The TLG-500 Wind Generator
Can outperform any Instantaneous rated unit up to 2Kw and some all the way to 5Kw.
Nothing outperforms a TLG-500

Understanding why the TLG-500 is your best choice for a wind generator.

A lot of people seem to be asking the same type of questions about the TLG-500 wind generator.  Many of these questions are answered in different sections on the website but are scattered out. 
Here on this one page I am going to explain how and why the TLG-500 works like it does, and why it is the best choice for you.

Most DC wind generator systems produce DC straight out of the unit.  The problem with DC output is it is harder to get what you create into a battery bank.  DC, meaning Direct Current means exactly that.  The current travels in one direction and one direction only.  Most people install their wind generator using affordable wiring.  With smaller affordable wiring if you start out with 5 amps being created from the generator you probably only see about 1 amp going into your battery bank.  Part of this problem can be addressed if you have plenty of money to spend on huge wiring.  But lets face it, it is not cost effective to string out two 100 foot runs of 4 gauge wire, or to try to maximize your output some people buy 1/0 wire to run from the generator to your batteries.  Even with wires that large you can still loose some amperage if the run is very long.

The TLG-500 drastically reduces the loss issue by not creating DC output from the unit.  The TLG-500 produces AC output through 3 wires referred to as 3-phase AC.  This 3-phase AC is transmitted through much smaller common wiring such as an extension cord available at most stores.  The extension cord connects to the wind generator head on top of the tower, it then runs down the tower and goes to the location of your batteries.  Once at the battery bank the 3 wires from the generator attach to a 3-phase bridge rectifier which converts the AC into useable DC voltage. The Rectifier has two outputs, one positive and one negative which only uses two short wires to pass the DC output directly to the battery bank through a fuse or breaker.  With the only DC output in the circuit being the two short wires from the rectifier the loss of power is greatly minimized.

Over the years I have worked on several different brands of wind generators from battery charging systems to grid tie systems.  I think I have seen about every type of failure that a unit can have.  All of these types of failures I have had to repair I made sure was not in the TLG-500.  Here are a few examples.

Most units in my opinion are made with what seems to be planned maintenance.  Who wants to climb towers, or lower the unit in intervals to do maintenance?  I sure don't!  I figure if it isn't broke don't mess with it, and a unit shouldn't have to be touched if at all possible.
The TLG-500 is made from high grade Aluminium alloys, stainless steel, and copper.  The bearings in the unit and yaw assembly are not stainless steel because stainless steel bearings will not last near as long as standard grade steel bearing will.  That is one of the known failures I left out.

Most other units use either a single bearing in the front or two much smaller bearing than the TLG-500 has in it.  Bearings are the only moving part inside the TLG-500 generator head.  By using bearings that are oversized and way over rated for the duty they are expect to perform this will naturally increase the life of the bearings considerably.  So there is another failure I omitted from the TLG-500.  Now a good question could be; will the bearing ever fail?  They probably will, but if it does happen it will be several years down the road.

Most other units that furl in the wind to control the units output and reduce lateral thrust wind force on the tower are mechanical moving parts.  Anything that moves will wear out in time.  Most of these moving parts have to be greased as part of the maintenance routine.  What happens to grease when the wind blows dust around, it fills up with dirt which causing vital moving parts to not move freely and will cause them to wear out much faster.
The TLG-500 furls by physics without the need for any moving parts.  A basic explanation of how this work is like this.  The center line of the of the rotor is offset from the pivot point.  The boom arm is also angled away from the pivot point .  The stronger the wind blows, the faster the rotor turns, the faster the rotor turns, the more mass it presents to the oncoming wind,  the more mass it presents the more pressure it produces against the Vane and its relative angle thus over powering the physical size and mass of the vane itself which causes the unit to furl as the wind speed increases.  No moving parts in the furling systems is just one more known failure omitted.

Some units suffered from over heating because of internal electrical circuits. While other units just don't seem to have a way to dissipate the heat.  The TLG-500 has it windings on the outside edge of its aluminum alloy case.  The aluminum case is then attached to the aluminum yaw assembly, so basically the whole assembly is a heat sink.  With overheating strongly addressed yet another known failure was omitted from the TLG-500.

Others units use, wood, fibreglass, and carbon fiber resin blades as there source of extracting power from the wind.  Part of this paragraph is simply my opinion as I know there are hardcore wood lovers out there.  My issue with wood blades is the maintenance they require, and what seemed to me to be the never ending balancing routine.  Carbon fiber resin blades sound like they would be tough, but the only carbon fiber blades I have held in my hands are not what I would call carbon fiber blades, more like carbon fiber floor sweepings mixed with plastics.  In my opinion to make a good strong carbon fiber blade it would take actual sheets of the carbon fiber material and precisely mixed resin.  To build a carbon fiber blade of any quality most people couldn't afford the materials or the labor to have one made.  Fibreglass done right makes a good blade, but fibreglass has its issues such as it is temperature sensitive, and can only flex so many times before it too will break.  I have had extremely good luck with the aluminium series rotors.  So far even the ones that have been hit with debris in storms have not come apart.  We power the TLG-500 with the extremely powerful 5-foot Boast Buster rotor, so the failures of wooden, carbon fiber, and Fiberglas blades does not exists on the TLG-500.

Several permanent magnet generator use brushes inside them to transfer power out of the unit. Brushes are a high failure item and require regular maintenance.  The TLG-500 generator head is a true brush less design so there is another known failure that is omitted.

I could some up the failure issue by simply saying this.  Everything I have ever had to repair on various brands of generator over the years I left out of the TLG-500.

Output of a wind generator is one very confusing subject for most people.  Most every unit on the market today is rated by the industry standard Instantaneous Output rating.  This rating is confusing to say the very least.  I have heard countless times comments being made from people that have bought units rated this way and they cannot understand how they say it puts out wattage in wind speed where the blades aren't even turning yet. Instantaneous output is a combination of shorted amperage times the open voltage of a generator at a given rpm, and in some cases its a theoretical output.  In theory it is accurate, but theories only seem to work in a perfect world, and who really lives in a perfect world.  Now to add insult to injury there is also an even more confusing output data called Kilowatt Hours per month.  Again based on the original Instantaneous Output which I admit does make a unit look extremely impressive.
TLG is doing thing differently, our units are rated by what I call "Real World" output.  This is something you can count on getting, you can use "Real World" output to figure out how many units and batteries you may need with your average given wind.  The TLG-500 was purposely underrated.  I believe that you should always give your customer more than they expect.  Every owner of the TLG-500 is getting much better output from their unit than I said it would do.  My "Real World" rating has caused me my fair share of problems.  I received a comment from someone that said my "Real World" output makes the TLG-500 seem inferior to other brands that follow the industry standard rating of Instantaneous output.  That person was correct, there are people that think the TLG-500 is not the best deal for the money because it is only rated at 500 watt of output with a price tag way above other units.
Even though the TLG-500 may get passed up when people compare it to a 1200 watt Instantaneous rated unit costing only 400 or 500 dollars I will still not advertise its 5.7 Kw of Instantaneous output.  It seems impressive but it is not what you will actually see going into your battery bank and that will lead to a disappointment.
I believe that in time the world will come to understand that 600 to 1200 watt Instantaneous rated units really only puts out between 75 to 200 watts of output in the "Real World".

Now there are other factors to consider when talking about output.
Altitude plays a roll in the units ability to produce output.  People at sea level or close to are going to see more out of a wind generator than someone on a mountain.  That is the air density factor.  Mountain air is much thinner than sea level air therefore there is less power in the wind in higher elevations.  This is true even with the TLG-500.  If it isn't there I can't get it either.

The TLG-500 is a large 10 1/2" diameter, 28 pound, multi-pole rotary flux unit.  You could fit several of the Brand X PMA's windings and magnetic cores inside the case of the TLG-500 head.  The units larger diameter provides it a large magnetic swept area to pass over the multiple coils which makes the unit put out more power right from the start.  The multi-pole rotary flux design is extremely advanced in comparison to other units.
After reading the last few paragraphs lets see if I was able to clear up the differences in output of the TLG-500 against other units.  Here is the question: why is the TLG-500 so big and heavy compared to the other units if its output is only 500 watts?  Is your answer, because it really can produce 500 watts into a battery bank?  If so you would be correct and that means that I have finally figured out a way to explain the actual value of the TLG-500.

I could sit here and tell you that the TLG-500 unit is the best of the best, but then it is my unit and most people would expect someone to blow their own horn.  I know what the unit can do, but I am letting the owners tell you what the unit will really do.  Would you rather hear me tell you it is the best choice for you, or would you rather hear what owners are saying about it?
One thing I can say here with utmost certainty.  If the unit was not working as good or better than I say it does the comments owners are making would not be 100% positive as they are.
Here is what Ken in Wisconsin said has average output is from a single TLG-500 at a given wind speed.  Ken logged this data over a period of one month to insure accuracy.  Ken now owns ten TLG-500' wind generator systems.  For the money he has invested in these ten units if they didn't perform well for him I am sure his review would not be what is it. ;)

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