Wind Power for your House, Home, Retreat
October 19, 2011, Submitted by: Ken Tweet
Wind power may be a good choice for some, when considering alternative energy sources for house and home, for either emergency preparedness or part-time power.
Some parts of the country (world) are much windier than others, with steady breezes just waiting to be harnessed. Geographical location is important while attempting to harness wind power, the best places being those with often steady breezes. For example, those who live along the ocean, breezy conditions are often part of daily life. Much of the open plains, or locations where winds are funneled through valleys are also often windy.
The following map of the United States shows favorable locations for wind power generation.
This next map of the US shows average wind speeds at a height of 80 meters, which is the common hub height of the ginormous wind generators (turbines) of wind farms that you may have seen along the landscape.
Global Wind Power Map
Looks like it’s pretty windy for you folks in the UK region! (lots of ‘red’, more than I thought)
Much of Australia is in the ‘yellow’ too.
The following 1,000 Watt wind generator (turbine) appears to be ideal for the home, and is much less costly per watt when compared to solar panels. Of course, the wind has to be blowing for it to generate electricity…
Windmax 1,000-Watt 24-Volt 5-Blade Residential Wind Generator Kit
1,000 watts could keep a bank of specialized batteries (heavy duty deep-cell for alternative energy storage) charged up for usage during periods when the breeze diminishes. Two of these wind generators (turbines) (2x $1K) would be equivalent to having ten 200-watt solar panels which themselves would probably cost you between $7K and $10K !
I currently enjoy the benefit of solar panels but do hope to add on a wind generator (turbine) at the new Retreat one day, and report back on the result.
The more you can do to become LESS dependent upon the grid, the better for you and your ‘risk insurance’.
How does a wind turbine work?
Incoming winds brush past the curved edges of the propeller, turning it as they go. The turning propeller rod connected to a gearbox translates a slow but high-torque turning motion into a very fast but low-torque motion which is connected to a generator, generating a continuous electrical charge.
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Those whom live right on the coast or offshore islands also live normally with fog and low clouds that severely hinder any type of solar cells generating much energy. Very detailed map shows that two of the remaining free states, Wyoming and Montana, for those seeking more personal freedom are good for FREE energy. The Dakotas that are also recognized as more free that most states are also quite good for wind. Something to think about to those that want to try to survive having a reliable source of electricity when and if the grids go down.
Just look at all the constructive work that windmills have done for The Netherlands. To have some means of having power, whether it is solar, wind, or even TIDAL, is a good safe feeling with the world the way it is. That is another option to people that is much more so taken advantage of all over the oceans, that is using the tides to generate power. There are people that use the tides to run desalination plants for fresh water. That is really using the natural resources for survival.
Also seen people hook up a type of generation system to streams on their properties to drive their turbines. To go even further, people also use steam from geologic hot spots to drive turbines for energy. Anything that will turn a generator can make power. So many people sit on potential energy sources that are not used. Too bad, when someone can get cheap or free energy.
You know what is really neat is when you can use wind and not even have to worry about having any backup battery banks because the wind constantly blows 99%+ of the time. Kind of rare places, but if you are lucky enough to have a consistent wind, take advantage of it and save big money on the power bills and have a reliable source of energy if and when things go to the toilet.
Ken, you are really sparking some valuable interest with these articles about generating your own energy. Many people that would have a source of energy they could depend on would also be more inclined to get ready with other scopes of survival, such as food storage. Nice article again!
I don’t know about the U.S. but here in my country you need to be aware of local regulations when mounting wind generators in an urban environment. (The picky neighbours complain).
Same here in the US. That is, you must check with local zoning laws – which vary widely depending on where you live.
You may want to check out the Honeywell wind turbine. More efficient design. Web site
Honeywell Wind Turbine with Blade Tip Power System – Includes All-In-One Computerized Smart Box Energy Management System, Item# WT6500SBAS
Have been noticing the NREL 80m windspeed map of continental US appearing here and there. Clearly the color code for this map is incorrect. RED (10m/s) should be moved between ORANGE (7m/s) and LAVENDER (7.5m/s) and all higher color on chart moved up one notch, making PURPLE (10m/s). I hope no one is using this map as a basis for funding wind power projects.