Home wind turbines don't make sense (in most cases)

There are plenty of startups claiming that their new, small wind turbine will be a worthwhile investment. Some even claim that their product beats solar panels. In this video, you'll see why they're probably wrong.
(AKIO TV) MMXXIV
/ actual_akiotv

[@AKIOTV]

To be clear: for some people lucky enough to live in certain locations, a small wind turbine may be a good option. (and if you're one of those people, I'm jealous of you, I wish I had that sort of testing ground for my turbine) But for most people that won't be the case. Therefore I think it's not fair how videos like this give a lot of people false hope, or even worse, make them waste money.

[@brianalleyne8978]

I agree

[@mikejosef2470]

A friend of mine has a 1.2kW turbine to complement their 5kW solar system. They live on a 17 acre blueberry farm/B&B/farm stay near Seymour, Victoria, Australia (originally from Melbourne, aa am I). They get phenomenal wind from the south, which often occurs when the weather is colder and there's little sunlight. They're nearly at the top of a 70m high hill, so the wind hits the side of the hill and races up, with the wind adding to the flow all the way. The installer said it's probably the best site he's ever seen... near perfect laminar flow and plenty of it. They used heavy duty blades on the turbine, the size of which normally drives a 900W alternator but went for a 1200W due to the high wind speed. They've since added another 12kW of panels but the turbine is still important during winter.

[@drescherjm]

15:19 There is a street near me a couple blocks away (I live on top of a hill) that the wind speed is significantly higher and it's always going in one direction on a bend on top of the hill near a valley. I think a turbine would work well there. I notice this windy area because I am an inline skater and I skate through the neighborhood 3 or more times a week.

[@AKIOTV]

Perhaps whoever lives there should measure/monitor the wind speed in that location for a while to find out if a turbine would be a good idea :)

[@Davetarr]

Thanks for shattering my dreams of wind power for the winter months! 😂 Really fascinating

[@AKIOTV]

sorry haha. Still, build one anyway its fun.

[@DavidHamby-ORF-48]

My mom’s family, before rural electrification, used a wind turbine and batteries to provide lighting. This was also before lightning protection was understood so it enhanced the excitement of Carolina Piedmont thunderstorms.

[@evanbarnes9984]

I tend to call Matt's channel Credulous with Matt Ferrell. He brings a bunch of really interesting things to our attention, but man is he ready to believe.

[@nealy2815]

Undecided is a great channel, but definitely optimistic.

[@tammytao4090]

I was in a coursera lecture and almost fell asleep😅, then I searched MPPT and jumped into your videos, then I got woke up by the interesting videos🤩The wind speed changes a lot, and there are cut-in speed and cut-out speed, which makes the output even lower.

[@patricklanra3507]

Very informative! Thanks for your work and dedication!

[@user-jp2em5hy5f]

A good follow up video may be to replace the blades with proper wing profile blades WITH Whale Tubercles: Large wind turbines have Variable Pitch blades to keep the optimal Angle of Attack. Whale Tubercles make it so that the blade is effective (no stall) through a much wider Angle of Attack range = No VP reqd... They also ameliorate wing tip vortices. (efficiency and noise) ie: The blades will start spinning at lower wind speeds and spin faster for the same wind speed. The blades could be 3D printed in sections that fit/glue together and fit around a piece of tubing, making an 'Easy to Adjust' angle of attack manually doodat er... easy. :) Print them circumferentially rather than radially if you get my meaning, so the the 3D printed grooves/ridges work with aero rather than against it... (VERY important hint!) Or you could spray on spray filler, sand (500+ grit: skin resistance) and finish with a UV protective top coat. If you paint the blades' high pressure sides (Vanta) black and the low pressure sides (Solar Reflective; Barium Sulphate) white; you add a modicum of 'Solar Assist' to the blades and the video...

[@AKIOTV]

3d printing would be nice for shape, but from my experience it won't hold up, especially if it would be radially printed. Maybe if it's some exotic type of filament/print technique it could work, but the standard stuff won't last. Plus you'd need either a huge printer, or multi-part blades which wouldn't be optimal for strength. Durability is the hardest challenge for DIY wind turbines. It's out there 24/7, exposed to UV, temperature changes, moisture and violent wind speeds. I've had multiple bits and pieces end up in neighbors' yards over the years haha.

[@user-jp2em5hy5f]

@@AKIOTV :D Thx: I'm all theory with no practical 3D print experience. There's this (small) where he strengthened things with a coat of superglue and some fancy fill pattern: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6K2nX2PrKufbdU But yea; some fancy uv resistant filament that contains fibres of some sort and definitely a steel or aluminium main spar/s arrangement.

[@DMike92.]

Very good video; Thanks. May be it could be more .. uh .. visual?

[@dariosusman]

Very informative! Thank you for posting!

[@user-hl1tw8rs5g]

A person must have a good wind resource to make a wind turbine a good financial investment. IMO, however, they are always preferential to running a gas generator. And there are other reasons for having one outside of finances.

[@bumponalog7164]

Joke's on you, we'll just have everyone live in a wind turbine.

[@AKIOTV]

haha

[@PrivateBanking411]

Interesting good to know, you did a great job, & i appreciate the fact you are sharing your time & know how.👏🏼😏💯

[@jaypasrana]

What if in practical life we see that an area where the most wind passes or rushes by the house, I personally have seen that wind rushes to some extant according to the design of house as well as the locality. we could go for wind turbine which can be used to generate electricity from 4-6 miles per hour. idk how but I think that's the key for commercial or residential wind turbine.

[@brendanjonker6865]

well I didn't know you're living in the Netherlands like me. I have a project with a small windturbine and I can show you the results if you want to. Place where I live is Zijldijk in the province of Groningen

[@AKIOTV]

cool, does it work well?

[@brendanjonker6865]

yesterday it was 0.81kWh@@AKIOTV

[@AKIOTV]

That's doing pretty well then. I suspect you have it in a nice and windy spot.

[@Knolraab]

Enjoyed the video!

[@fridusfroetzl]

Very convincing and useful info. I just think another title will attract more viewers. I expected to see an explanation of your technical problem. Maybe something like: 'Why small wind turbines in residential areas don't live up to expectations'. A question, maybe for another video: What do you think of axial wind turbines? Even less efficient, but easier to build for amateurs, as they don't have to adapt to wind direction. Because wind flows perpendicular to the axis, they also get to process less force, meaning the less maintenance.

[@AKIOTV]

good tip 👍

[@AKIOTV]

I missed the second half there. Vertical axis turbines are indeed easier to make, and deal better with turbulent wind that changes direction rapidly. I think the problem with these turbines is this: are you in an urban environment? Then you're probably best off with a vertical axis one. *however* you're probably *even* better off with no turbine at all, given the overall, average lack of wind. Are you in an open field? Then a horizontal axis turbine would give you better production while still not being all that much harder to make. So I suspect vertical axis turbines have very rare, specific conditions in which they could be the optimal solution: situations with both plenty of wind, but at the same time highly turbulent. Perhaps the kind of spot I mentioned at the end of the video would suit them well. Maybe I'll do a video on this some time.

[@HL65536]

That's less than half of what my 165Wp small solar panel in front of my window generates. And that thing was less than 200€.

[@AKIOTV]

exactly

[@change_of_game_energy]

a game changer is to use the building to concentrate the wind and then it into a turbine. Then you get a much larger area to capture wind energy with.

[@myUSpatent]

US Patent #11,939,963 Frictionless Spinning Energy Device Issue date 03/26/2024

[@liamwayne6703]

Weasel words. Define "most people".

[@interstellarsurfer]

Matt Ferrell is a techno-optimist working toward being a paid corporate $hill.

[@bumponalog7164]

Hopefully he gets a cut of the investment scams he promotes.

[@calvinl2149]

I agree, Matt Ferrell has little credibility. He barely understands the technical details of products he shows in his video. He should really learn more physics so he can explain how new products actually overcame previous problems/limitations. I unsubscribed from him long ago.

[@ahmeddaabo6507]

1 m2 area is not actual area and will surly give bad results dear, thanks for your effort.