Wind power in the home - A realistic option?

Can you use wind power to supply electricity to your home? Yes you can, using one of the many wind power kits offered on the market today. These kits can be found in a number of different sizes suitable for any application from supplying power to a remote weekend cabin or recreational vehicle to powering a home or small business.

Benefits of using wind power

Wind power can offer many advantages to the homeowner wishing to cut down on energy costs or desiring to use an eco-friendly method of generating electrical power. After the initial expense of purchasing and installing the equipment, the fuel to generate the power costs you nothing.

Wind power may also be used in conjunction with solar power. If you have both a solar and wind power system you can still generate power on cloudy days when the sun is not shining. On calm, sunny days the solar array will produce power for your home's use. And on cloudy, windy days, the wind array will do the work.

Another consideration is that in some areas it may even be possible to sell electricity to the utility company if your wind or solar plant is generating more power than you can use. This is unlikely but may be a possibility in some circumstances.

Wind power equipment does need more maintenance than a solar array. Turbines are mechanical devices that are exposed to a hostile environment and will need periodic servicing to keep them running properly. In addition, certain areas, due to zoning restrictions, may prohibit the installation of a wind turbine, so it is best to check local ordinances before purchasing equipment.

Initial steps

Before deciding on a wind power system for your home, you should find out if the winds in your area are sufficient to power the turbine. The Department of Natural Resources of most states will have this information, and if they do not they will be able to direct you to the appropriate agency that does. You will also want to find out what additional requirements your utility company may have for hooking your wind power system up to the grid.

Most wind home power systems include the same basic components - a turbine, tower, inverter and batteries. Depending upon the size and complexity of your system, you may also need remote battery sensors, a charge controller and an AC disconnect.

Basic Components

The turbine is the heart of the system, as it is what generates the power from the wind. The size of the turbine determines how much power will be generated by the power plant.

The wind will strike the propeller blades, which spin the turbine and generate electric power. Generally, turbines that spin slower will last longer than high-speed turbines.

Most propellers are equipped with a safety system that folds them up when the wind gets too high, thus preventing damage to the device. Wind turbines will only begin generating power when the wind speed reaches around seven miles per hour and will reach capacity output at twenty five to thirty miles per hour.

The tower of the home wind power plant will, in most cases, be approximately sixty feet tall. There are three basic types of tower: tubular, lattice and guyed wire towers. Tubular towers are actually slightly conical in shape, the size of the tower increasing gradually towards the base.

These are used in large commercial turbine installations. Lattice towers use less material than the tubular, so will cost less to construct. Guyed towers are the most economical, and are usually only used in smaller home wind power plant installations.

A wind turbine produces direct current (DC) voltage. Most homes use alternating current (AC). An inverter converts the DC power produced by the home wind power turbine to AC, which can then be used in the home, or sold to a power utility company.

Batteries are used to store excess power produced by the home wind power plant during periods of low energy use and high power output. The electrical energy is stored as DC power, which in turn must be fed through the inverter for use in the home. A remote battery sensor may be placed in the home to monitor the battery's status.

Additional components

A charge controller will monitor the batteries in the system and prevent overcharge damage by diverting the power away from them when they are fully charged.

The charge controller will divert the power to either the electric power company's grid, or to a dump load, depending upon how the system is set up. A dump load is a resistor which releases this excess power as heat.

An AC disconnect may be required on a system which is hooked up to the electric power company's grid. This is so the home may be disconnected from the grid during power outages, protecting utility workers from electrocution from power produced by the home wind power plant.

Wind power is a viable alternative

A home wind power plant can be a very good investment for a homeowner, especially if he/she lives in a windy area. And the wind power can be supplemented with solar power to provide home power no matter what the weather brings.