Joestue,
Until you build a "wind transducer" you won't appreciate what is going on.
Efficiency is of little interest, (don't choke just yet) Most of us are trying to match the commonest winds to our batteries. This is a different approach than what an engineer will do. Every part is a compromise, all aimed at getting the most from a specific range. Now you may think "efficiency is the key" as a good engineer, but it's not. If you need low wind performance, big blades, big alternator, and furl early..... throw the power away, you dont have to pay for it, and you don't want it. You don't need efficiency, you need watts into the batteries when YOU need it..... this is not when the wind blows hard as a general rule. So efficiency and what we want is not always related as strongly as you may think.
My stator has phase resistance of .39 ohms in star..... no quite the 1.5R you allude to. It drives a 48v bank. It has 628 sq inches to radiate heat.... a bit more than the 1.5R resistor I suspect that you were thinking about. When it is working harder, it has wind chill to boot..... so I can afford a bit of loss, and not give a hoot in the low to midwind range. I need to introduce inefficiencies, or the thing won't work... it will stall. It runs near cold at 1kw, but I don't need more than that..... I want less....... more frequently/all the time. I don't want or care about efficiency. I want the impossible.... power all the time.... not lots, just 700 watts is fine..... yes I built 2 x 4 meter ones. I want to see 300- 400 watts most of the time out of each.
If I could have achieved that by scr control, I would have.... but due to the design, and wind here I easily achieve that without it, but I have oodles of room for heat if I so choose.
So I overbuild to hell, and then hobble it severely, doing whatever it takes to take the most advantage of low winds to mild to mid winds. I don't want to see big winds, or of I do see them, I want the mill to ignore them.... not take advantage of them...... not what a decent engineer would do.
An alternator of 0R resistance will not work with a prop.... cut in = stall..... finished. So we need to compromise .......... we need losses in the system, just to work. Bench testing is only to get an idea of the alternator power curve.... simple stuff...... Then you need to match it to the wind...... variable impedance driving force to a fixed impedance (battery) not so simple..... the blades and the alt must provide the slop to match the wind to the battery..... whatever it takes.
Like I said, I agree with the theory, but I won't write anything off with windmills, until it is thoroughly tried. Because there is no formula for mill matching, there will be mills that this may help more than hinder.... and thats all it takes to be useful. There will be plenty of mills it wont help at all.... but thats normal for mills.
Only those who don't "get it" with their furling will burn up a stator.
If you think that is all bollocks, then go build a serious mill and see for yourself... all is not as it seems.
................oztules
EDIT: If I had seen Ghurds post first, I would have not bothered to write this drivel... he said it better than me.