Wind Turbines for Homes
Professional Installation for Wind Power Electricity.
“All the right stuff and no one to do it…”
Among all the women we know, none rivals our green energyloving friend Bailey for doing her research and letting her fingers do the walking. Seeking credible advice on any consumer energy topic or issue, do not consult the magazines and certainly do not visit the Internet. Instead, consult our friend. Therefore, it came as no surprise whatsoever that, when she went into a towering rage over her family’s energy and electricity bills, thinking seriously about wind turbines for homes, she examined the possibilities off grid power from every conceivable perspective. At the end of her inquiries, calculations, weather studies, sketches, and energy studies she announced, “We live in one of the few places where a wind power system not only is feasible but actually make some sense.”
Following Engineers’ Criteria for Wind Power Energy Generation
First, think big. Giggle all you want, but in residential wind turbine design, size matters. No small wind generator will meet a home’s energy requirements. Think big wind, think big blade sweep, think big wind tower, and think big installation. Also, think plural. The operative phrase include the “s” on the end: “wind turbines for homes.”
“Big” wind does not mean gale force wind blasts periodically dropping out of the jet stream; “big” wind means steady prevailing winds approximately 12-15MPH five or six hours almost every day. And the “big” wind must flow to your site unobstructed—no hills, no tall trees, no other buildings, no obstructions of any kind. Keep in mind that the wind’s speed and power increase as you go skyward. As she assessed whether wind turbines for homes made sense for us, we tested “wind density” at thirty feet (or three stories) above ground level. Installation of a taller tower gets to where wind speeds are steady. Putting a turbine on a roof or buying a roof top design will not give you the power generation you desire. The energy from the wind is higher up. So one needs to install a higher tower. The higher the tower the more energy you will have available to generate electricity.
Big “sweep” means big aerodynamic blades—sometimes two, usually three blades, equipped with proper brakes, of course—sweep at least ten square yards. In other words, you must have room to install wind turbines with blades at least ten feet in combined length—the diameter of their sweep. Many manufacturers still consider this on the small end of the design scale. “Aerodynamic” means the blades generate a little “apparent wind” that puts extra pressure on them to turn. Even the best turbine blades will not catch anywhere near all the wind for power, but elegant, well-engineered blade designs will capture most of the energy available, wasting none of what they catch. Building towers at least three stories tall, and installing wind turbines with ten-foot blades, Bailey says you actually have crossed the boundaries of small wind generators, and you have moved into the “commercial” wind energy domain. Not a problem, manufacturers’ insist; just a caution. Usually the price of a larger generator is less. A micro wind unit is proportionately more expensive then the price of a larger unit. Dealers will advise you to install as large a unit as possible to save more on your electricity bill.
She calculates she and her neighbors can live economically with the energy that five wind turbines across the windward edge of their easement will produce. In fact, Bailey’s well-designed, strategically placed, discreetly colored and mostly unobtrusive five wind turbines for the homes in her cul de sac will generate more than enough electricity for the eleven families on her end of the street. The rest of the energy she and her neighbors can sell at the prevailing kilowatt rate. For their part, the neighbors love the idea—as long as Bailey follows-though with the “unobtrusive” part. The neighbors ought to know better: she has consummately good taste. If J. Crew made wind turbines, Bailey would order them.
Only One Serious Problem with This Residential Wind System
With all the science, engineering, calculus, geometry, and economics calculated, re-calculated and proven reliable, and many great dealers and manufacturers, what should stop purchase and installation of five wind turbines for our homes at the end of Meadowbrook Drive? Just one tiny little complication: No southern California contractor has any experience with this type of wind power installation. Not only does no one specialize in street wind energy installations; not even the solar power guys have any practical knowledge of how to derive currents in wire from currents in wind. Bailey devoted almost as much time to finding a qualified contractor as to her feasibility and environmental impact studies. She ended with nothing but stress and frustration. She contacted many of the leading wind dealers; telling us all about it, Bailey ultimately fluttered her pouty lips in that signature way of hers, sighing, and “I guess we will just have to do the wind installation ourselves.” Then her lips relaxed in Bailey’s patented smile—the one that signifies determination.
Contact Your Local Manufacturer for a Wind System
It is best to shop for the best prices locally first as it is most desirable to have a wind system from some one you can easily stay in touch with and can continue to nurture your energy savings strategy. Local dealers will also be more in touch with the cost of electricity on a local level and will have not only the local wind knowledge but will understand local electricity costs and be able to easily translate this into the energy savings you will gain. A local dealer, besides prices, may have other renewable energy resources available for you. Likely you will also want the local dealer to install your wind system as well.