Hi all - Having used these forums for the research/planning, I wanted to share our successful experience with adding a 400W Wind Turbine (Primus Air Silent X) to our Victron-based solar power system and enabling remote monitoring capabilities via the Cerbo GX and VRM.
We installed this on Greens Ledge Lighthouse - which is about 1 mile off the coast of Norwalk, Connecticut. We have ~3kwh of solar capacity and wanted to add wind to help provide supplemental power in the winter months, given our abundance of wind resource.
To enable remote monitoring, we used a SmartShunt configured as a DC Energy Meter. We initially set it to "Wind Turbine" but this did not show up in the VRM (only accessible via the VictronConnect app and Remote Console).
When changed to "PV Charger" it showed up in the VRM alongside the solar panels, and this has been a good setup for us. We're able to see real-time production in VRM, see historical production via a device widget in VRM, and track the cumulative output via the VictronConnect app.
Production-wise - we've been monitoring it for about 2-3 weeks and are on pace to produce about 20kwh for the month. It has a steep power curve, so the vast majority of production comes when winds are in the 20-30mph range. We produced about 3-4kwh in a 24-hour period when we had ideal conditions.
When wind speeds are below 20mph or above 30mph - the output is generally minimal. However - the unit is not optimally positioned (about 20-30% of the wind is blocked by the lighthouse), so others may have better experience in lower and/or less turbulent wind conditions.
We're happy with the production and are considering adding a second and perhaps a third unit. We'll attempt to optimize over the coming season and report back any significant findings.
We post updates about the restoration work and the off-grid systems on our Instagram and Facebook if folks would like to follow us and/or ask any questions.
