The residential wind generator idea is gaining popularity worldwide, as living in this age and time has become quite expensive, with even the basic necessities becoming too costly to acquire. One of these necessities is our need for electricity. With fuel prices skyrocketing, everyone is looking for ways to economize their expenses to be able to afford electric bills.
Many are opting to either buy or assemble their own wind turbines, but are having some doubts and concerns. So here are some pieces of information that might be able to help satisfy the information needs of most people when thinking of getting a wind turbine.
– This device is usually installed above a tall tower where it can gather kinetic energy from the wind’s motion and change it into electricity through a generator.
– Normally, a house that has installed a wind turbine is continuously served by the turbine itself and by their local utility. If the wind speed doesn’t fall into the cut-in rate, which is 7-10 mph, electricity would then be supplied by the electric utility.
– The basic rule of wind turbines is that “as the wind increases, output for the turbine also increases while the current supplied by the utility is lessened.
– If there is surplus electricity collected, it is automatically sold back to the utility, because residential wind generators usually have no battery packs.
– Small wind turbines could actually lower power bills by 50 to 80 percent. The amount of money it can save depends upon the use of electricity, the average wind speed on site, and other factors.
– A residential wind generator is relatively large and may not be suitable for urban or small-lot housings, as wind systems are sensitive to the speed of the wind within the area it is situated.
– Wind turbines are pollution-free, and a small type can actually counterbalance nearly 1.2 tons of air pollutants and tons of greenhouse gases that cause global warming.
– A typical wind turbine system makes less noise than the average washing machine, and it also does not interfere with the television’s reception contrary to what others think, as their blades are constructed of wood, plastic, and fiberglass.
– Upon installing the turbine, there is no need to rewire the appliances in a house since wind turbines are retrofitted to any home without changing the wiring or appliances.
– With regard to towers, tall towers are necessary to stop any hindrances that could prevent it from freely gathering wind energy. The most economical type of tower would be the guyed lattice tower, while a hinged tower can be simpler to install and maintain. Most small turbines are not high maintenance, since they have very few moving parts, and can operate and last up to 20 years.
A residential wind generator can be a good investment, although the return through your power bill savings would only be visible after 6 months to 15 years. Another advantage is that a well-working turbine would increase in property value.
Windmills are just the beginning. To learn more about wind and solar energy, read Advantages and Disadvantages of Wind Energy or if you are thinking of building your own residential wind generator, see our Earth4Energy Review.