Wind Turbine FAQs

• What is the Right Turbine for my Needs?
  • Start with two questions: how much wind your site actually gets, and how much room you have.
  • Vertical turbines (the X-300, H1000 and H2000) start turning at 2 to 2.5 m/s and take wind from any direction, so they keep working where the wind swirls and shifts — around buildings, trees and rooflines. They run from 300 W up to 2000 W.
  • Horizontal turbines (M-400, M-600, M-800, and the L1, L2 and G series) want cleaner, steadier wind and a clear run at it. In clean, steady wind a horizontal of the same rating is usually the better harvester, and they scale further — 400 W up to 5000 W.
  • Match the turbine to your battery bank, not to the biggest number. 12 V suits a camper, 4WD or tinnie; 24 V a van, cabin or boat; 48 V a shed or remote block.

  1. The largest models run at mains voltage, and the L2-3000, G-3000 and G-5000 are ground-mount only — they need a 10–15 m mast and are not rooftop units.
  2. Rated power is measured at 10–14 m/s, depending on the model. What you get at your place depends on your wind, your mast height and the season — not on a number on our website.
• Can I Connect my Wind Turbine Directly to the Inverter?
  1. No. Wind turbines generate "wild" 3-phase AC power that changes voltage constantly with the wind speed.
  2. Connecting it directly to a battery or a standard solar inverter will destroy your equipment.

  • You must wire the turbine into a dedicated wind charge controller (pure-wind or wind-solar hybrid) with a dump-load resistor.
  • The controller converts the power to stable DC to charge your batteries safely.
• How do I Choose Between 12V, 24V or 48V Configuration?

  Match the turbine and its controller to the voltage of your existing battery bank:

  • 12 V: compact mobile setups — caravans, 4WDs and camper trailers.
  • 24 V: medium setups — off-grid sheds, cabins and motorhomes.
  • 48 V: most of this range, and the sensible choice for a full off-grid system. Higher voltage means less current in the cable, so less loss over a long run and lighter cable.
• What is a Dump Load Resistor and do I Need One?
  • When your battery bank is fully charged it stops accepting power.

  1. If a storm hits at night with the batteries full, a turbine with nowhere to send its power will free-spin out of control and can physically fly apart.

  • The controller prevents that by diverting the excess into the dump load resistor, which burns it off safely as heat and acts as an electronic brake to slow the turbine down.
  • Yes, you need one.
• Do These Vertical Turbines Make a Loud Whirring Noise?
  • Usually quieter, but not silent — no turbine is.
  • Why a Horizontal is Louder: its blade tips travel several times faster than the wind, and blade noise climbs steeply with tip speed. The whoosh rises and falls as each blade comes round — a rhythmic swish that carries through wind noise more than a steady hiss does.
  • Why a Vertical is Usually Quieter: its blades turn more slowly, so there is less of that whoosh.

  1. What we won't Tell you: that it's silent. Every turbine gets louder as the wind picks up. The wind often covers much of it in a strong blow, but a close neighbour can still hear one in light to moderate wind.
  2. The manufacturer publishes no noise figure for the turbines themselves (the "65 dB or less" on some Specs tabs is the controller's), so we don't quote one.

  • On a building, use vibration isolators — a turbine bolted to a structure carries its sound into the rooms — and check your council's rules on noise, height and placement before you order a mast.
• Will the Turbine Spin in a Light Breeze?
  • It will turn, but turning is not charging. The blades start turning at 2 to 2.5 m/s (about 7 to 9 km/h) — a light breeze.
  • Charging starts at the cut-in speed: 3 m/s (about 11 km/h) on every model except the X-300, which starts and charges from 2 m/s. Output then climbs steeply with wind speed.

  1. The rated figure is measured much higher — 10 to 14 m/s depending on the model, a 36 to 50 km/h wind, not a normal afternoon. Each product page's spec table gives that model's own numbers.

  • A gentle breeze keeps the turbine ticking over; it takes real wind to push real power into your batteries. Every horizontal model has its measured power curve published on its product page — work from that, not from the number in the product name.
• Do Small Turbines Need a Gale to Make Power?
  • No — small turbines are built to spin fast. The smaller the rotor, the faster it has to turn to keep its blade tips up with the wind: the M-400's 1.35 m rotor runs at about 800 rpm, the M-600 and M-800 at about 500, the big G-series at 300.
  • In the manufacturer's words, the high rpm is a design necessity, not a defect. A slower generator would need a bigger stator and more magnets and copper — heavier and dearer.
  • They start turning at 2 to 2.5 m/s and make power right across the wind range — just less when the wind is light. What you get depends on your site and how high you mount it.
• Do I Have to Connect my Turbine to a Battery?
  • Yes — connect the turbine to a battery bank first, through a dedicated charge controller.

  1. Never straight to an inverter. Connecting a wind turbine directly to a standard inverter will damage the equipment or cause the system to fail.

  The Correct Order:

  • 1. Wind Turbine — generates wild, fluctuating 3-phase AC as the wind changes.
  • 2. Hybrid or Wind Charge Controller — converts it to steady DC, and protects the turbine from over-speeding with an electronic brake.
  • 3. Battery Bank (12 V, 24 V or 48 V) — absorbs the gusts and provides a steady source of energy.
  • 4. Off-Grid Inverter — connects to the battery, converting stored DC into AC for your appliances.

  Why you Cannot Skip the Battery:

  1. Unstable Voltage: wind changes second by second. Without a battery to smooth it out, a direct-connected inverter would constantly cut out.
  2. Turbine Damage: when a battery is disconnected, the turbine loses its load. Without that resistance the blades can spin out of control in high wind and destroy the unit. The controller uses the battery connection to dump excess power and slow it down.
• What are the Wiring & Installation Requirements?
  • A wind turbine must run through a dedicated wind charge controller (pure-wind or wind-solar hybrid) with a dump-load resistor. The dump load stops the turbine over-speeding and damaging itself in high winds once your batteries are full.

  1. The turbine generates 3-phase AC power and cannot be connected directly to a battery, a solar controller or a home inverter.

  • Installation and commissioning must be carried out by a suitably qualified and licensed electrician.
  • The cable from the turbine to the controller is 3-core copper.
  • A DC breaker goes between the controller and the battery — never a plain breaker on the turbine wires; the controller brakes the turbine itself.
  • Cable, breakers, isolators and all protective devices are selected to suit your site and are the electrician's call, not ours.
• Why is my Turbine Showing Low Voltage?

  It is almost always one of three installation issues. Check them in order.

  Quick Checks — Tick as You Go

  • Is the Meter Set to AC Volts (V~)?
  • Is There a Short in the Wiring or Controller?
  • Is the Cable from the Mast Heavy Enough for the Run?

  1. The Multimeter is Set to DC — The Most Common Mistake.

  1. Measuring the three turbine wires with the meter set to DC volts gives a false reading near zero.

  • Wind turbines generate 3-phase AC directly from the stator. Switch the meter to AC volts (V~).

  2. The Turbine is Stalling Because of a Short.

  1. The blades turn heavily and slowly, or lock up: if any of the three AC output wires touch each other, or the controller's braking diodes have short-circuited, it acts as a magnetic brake — the turbine can never spin fast enough to build voltage.

  • Stop it and Unplug it Safely — Brake First. On a calm day, put the controller's brake on (if it has one) and wait for the blades to stop completely. The turbine cable is live whenever the blades turn; even with the brake on, don't touch anything until they have stopped.
  • Unplug the turbine and join its three wires together on the turbine side of the cable, so it stays braked. Don't leave it spinning unplugged.
  • Then have your electrician check the wiring and the controller for the short, or contact us and we will help you sort it out. Reconnect it the same way you start up: blades still, take the three wires apart, plug it in, then release the brake (if it has one).

  3. Voltage Drop from Thin Cable.

  1. Thin solar or automotive cable over 20 metres or more loses the power as heat before it reaches the controller.

  • Use heavy cable between the mast and the controller on long runs — minimum 8 AWG, ideally 6 AWG. Final sizing is your electrician's call.
  • The cable from the turbine to the controller is 3-core copper, because the turbine puts out three-phase AC. Too thin a cable also weakens the brake, because the controller brakes through it.
• Why is my Turbine Not Showing its Rated Wattage on the Screen?
  • The number in the name is a peak rating, not a promise.
  • A turbine's rated output is measured at a specific wind speed — 10 to 14 m/s depending on the model, which is about 36 to 50 km/h — and most sites see far less than that most of the time.
  • Your display shows what the wind is delivering right now, so it will sit well below the rated figure and move second by second as the wind changes. That is physics, not a fault.
  • As an example, the L2-2500 is rated 2,500 W at 11 m/s. On a decent steady coastal breeze of 7 m/s the manufacturer's own curve gives about 813 W. That is why we publish the full power curve on every horizontal turbine's product page.
  • Where these machines earn their keep is time: they keep charging through the night and through the weather that shuts solar down.

  1. If the display shows 0 W while the blades are spinning, that is a different problem — see the 0 W question.
• My Turbine is Spinning but the Controller Shows 0W — Is it Faulty?
  • Not necessarily — this is one of the most common questions we get, and it is rarely a faulty unit.
  • It is usually a quick settings check, or (on a first-time install) how the wiring and start-up sequence were done.
  • See our full Wind Turbine 0W Troubleshooting Guide for the complete walkthrough, or the Set-Up Guide — or contact us and we will help you sort it out.
• How to Install & Start Up?
  • Wire your bus bar and breakers, then power up in the right order. Getting the sequence right prevents almost all wiring issues, including the common "spinning but 0 W" problem.
  • Fit a breaker on the solar side (if fitted), and a DC breaker or fuse between the controller and the battery, close to the battery, landing on a DC bus bar. Your electrician will confirm what the wiring rules need for your site.

  1. Don't put a plain breaker or isolator on the turbine wires. Cutting that line while the blades turn lets the turbine overspeed.

  • You don't need an extra switch there either — the controller brakes the turbine itself.

  • The cable from the turbine to the controller is 3-core copper. Allow the full height of the tower plus the run across to the controller; your electrician sizes it from the voltage, current and length.

  Starting Up — Begin at the Battery

  • 1. Switch the battery breaker on first. The controller powers up.
  • 2. Switch the solar on, if fitted.
  • 3. Turbine Last: on a calm day, with the blades still and the controller's brake on, take the three turbine wires apart, plug the turbine in, then release the brake. (A controller with no hand brake: skip the brake.)
  • See our full How to Install & Start Up guide for the complete step-by-step walkthrough and wiring diagram.
• How does the Brake Work, and How do I Stop the Turbine Safely?
  • The controller brakes the turbine by joining its three wires together. It slows the blades but doesn't lock them dead.
  • Every controller we sell does this automatically when the battery is full or the voltage, current or speed climbs too high.
  • By Hand: WW series — flip the BRAKE switch, or press and hold the button for 5 seconds. WCMD — press the button and set the charging mode on the screen to "no charging". The Mars, Meteor and blue hybrids have no hand brake.
  • Every brake needs the battery, the WW's BRAKE switch included. Take the battery away and the brake lets go, so the turbine always comes off before the battery does.

  Shutting Down — Finish at the Battery

  • 1. Brake on (no hand brake: a calm day). Wait for the blades to stop completely.
  • 2. Unplug the turbine and join its three wires together, so it stays braked.
  • 3. Switch the solar off.
  • 4. Switch the battery breaker off last.
  • The same steps switch the system off for weeks.

  1. The turbine cable is live whenever the blades turn. Even with the brake on, wait until they have stopped completely before you touch anything.
• Do I Need a Breaker or Stop Switch on the Turbine Wires?
  1. No. Don't put a plain breaker or isolator on the turbine wires: cutting that line while the blades turn lets the turbine overspeed.

  • You don't need an extra switch there either — the controller brakes the turbine itself.
  • Fit a DC breaker or fuse between the controller and the battery, close to the battery, so you can isolate the system before you touch anything. Your electrician will confirm what the wiring rules need for your site. That protects you, and it protects your new turbine and the rest of your power system.
• How do I Replace or Service the Controller?

  Taking it Out

  • 1. Put the brake on (if it has one) and wait for the blades to stop completely. Do this on a calm day.
  • 2. Unplug the turbine and join its three wires together, so it stays braked. Then unplug the dump load, and the solar if fitted.
  • 3. Switch the battery breaker off last.
  • 4. Wait at least 5 minutes before you touch the controller — it holds a charge for a few minutes after the power is off.

  Putting it Back

  • 1. On a calm day, with the blades stopped and the battery breaker off, plug in the dump load and the solar if fitted. Then take the three turbine wires apart and plug the turbine in, with the brake on (if it has one).
  • 2. Switch the battery breaker on.
  • 3. Release the brake last (if it has one).