wind power
Wind power is clean, plentiful and the world's fastest growing source of energy. Countries like Germany, Denmark, Spain and India are becoming major users of wind energy. While it has been slower to catch on in the U.S., you can see major wind farms in the American Southwest. But American farmers and rural residents have known for a long time that harnessing the power of the wind makes sense. And if you have the space and vertical clearance, you can also take advantage of wind power to lower your emissions and power bills.
how wind power works
Wind turbines capture the wind's kinetic energy to power a generator that produces electricity. Wind generators have four main parts: blades (also known as rotors), a power shaft, gears and a generator. The wind drives the blades, which turns the shaft, which powers the generator and electricity is produced.
Installing wind systems is a complicated technical process and most people will benefit by using contractors skilled in wind technology and electrical installation.
Find a wind system installer in your area
home wind power systems
Consumers can purchase wind units for home use. There are medium-size units that can fulfill all of the electric needs of a home, or smaller units that can be used as a supplemental power supply. A wind system typically lowers a home's electric bill by 50-90% depending on the size of the system and the wind patterns of the site.
Wind power systems are most practical in rural areas or for consumers with an acre or more of land. But check with your neighbors and local zoning laws – you may be able to set up a small system in a suburban area.
Depending on the size of your site and your energy consumption patterns, you’ll likely need a turbine rated in the 5-15 kilowatt range to make an impact on your energy needs.
As with solar power, depending on where you live, you can either use a “grid-tied� system or a stand-alone system. In a grid-tie system, a home uses a wind power system but the house is still connected to the local power grid. The electricity produced by the wind system that is not used immediately in the home is returned to the power grid. When this happens your electricity meter literally spins backwards as you are passing energy to the grid. You are also building a credit on your power bill. This is called “net-metering.� The benefit of the grid-tied system is that it does not include expensive batteries to be installed in your home for the storage of power; the grid acts as the storage system and your home and the grid exchange power as you need and produce it.
A stand-alone system requires greater power-generation capacity and large storage batteries. These systems are significantly more expensive, but they do give you total energy independence.
The most important thing to consider is the average wind speed of your site. In general people living in coastal areas or in the Great Plains of the U.S. are the best candidates for wind power. If you want to measure this yourself, you’ll need a wind-measuring device called an anemometer. But this takes some serious time and dedication. Or you can look at the attached map to estimate the wind power productivity of your location. (see wind map below)
Because wind speed increases with altitude, you’ll want to get your wind generator as high off the ground as possible. Trees and buildings also interfere with wind flow so you'll need to keep the wind generator at least 500 feet away from any of these types of obstructions. As a rule, a generator mounted on a tower should be 20-30 feet higher than any surrounding trees.
The U.S. Department of Energy has an excellent consumer’s guide to Small Wind Electric Systems. It will tell you all you need to know about evaluating your site, determining the size of the system you'll need, and much more. Download it here.
For more information on residential wind systems please visit: http://www.awea.org/smallwind
Be sure to look at the state-by-state guide to regulations and incentives for wind power in your state at http://www.awea.org/smallwind/states.html
wind power costs and pay-back periods
The cost of a wind power system depends on how much power you wish to generate. If you want to supplement your existing grid-based power, or supplement a solar system, you can get a small system that will run between $5,000-10,000. If you want to install a larger system that will cover most of your power needs, the system will cost between $20,000-40,000.
Many states offer rebate or tax credit programs to encourage the uptake of small wind energy systems. To see state and local incentives please visit: http://www.dsireusa.org
Depending on the size of the system you buy, the amount of power you use, and any tax or other incentives you may qualify for, your payback period should be 5-15 years. Like solar, wind power is a long-term green investment.
source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Individual results of using green products and services listed herein may vary. Low Impact Living, Inc. takes no responsibility for individual results, nor for service providers or products listed on this website.
