Your Questions About Wind Turbines For Home Use

admin answers:

Hey X, what you’ve been reading is basically correct, you are looking at probably 10 + years for your financial payback. If that is what you are after, probably better to spend a few dollars making your living space a bit more efficient, which will cut down on your current electric bill, and put the rest in long term bonds. You’ll get your money back faster with the investment.

We live in a home that is completely powered by the wind and sun. It still has the utility company connected, which I now use as my storage battery for excess power, and then I can draw on them if I need extra down the road. There is a small fee for that too. The original reason we got involved is because at the time, our power was always going out at inconvenient times, and later for environmental reasons. If, as you say, the cost benefit ratio is too unbalanced, you might as well stick to nuclear, then I’m guessing environmental benefits are not of interest to you. Lots of people grow tomatoes in their garden even though it’s easier and cheaper to buy them at the store, or the farmers market if you want fresh. For them it’s therapuetic to make something of their own, and provide at least a sustainable patch of green grass in a world of commercial vegetable fields. The only difference between them and us is we just grow electrons in our garden, even though it is probalby cheaper to buy them commercially, from the nuclear plant, or someplace else. There is also the fact that our home has not been without power for even a minute the last 13 years now, but it’s hard to put a price tag on something like that.

If you really think you might want to get involved a little without having to bet the farm, try starting small like we did 13 years ago. A couple of golf cart batteries, one 70 or so watt panel and a few miscellaneous parts and we were lighting our kitchen and bath and running a few small electronics, like a radio, cell phone charger and so on. And within months when the next power outage came, those items continued to function, free of charge or gasoline. Home Power Magazine liked our small starter idea so much years ago they ran a small article on it. If you subscribe, you can use their online archive search engine and look for an article called, “Small System First.” If you’re handy with stuff around the house, it might be a good project for you. Check out the magazine and some other sources below. Good luck X, and take care, Rudydoo

admin answers:

Will any one in your household object to noise and vibration from even a small wind turbine? If so, the turbine needs to be on a separate tower, not attached to the house.
Are there any nearby tall trees? If so, the cost of a tower taller than the trees may be 80% the total cost. Trees reduce the average wind speed. Worse trees cause variation in the wind speed from one second to the next. This increases the wear on moving parts in your turbine. Electrical watts out is proportional to the 4 th power of the wind speed = 6 mile per hour winds produce very little electricity.
Did you check your location for frequent high wind speed? If not you may be very disappointed in the watthours you get. Neil