Home Wind Turbine
 

Technically, a wind turbine is just a rotating machine which converts the kinetic energy in wind into mechanical energy. Is the mechanical energy used to drive a machine directly, like a water pump or a grain mill for example, the wind turbine is usually called a windmill. Is the mechanical energy turned into electrical energy via a generator it is called a wind generator, wind turbine or wind energy converter. A home wind turbine is smaller with lower power output than the large commercial wind turbines found in wind farms.

As a wind turbine harnesses the power of the wind for electricity generation, it is a very green, environmentally friendly and renewable source of energy.

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How do Wind Turbines work?

The blades of the wind turbine catch the wind and the energy of the wind forces the blades to turn and drive the turbine which generates the electricity. The stronger the wind, the more electricity is produced. Smaller units have often direct drive generators and create direct current output, which connected to an inverter can be changed to AC power. Larger, more costly turbines can have geared power trains and create alternating current output.

If the turbine is hooked up to the National Grid, generated excess electricity can be fed back into the grid or net metered (basically spinning the meter backwards) and even generate income if your generated electricity is higher than your consumed energy.

If your home wind turbine is not connected to the electricity grid surplus electricity can be stored in batteries and used when no electricity is generated by the turbine.

Types of Wind Turbines

There are two distinct types of wind turbines namely horizontal axis turbines and vertical axis turbines with a number of variations again in each category.

The most common type is the horizontal axis turbine, where the propeller blades are faced into the wind on a horizontal rotor shaft. The motion of the rotor shaft drives the turbine to generate electricity or can be used for other motion work.

The rotor shaft of a vertical wind turbine is arranged in a vertical fashion, with the wind-catching blades arranged around the rotor shaft. The benefit of this arrangement is that the wind turbine does not need to face the wind. When the blades catch the wind the entire device spins in a circular motion to create electrical energy.

Suitable Sites for Wind Turbines

If you are considering the installation of a home wind turbine you need to establish whether your site is suitable before you even look at costs or cost savings. Installing a wind turbine is only appropriate if you have sufficient wind resources.

In order to make the installation of a wind turbine feasible you need to have an average wind speed of 11 mph (about 5 meters per second) or more, at a hight of 33 feet (10 meters).

Only very small wind turbines of less than 40 inches (one meter) in rotor diameter and mounted to small towers or the roof are suitable for urban or small suburban homes. A home wind turbine is best suited to property sizes of more than one acre and larger rural properties.

You also need to establish whether there are any large obstacles like trees or buildings within 135 yards (150 meters) of the proposed site of your wind turbine which might obstruct the wind or create turbulences.

How much do Wind Turbines cost?

The cost of a home wind turbine system depends on the size and electricity output of the system.

Smaller roof mounted systems can be bought for as little as $ 2,500. The typical cost in the United States of a 2 – 10kW system is between $12,000 and $55,000 which translates to about $6 per watt.

Many States in the US and a number of other governments around the globe offer incentives and rebates for home wind turbine installations which can reduce the purchase costs by up to fifty percent.

You can also build your own wind turbine as detailed plans and materials are widely available now, which reduces installation costs significantly.

How much Money can I save?

According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) a wind turbine typically lowers your electricity bill by 50 to 90 percent depending on size, output and power consumption.

You will usually have recovered your investment through power cost savings within six to 15 years. From then on the produced electricity is practically free. Costs for home build wind turbines are recovered much quicker.

Many people invest in wind turbine systems for electricity generation to be free from volatile utility rates in the future.

DIY - Home Wind Turbine

The DIY or do-it-yourself wind turbine assembly is becoming more and more popular and a number of detailed DIY plans and instructions are available on the internet or other DIY resource centres.

Although there is theoretically no limit to the size of the wind turbine you can build yourself, DIY wind turbines tend to be smaller turbines, often rooftop mounted with an electricity output of less than 1kW. Having said this, many people have also successfully built larger, freestanding and more powerful turbines of up to 10kW.

Wind combined with Solar

Wind turbines, especially the smaller types might not generate enough or consistent electrical power to satisfy your requirements. The most ideal combination of energy sources is wind and solar energy; both are natural, environmentally friendly and renewable. There are many guides available to show you how to combine your home wind turbine installation with a complimentary solar power installation.

 Build your own home wind turbine and solar system.

 Click here if you want to build your own Home Wind Turbine