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The
Benefits of Wind Power In the 1920s and '30s, farm families used wind to generate enough electricity to power their lights and electric motors. The energy crisis in the 1970s and a growing concern for the environment has generated an interest in alternative, environmentally friendly energy resources. Today, homeowners in rural and remote locations across the nation are once again examining the possibility of using wind power to provide electricity for their domestic needs. This publication will help you decide whether a wind system is practical for you. It will explain the benefits, help you assess your wind resource and possible sites, discuss legal and environmental obstacles, and analyze economic considerations such as pricing. A wind energy system can provide you with a cushion against electric power price increases. Wind energy systems help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and they are nonpolluting. If you live in a remote location, a small wind energy system can help you avoid the high costs of having the electric power lines extended to your site. Although wind energy systems involve a significant initial investment, they can be competitive with conventional energy sources when you account for a lifetime of reduced or altogether avoided utility costs. The length of the payback period—the time before the savings resulting from your system equal the cost of the system itself—depends on the system you choose, the wind resource on your site, electricity costs in your area, and how you use your wind system.
Is
Wind Power Practical for You? Small wind energy systems can be used in connection with an electricity transmission and distribution system (called grid-connected systems), or in stand-alone applications that are not connected to the utility grid. A grid-connected wind turbine can reduce your consumption of utility-supplied electricity for lighting, appliances, and electric heat. If the turbine cannot deliver the amount of energy you need, the utility makes up the difference. When the wind system produces more electricity than the household requires, the excess can be sold to the utility. With the interconnections available today, switching takes place automatically. Stand-alone wind energy systems can be appropriate for homes, farms, or even entire communities (a co-housing project, for example) that are far from the nearest utility lines. Either type of system can be practical if the following conditions exist.
Conditions
for Grid-Connected Systems
Is
Your Site Right? Wind-turbine manufacturers can use computer models to predict their machines' performance at a specific location. They can also help you size a system based on your electricity needs and the specifics of local wind patterns. However, you will need site-specific data to determine the wind resource of your exact location. If you do not have on-site data and want to obtain a clearer, more predictable picture of your wind resource, you may wish to measure wind speeds at your site for a year. This requires placing the anemometer high enough to avoid turbulence created by trees, buildings, and other obstructions. The standard wind sensor height used to obtain data for the wind maps is 33 feet (10 metres). You can have varied wind resources within the same property. If you live in complex terrain, take care in selecting the installation site. If you site your wind turbine on the top or on the windy side of a hill, for example, you will have more access to prevailing winds than in a gully or on the leeward (sheltered) side of a hill on the same property. Consider existing obstacles and plan for future obstructions, including trees and buildings, which could block the wind. Also realize that the power available in the wind increases proportionally to its speed (velocity) cubed (v3). This means that the amount of power you get from your generator goes up exponentially as the wind speed increases. For example, if your site has an annual average wind speed of about 12.6 miles per hour (5.6 metres per second), it has twice the energy available as a site with a 10 mile per hour (4.5 metres per second) average.
Additional
Considerations In addition to the factors listed previously, you should also:
You should establish an energy budget to help define the size of turbine that will be needed. Since energy efficiency is usually less expensive than energy production, making your house more energy efficient first will likely result in being able to spend less money since you may need a smaller wind turbine to meet your needs.
Potential
Legal and Environmental Obstacles Before you invest any time and money, research potential legal and environmental obstacles to installing a wind system. Your neighbours might object to a wind machine that blocks their view, or they might be concerned about noise. Consider obstacles that might block the wind in the future (large planned developments or saplings, for example). If you plan to connect the wind generator to your local electricity company's grid, find out its requirements for interconnections and buying electricity from small independent power producers.
The Economics of Wind Power for Home Use A residential wind energy system can be a good long-term investment. However, because circumstances such as electricity rates and interest rates vary, you need to decide whether purchasing a wind system is a smart financial move for you. Be sure you or your financial adviser conduct a thorough analysis before you buy a wind energy system.
Wind System Basics All wind systems consist of a wind turbine, a tower, wiring, and the "balance of system" components: controllers, inverters, and/or batteries. Wind Turbines Home wind turbines consist of a rotor, a generator mounted on a frame, and (usually) a tail. Through the spinning blades, the rotor captures the kinetic energy of the wind and converts it into rotary motion to drive the generator. Rotors can have two or three blades, with three being more common. The best indication of how much energy a turbine will produce is the diameter of the rotor, which determines its "swept area," or the quantity of wind intercepted by the turbine. The frame is the strong central axis bar onto which the rotor, generator, and tail are attached. The tail keeps the turbine facing into the wind. A 1.5-kilowatt (kW) wind turbine will meet the needs of a home requiring 300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month, for a location with a 14-mile-per-hour (6.26-metres-per-second) annual average wind speed. The manufacturer will provide you with the expected annual energy output of the turbine as a function of annual average wind speed. The manufacturer will also provide information on the maximum wind speed in which the turbine is designed to operate safely. Most turbines have automatic speed-governing systems to keep the rotor from spinning out of control in very high winds. This information, along with your local wind speed distribution and your energy budget, is sufficient to allow you to specify turbine size. Towers To paraphrase a noted author on wind energy, "the good winds are up high." Because wind speeds increase with height in flat terrain, the turbine is mounted on a tower. Generally speaking, the higher the tower, the more power the wind system can produce. The tower also raises the turbine above the air turbulence that can exist close to the ground. A general rule of thumb is to install a wind turbine on a tower with the bottom of the rotor blades at least 30 feet (9 metres) above any obstacle that is within 300 feet (90 metres) of the tower. Experiments have shown that relatively small investments in increased tower height can yield very high rates of return in power production. For instance, to raise a 10-kW generator from a 60-foot tower height to a 100-foot tower involves a 10% increase in overall system cost, but it can produce 25% more power. There are two basic types of towers: self-supporting (free standing) and guyed. Most home wind power systems use a guyed tower. Guyed-lattice towers are the least expensive option. They consist of a simple, inexpensive framework of metal strips supported by guy cables and earth anchors. However, because the guy radius must be one-half to three-quarters of the tower height, guyed-lattice towers require enough space to accommodate them. Guyed towers can be hinged at the base so that they can be lowered to the ground for maintenance, repairs, or during hazardous weather. Aluminum towers are prone to cracking and should be avoided. Balance of System Stand-alone systems require batteries to store excess power generated for use when the wind is calm. They also need a charge controller to keep the batteries from overcharging. Deep-cycle batteries, such as those used to power golf carts, can discharge and recharge 80% of their capacity hundreds of times, which makes them a good option for remote renewable energy systems. Automotive batteries are shallow-cycle batteries and should not be used in renewable energy systems because of their short life in deep cycling operations. In very small systems, direct current (DC) appliances operate directly off the batteries. If you want to use standard appliances that require conventional household alternating current (AC), however, you must install an inverter to convert DC electricity to AC. Although the inverter slightly lowers the overall efficiency of the system, it allows the home to be wired for AC, a definite plus with lenders, electrical code officials, and future home buyers. For safety, batteries should be isolated from living areas and electronics because they contain corrosive and explosive substances. Lead-acid batteries also require protection from temperature extremes. In grid-connected systems, the only additional equipment is a power conditioning unit (inverter) that makes the turbine output electrically compatible with the utility grid. No batteries are needed. Work with the manufacturer and your local utility on this.
Hybrid Wind Systems According to many renewable energy experts, a stand-alone "hybrid" system that combines wind and photovoltaic (PV) technologies offers several advantages over either single system. Often, wind speeds are low in the summer when the sun shines brightest and longest. The wind is strong in the winter when there is less sunlight available. Because the peak operating times for wind and PV occur at different times of the day and year, hybrid systems are more likely to produce power when you need it. For the times when neither the wind generator nor the PV modules are producing electricity (for example, at night when the wind is not blowing), most stand-alone systems provide power through batteries and/or an engine-generator powered by fossil fuels. If the batteries run low, the engine-generator can be run at full power until the batteries are charged. Adding a fossil-fuel-powered generator makes the system more complex, but modern electronic controllers can operate these complex systems automatically. Adding an engine-generator can also reduce the number of PV modules and batteries in the system. Keep in mind that the storage capability must be large enough to supply electrical needs during noncharging periods. Battery banks are typically sized for one to three days of windless operation. To price the Wind Turbine requires a great amount of information gathering and research, to enable the "right machine to be in the right place" to perform at its optimum. For instance, a DIY 380watt wind turbine can cost only £500 yet a 45kW system to install and commission in the UK would be £40000 exc. VAT.
12vdc output, 300 watts at 28mph, 380 at 35mph, 100 at 20mph, only 2 moving parts, easy installation on 2" pipe AIR1 is a revolutionary modular wind turbine Now wind power can be captured as simply as solar power: Priced about the same as a photovoltaic module, AIR produces more than five times the peak power of a panels rated output 1.14 metres diameter (45") blade, min start up speed 7mph. Maintenance-free performance, easy installation and high output make AIR ideal for all applications. The AIR wind module is engineered to be mounted on a rooftop no tower required. AIR can be used in combination with photovoltaic modules and/or multiple AIR modules can be installed to meet any power needs. Five wind modules will provide a 1,5 kilowatt rating [2.0+ kilowatt peak) 45 kW Installed and Commissioned Peak power requirement 45kW Cost of Wind Turbine £40,000 House energy consumption 5000kW p.a. House annual energy cost (@10p per kW) £500 p.a. Therefore: Wind Turbine energy generation @ 45kW X 24 hours X 365 days 394,200kW © 80% output 315,360kW p.a. © 60% utilisation (allowing for non windy days) 189,216kW p.a. 189,216kW will therefore produce enough energy to power 40 homes 40 homes X £500 £20,000 p.a. energy costs PAYBACK PERIOD - 2 YEARS ( £40,000 / £20,000) At 7.5p per kW then payback on capital of £40000 is 32months At 5.0p per kW payback equals 48months
The
Future of Wind Power By investing in a small wind system, you can reduce your exposure to future fuel shortages and price increases and reduce pollution. If you have the right set of circumstances, a well-designed wind energy system can provide you with many years of cost-effective, clean and reliable electricity.
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