Wind Generator for Home Use

For consumers wanting to generate their own green power, setting up a small wind turbine may be a choice. Small wind turbines are electric generators that use the energy of the wind to produce clean, emissions-free power for specific houses, farms, and small companies.

With this easy and increasingly popular innovation, people can generate their own power and cut their energy expenses while helping to safeguard the environment. Unlike utility-scale turbines, small turbines can be appropriate for use on properties as small as one acre of land in a lot of areas of the nation.

Wind Generator Installation Guide

The basic actions for setting up a small wind turbine on your home are:

  1. Figure out whether the wind resource in your area makes a small wind system economical.
  2. Identify your household electrical energy needs by examining your monthly or annual electrical energy usage.
  3. Find out whether local zoning regulations allow wind turbine installations.
  4. Purchase and set up a wind turbine sized to the requirements of your household. The Small Wind Certification Council preserves a list of certified small wind turbines.

QUESTIONS TO ASK EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS

  • What is the energy output (determined in kilowatt-hours or kWh — not in kilowatts or kW) of the turbine, over one year, in typical wind speeds of 8 to 14 mph? Is this determined using real-life (“field”) information (chosen), or lab/wind tunnel testing?
  • Can you refer me to other consumers who have owned [Model X] for a period of time? (The longer, the much better.).
  • What is the warranty length and coverage? (The market requirement is five years.).
  • Has the turbine/tower ever gone through a dependability test? By whom? For how long? What were the results?
  • How long has the company been producing turbines?
  • How long has [Model X] turbine been readily available for sale to customers (not in the prototype or beta testing stage)?
  • For the length of time was the prototype checked? By whom? In the field or in a lab?
  • How many turbines of [Model X] have been offered, and for how many years? How many of these are still running?
  • How frequently has [Design X] been re-designed? What were those changes and how recent were they?
  • What problems have other consumers encountered and how have you dealt with them?

General Info about Wind Generator for Home Use

wind turbine for home use cost
Wind turbine for home use. Photo credit: moneycrashers.com

What size turbine is needed to power an entire home?

Generally, a common American home would need a small turbine with a 5-kW generating capability to satisfy all its electrical energy requires. A turbine of this size has a size of around 18 feet. The exact size had to power a home, however, can range from 2 kW to 10 kW (12- to 25-foot diameter) based upon a home’s energy use, typical wind speeds, and the turbine’s height above ground (which affects its productivity).

How tall are they?

The average height of a small wind turbine (of any capability) is about 80 feet, about two times the height of a neighborhood utility pole, with a range of 30 to 140 feet. Generator size and tower height are not typically related; a 5-kW turbine might be on a tower anywhere from 30 to 140 feet high.

What is the average repayment duration?

The length of the payback duration depends on the turbine, the quality of wind at the installation site, prevailing electricity rates, and readily available financing and rewards. Depending upon these and other factors, the time it takes to totally recover the cost of a small wind turbine can take anywhere from 6 to 30 years.

How much do they cost?

The purchase and setup of a system big enough to power a whole home expenses, usually, $30,000, but the price can vary from $10,000 to $70,000 depending upon system size, height, and installation costs. The purchase and setup of very small (< 1-kW) off-grid turbines usually cost $4,000 to $9,000, and a 100-kW turbine can cost $350,000. The federal government and numerous states have discount and tax credit programs to encourage investment in small wind. In addition, United Wind now provides a wind turbine leasing program.

What occurs when the wind doesn’t blow?

For grid-connected systems, the user will not notice a difference when the wind does not blow. The utility provides electrical energy when the wind does not blow, and any extra electrical energy the turbine generates is returned to the energy system to be used by a neighbor. Off-grid turbines keep power in batteries for on-demand use and are often matched by solar electrical panels to offer more consistent generation.

Taking comprehensive measurements to gauge your wind resource is often unnecessary. Experienced installers/dealers or manufacturers can determine whether your house is appropriate for a system by inspecting the surrounding area.

How much land and wind are needed?

Installers advise sites with average wind speeds of at least 12 mph, but particular land requirements vary. Zoning codes sometimes enforce a minimum requirement on lot size or on the distance a turbine might be put from a property line and might vary depending upon the height of the proposed turbine. Likewise, it is vital to have a site with unobstructed access to winds, which frequently needs greater towers, larger land lots, and non-urban areas. Presently, less than 1% of all small wind turbines are used in urban applications, partially due to zoning limitations however mostly since wind quality is much poorer in densely built environments. Contact your turbine factory dealership for help navigating the permitting process.

How does the ranked capability of a small wind system compare to its real performance?

Ranked capacity indicates the electric power (kilowatts) at a given wind speed, so the response depends on wind speed and the turbine. A more accurate sign of energy production, nevertheless, is swept area. A 5-kW turbine (typical domestic size, 18-foot rotor diameter) produces around 8,000 kWh each year in 12-mph typical winds, which is about 100% of what an average U.S. home requires. At the larger end of the spectrum, a 100-kW turbine (60-foot size) in these conditions will generate around 200,000 kWh each year.

Are batteries or other storage needed?

There are two types of systems: those linked to the electricity grid (” on-grid”) and those used off-grid (for battery charging) or backup power. Lots of systems offered today are off-grid, but need is rising for on-grid systems that essentially use the grid as a battery: When the wind blows, the owner uses electrical energy from the turbine; when winds are low and consumption is high, the owner uses electrical power from the grid. The tiniest wind turbines are used in conjunction with solar photovoltaic innovation.

How are small wind systems preserved?

Regular examinations need to be performed as soon as a year of a turbine’s 20+- year life expectancy. An expert installer or skilled technician (generally the maker or dealer that sold the turbine) preserves the turbine and tower through physical inspections, though some turbines can be kept track of remotely from a home computer.

Read also about Best Cell Phone Solar Chargers for 2024.