Question by Chaco-Yekke Downyonder:
How long does it take to recharge a automobile battery with a wind turbine?
I’m planning to build a catamaran from two surfboards, attach a DC pump motor, put a seat on it and a wind turbine (500W) and make this thing my commuter boat. It needs to cover 8 miles in under an hour and back, and I hope to recharge it over night using the wind turbine only (the thing will be moored in Otago Harbour, southern New Zealand, and I am planning to swim out to it in the mornings using a wetsuit).
How many batteries do you reckon I need, how huge an engine do I need to get up to about 10 knots, and how many wind turbines are necessary to recharge this thing over night?

As you can see, I am a determined fool.
;-)


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Answer by LXP
Excellent idea!

Let me contribute a bit, if you do not mind. Why do not you just skip the turbine and the motor and build a sailing catamaran instead, based on two windsurfing boards?

This thing will be as agile as a roadrunner; however, it will require good sailing skills. The wetsuit you planned for swimming to your car in the morning will come in handy, you will need it during the trip.

But I’d not be surprised if that thing could do 16 miles per hour with ease.

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