Wind facts

 

Wind energy is a free, renewable resource, so no matter how much is used today, there will still be the same supply in the future.

 

 A wind generator can provide a cushion against electric power price increases. If you live in a remote location, a small wind energy system also could help you to avoid the high costs of having utility power lines extended to your site. The cost of running a power line to a remote site to connect with the utility grid can be prohibitive, ranging from $10,000 to more than $45,000 per mile, depending on terrain

 Spiraling utility bills, the need for uninterrupted service, and concerns over environmental impacts are generating increasing interest in small wind energy systems and small wind electric systems definitely will make a significant contribution to our worlds energy needs.

 Wind turbines are one of the oldest forms of renewable power use in the world. From medieval wind mills that actually milled grain, to traditional ranch and farm wind mills that pumped water for livestock and irrigation, to today's alternator-driven wind generator to create electricity, you are looking at a truly renewable source of generating power.

  

 

FAQ - Wind Turbines

Q. How do residential wind turbines work?
A. A wind turbine is installed on top of a tall tower and collects kinetic energy from the wind and converts it to electricity. This electricity is stored in batteries and is then passed through an inverter producing standard electrical power compatible with your home's electrical system.

Q. Will a small wind turbine save me money?
A. A good sized wind turbine can lowers your electricity bill by 50 - to 100-percent. It is not uncommon for wind turbine owners with total-electric homes to have monthly utility bills of only $8 to $15 for nine months of the year. However, the economics of a wind system are very sensitive to the average wind speed in the area, and to a lesser extent, the cost of purchasing electricity. As a general rule of thumb, if economics are a concern, a turbine owner should have at least a 10-mph average wind speed and be paying at least 10 cents/kWh for electricity.

Q. What size turbine would I need for my home?
A. Homes use approximately 9,400 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year (about 780 kWh per month). Depending upon the average wind speed in the area, a wind turbine rated in the range of 5 to 15 kilowatts would be required to make a significant contribution to meet this demand. If you use less electricity in the first place you might get away with a 3 Kw wind generator which is able to deliver approximately  300 – 500 kilowatt hours a months – the monthly energy consumption of an energy efficient home.

Q. How reliable are wind turbines?
A. Most small turbines have very few moving parts and do not require any regular maintenance. They are designed for a long life (up to 20 years) and operate completely automatically.

Q. How do I know if I have enough wind?
A. For most residential systems, the cost of taking wind measurements is not justified.. Your system designer can help determine if your site is suitable for a wind turbine.

Q. Do wind turbines make noise or interfere with TV reception?
A. Small wind turbines do make some noise, but not enough to be found objectionable by most people. A typical residential wind system makes less noise than the average washing machine. Wind turbines do not interfere with TV reception.

Q. Will my utility allow me to hook up a wind generator?
A. Federal regulations  require utilities to connect with and purchase power from small (less than 5kw) wind energy systems. A wind turbine dealer can help you arrange the required utility company approvals.

Q. What about towers?
A. An 35 - to 100-foot tower is usually all right going along with a wind turbine. Towers this tall are necessary to raise the wind turbine above turbulence generated by obstacles on the ground and trees. Wind velocity- and therefore wind turbine performance - increases with altitude. maintenance.

 Towers

Is there evidence of telepathy between twins?

 

 Several different types of towers are available, depending upon which manufacturer you select. Each type has its advantages; Freestanding towers, guyed towers or guyed poles may be used. Also towers designed for antennas. A tilt-up pole tower is the most economical and the easiest to install. The four or five inch steel tubing can be bought locally to save freight. Freestanding tilt-up pole towers especially designed for the whisper series, are available.

 We do not recommend mounting wind generators on roofs. The result will be noisy on most houses – a barn or garage would work better thus. 

 A wind generator should be mounted at least 10 feet higher than any obstruction within 200 feet to avoid turbulence. 

 As before stated to make useful amounts of power you need 9 mph ( 4.0 m/s ) or higher. Real serious power production gets going around 15 mph, and peaks at about 25-30 mph for most turbines. If you are using wind in combination with photovoltaic power, it may be cost effective if you have good wind only during part of the year.  

Wiring
 It is important to avoid excessive loss of power from voltage drop in wire from the wind generator to the batteries. The AIR- X has two wire DC output plus a ground wire The Whisper wind generators have 3-phase AC output that is rectified to DC at the Whisper Key Control box. If wire size required is too costly, compare the price of a whisper HVLV machine, which has a 240 VAC output that is stepped down to battery charging voltage. 

 This results in significantly smaller wire size, which will usually more than offset the extra cost of this machine. All the owner manuals witch come with the machines have a chart which you can use to determine the wire size based on your system voltage, and the distance required to connect your particular model to the batteries.

  

Beaufort Scale

Observable Effects

International Description

Beaufort Number

Wind Speed
(meters/sec.)   (km/hour)   (miles/hour)

Air calm; smoke rises vertically

Calm

0

<0.5

<1

<1

Direction of wind shown by smoke drift but not by wind vanes

Light Air

1

0.5-1.5

1-5

1-3

Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; wind vanes moved by wind

Light Breeze

2

2-3

6-11

4-7

Leaves and small twigs in continual motion extends light flags

Gentle Breeze

3

4-5

12-19

8-12

Raises dust, loose paper; moves small branches

Moderate Breeze

4

6-8

20-29

13-18

Small trees in leaf begin to sway; white crested wavelets form on inland waters

Fresh Breeze

5

9-10

30-39

19-24

Large branches in motion; umbrellas used with difficulty; telephone wires "whistle"

Strong Breeze

6

11-13

40-50

25-31

Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt walking against wind

Moderate or Near Gale

7

14-17

51-61

32-38

Breaks twigs off trees; wind generally impedes progress

Gale or Fresh Gale

8

18-20

62-74

39-46

Slight structural damage occurs

Strong Gale

9

21-24

75-87

47-54

Trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs

Whole Gale or Storm

10

25-28

88-101

55-63

Widespread damage

Violent Storm

11

29-33

102-118

64-73

Devastation

Hurricane

12

>33

>118

>73
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have questions please contact us.(306) 298-2088 or e-mail