...
Modern day yachting has bought with it modern day conveniences! So no longer do we have oil-lamps and foot-pumps, we indulge in a long list of power hungry accessories...
• Navigation equipment
• Electric autopilot
• Lights
• Watermaker
• Water pumps
• Electric flush toilets
• Electric water heater
• Stereo system
• HF radio
• DVD players
• Electric winch
• Electric windlass
• Numerous rechargeable systems such as cameras, laptops, phones, handheld GPS etc
• And so the list goes on
Watermaker - converts sea water into drinkable water
The main culprits of excessive power consumption are our substantial fridge and freezer ...
As the solar panels lay flat, they only begin working at about 10:00am and as the sun starts to go down (around 16:00), they become less efficient. So between 16:00 - 10:00, there's nothing charging the batteries unless we run the AC generator or the engines.
Four solar panels on top of Oceans Dreams bimini
The AC generator is an Entec West generator (based on a Ferryman engine). To deliver 240 volts at 50hz, the single-cylinder engine needs to run at 3,000rpm and as a consequence is pretty unsociable in quiet anchorages (as well as being fairly noisy inside the boat whilst it's running). We've not heard another like it - the only benefit is if a charter boat looks like they might anchor a bit close, quick, turn the generator on, the noise will put them off! At the moment, we need to run the generator for a couple of hours in both the morning and the evening to keep the power on board to the necessary levels. As for the option of running the engines, this isn't the most efficient way to keep the batteries charged unless actually motoring along.
Many yachts have wind generators installed and the noise they create too can be extremely unsociable. As such, we've made it our business to creep around anchorages, getting up close and personal with the stern of a large number of boats to enable us to eliminate at least some of the wind generators available on the market. We've spoken with many liveaboards as to benefits, downfalls and of course, the results they gain and have decided upon a 'D400'. Unfortunately, it's not as simple as making the purchase, we now need to commission someone to make a 'pole' upon which it will sit (and not cause a vibration throughout the whole boat) and then arrange for an electrician to wire it through to the battery compartment.
At the end of the day, we see advantages in having a variety of charging mechanisms and those that come for 'free' (such as wind) will hopefully allow us to minimise the consumption of diesel fuel with either the generator or the engines.