Archive for the ‘DOMESTIC WIND TURBINES’ Category
Domestic Wind Turbines – What You Need To Know Before You Start
August 12th, 2009 | 
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photo: flickr.com/photos/neilsharp
For people thinking of installing domestic wind turbines, I have to tell you something important you must consider before you go any further.
A recent UK report has just changed the rules of the game by releasing some surprising findings about their effectiveness.
First the bad news: it has been found that urban areas are generally a bad place for a domestic turbine. This is because home wind generators are very sensitive to turbulence and therefore work at their optimum in open spaces i.e. away from built up areas.
Up until now, the potential of residential wind turbines in urban areas has been over estimated according to the study published by the Energy Saving Trust (EST). This explains why many city folk who’ve installed their own turbine have been disappointed by the feeble amount of electricity produced.
Now for the good news: the EST also found that home wind generators on the whole have more potential than previously thought. In the UK, a massive 800,000 homes could be powered in this way if fully exploited. This doesn’t include large scale wind farms; just small residential turbines.
As an avid enthusiast of domestic wind turbines, I was very exited by these findings. In recent years, wind power has been down played as not making economic sense. While this may be true in cities, in locations where the wind is right this simply isn’t true.
The Guardian newspaper covered the story well:-
”Generally, pole-mounted in areas of good, clean air with unobstructed air flow gave better than expected performance,” said Green. Those in the most exposed rural parts of Scotland gave the best results, generating in excess of 18,000 KWh (or £2,300 of electricity) and save 7,500kg of carbon dioxide a year.”
The full article can be found at: – http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/jul/08/domestic-wind-turbines
The lesson learnt here is crucial if you want to know just how much electricity you could potentially save. Before you make up your mind whether to get a turbine or not, you first need to seek expert advice.
For UK locations, the EST have launched a wind speed prediction tool on their website: http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Can-I-generate-electricity-from-the-wind-at-my-home
US residents can contact the American Wind Energy Association site: – http://www.awea.org/faq/wwt_potential.html#How%20much%20energy
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New UK Energy Tarrifs Could See Boom In Domestic Wind Turbines
“Next year will see the introduction of feed-in tariffs – where householders will receive a set payment for the electricity generated and exported.”
This means that from next April, householders who generate their own energy will be able to sell excess supplies back to the National Grid.
Domestic Wind Turbines Related Articles
This week I have found some interesting posts about domestic wind turbines that are worth reading…
- What You Never Knew About Home Wind Turbine Design | Living Life … – Back in the day if you thought about a home wind turbine, what would have come to mind is a large tower with enormous white blades spinning rather slowly. But, with the development in technology and the need for more and more people to …
- Stereo view of derelict windmill – Every now and then I look through my aerial images for what I call serendipitous stereo pairs. These are pairs of images taken in quick succession with essentially the same view. During the time between exposured the camera’s position …
- Why Not Put a Wind Turbine on Your Roof? – Unsought Input – Wind turbines are cool. The might not be able to replace all the coal power plants in the world, but …
Understanding Why Domestic Wind Turbines Can Vary Wildly in Performance
Some domestic wind turbines work miracles, but others are rather pathetic. So why such a huge difference?
The answer is somewhat technical; the power generated is proportional to the wind speed cubed.
This video below helps to explain this phenomenon in an entertaining little story about an artist who tried to make a wind powered sign by the seaside. I don’t mean to put you off with this post, but rather to make sure you understand how to get the most out of your turbine should you install one.
For those who prefer the text version, click below:-
http://www.timhunkin.com/a125_arch-windpower.htm
This story reminded me of a nursery rhyme:-
There was a little girl,
Who had a little curl,
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good,
She was very good indeed,
But when she was bad she was horrid.
Very Useful FAQs About Installing Domestic Wind Turbines
A great checklist to run through before buying domestic wind turbines can be found at:
http://www.awea.org/faq/rsdntqa.html
It’s not just the obvious questions, for example, did you know …
• Small wind generators can save between 50%-90% of your electricity bill.
• Average owners pay as little as $8 per month for electricity.
• It isn’t necessary to buy wind measuring equipment, as wind resource data is very reliable.
• If wind speeds drop below 10 mph then your turbine will generate no power at all.
Here’s some recommended reading on the subject:-
- Domestic wind turbines could power 800000 UK homes « cybasurfa – Small domestic wind turbines could provide enough clean electricity to power more than 800000 UK homes, according to the Energy Saving Trust (EST). Previous studies have suggested that small turbines in residential areas fail to …
- Domestic wind turbines and area specific wind speeds? – Business … – Hi all, I’ve spent the last couple of days looking into building a domestic wind turbine which doesn’t appear to be too difficult and much less expensive than I thought and cheaper than manufactured.
DIY Domestic Wind Turbines – Why & How To Undertake Such a Project
Although domestic wind turbines can be made at home for a fraction of the cost, the real reason why you should consider the option is for the enjoyment. It’s relatively easy to create your own turbine that will generate a little electricity, however there is an art to having it powering a significant proportion of your home.
“Look for independence forum sites of hobbyists dealing with DIY windmill projects or product review sites that cater for the wind power system market. Most of the time, you will be able to find valuable tips and advice. Post questions about your doubts on these to help yourselves make informed decision. Doing so will also help you join the support group should you face problem with your windmill power system in future.”
http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Tips-on-How-to-Choose-Domestic-Wind-Turbines&id=2271879
Domestic Wind Turbines – Useful Tips From Home Wind Generator Gurus
For those who are considering building or installing domestic wind turbines, I have gathered a few interesting nuggets from experts around the web.
1. Most home wind turbines don’t eliminate the need for your power company.
This is a common misconception, but without any energy efficiency measures, the average household will still have to pay for electricity. However, it is still worth the effort so long as you have done your homework. You might even want to consider dramatically reducing your electricity needs by installing a wood burning stove to heat your home.
2. When surveyed, 49% of turbine owners believed they’d reduced their electricity bills, but 39% hadn’t.
This can often put people off installing a turbine, but really it just underlines the importance of doing thorough research before you start. Wind turbines are very sensitive to the quality of the wind, not just the strength. They only really work when they are positioned where there is a good fast flow of air with little turbulence. This brings me on to the next point….
3. As a general rule, you should install your turbine at least 30 feet above any obstacle within a 300 foot radius.
I found this tip on the Bergey website (a turbine manufacturer). It’s well worth reading the whole article as part of your pre-installation research: – http://www.bergey.com/School/Primer.html
4. DIY enthusiasts have build their own domestic wind turbines for less than $200.
This is possible since many of the components are available from normal hardware stores. One of the most expensive parts of a turbine is the generator, but old DC motors of eBay work surprisingly well with a fraction of the cost.
5. A poll showed that 59% of turbine owners said their turbines had been reliable.
Many domestic wind turbines on the market are not up to the task. If they have not been engineered properly they can wear out prematurely or even be destroyed in high winds. With so much money at stake, it pays to find a reputable manufacturer that offers a long warranty. If possible try to get a 5 year warranty as these tend to be constructed of higher quality components.
Domestic Wind Turbines – Related Articles
Here are some interesting domestic wind turbines related articles I have found this week: -
- LOVE YOUR PLACE « Cleveland Urban Design – I just moved back to Cleveland, my hometown, after graduating from college in New Hampshire, and one thing kept me from moving off to New York, Boston, or Chicago to join so many of my peers: the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Although I loved growing up under the shade of the giant oak trees in Shaker Heights where I walked the block to and from lower and middle school I convinced myself while I was away in New Hampshire that the only place to live and work after graduation was some other city any other city. Why was this? Many of us Clevelanders have come to terms with the fact that Cleveland is indeed a shrinking city
- UK offshore wind farm development – The UK government has announced an intention to allow offshore wind farm development around most of the UK. John Hutton suggested that about 33 GW capacity could be added by 2020. This would provide about 25% of current UK electricity …
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Celebrating Earth Day 2008 – What will America be like when the population doubles from about 280 million to over 520 million within the next 75 to 80 years or sooner? If we permit that to happen, it will have a dramatic and pervasive impact on almost all aspects …
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new video – yert conversation 7.1: community-powered wind energy – dear yertians,. we’re still cleaning up the mess we made of our sleep schedules in the process of birthing the vermont video, but we haven’t forgotten about you! the michigan and illinois videos are in the works, and in the meantime …
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Wind Power – Graph of wind power capacity in the USA from 1981 – 2005 (from 10 Megawatts to 9149 megawatts). From the American Wind Energy Association: The only other countries around the world that have more wind power installed are Germany (19140 …
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Wind Power Potential to Produce 20% of Electricity Supply by 2030 – Wind energy has been growing tremendously. In 2000 there were 2500 megawatts (MW) of installed wind capacity in the United States. By the end of 2007, the US installed capacity exceeded 16000. A recent Department of Energy report sees …
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Comment on Britain’s Fight For Wind Power by Alexander – Wind power is not a solution. The whole truth about wind turbines is never told by lobbyists and governments. How could the very weak and extremely unreliable initial energy source of a wind turbine ever produce a steady power of any …
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new earth, home wind maker raising cash – newearth1.jpg new earth makes the prettiest small-scale wind turbine on the market — its vertical-axis design uses a double helix to capture wind energy. and the san diego, calif.-based startup is raising money to get its eye-catching …