Wind Turbine Systems
Wind turbines are typically designed to harness the wind generated by the boat's speed during both sailing and motor cruising. While solar energy is fundamental to wind, when considered as renewable energy sources on boats, the greatest advantage of wind turbines is their ability to provide a clean energy source even on days without sunlight.
Compared to solar panels, other advantages include their usability both day and night and their smaller footprint. Depending on individuals' sailing preferences, there are various applications for wind turbines that differ for boats operating mainly along the coast or those sailing in open waters.
The basic principle is that the movement of the blades of the propeller drives the generator, leading to the production of electrical energy. The length of the blades increases the amount of energy generated.
Approximately 95% of the world's areas can harness wind energy, and seas are more advantageous for this purpose compared to land. The issues of noisy operation and frequent technical malfunctions observed in older models during high winds have seemingly been resolved in recent designs.
There are now models that can generate electricity even in winds exceeding 25 knots. Additionally, turbines capable of producing energy in winds as low as 3 knots are also being manufactured.
