Residential wind turbines are a great way to generate energy, thanks to developments seen in recent years. It’s now possible to generate more power from less wind than ever before, and the new residential wind turbine designs do just this. Furthermore, there are plenty of styles and sizes of residential turbines available now, and consumers are certain to find one that meets their specifications with regard to size and power.
Benefits
Endless energy
The wind will never stop. The wind will keep on giving us energy – as long as we take the steps to harness it – endlessly. Fossil fuels can’t make that claim. Supplies of oil and natural gas will only keep on decreasing. After they run out, there won’t be any choice but to start using other sources of energy. As fossil fuels become more and more scarce, they’ll only get more and more expensive, wind energy will only become a more and more attractive option.
Power at no cost
You aren’t required to pay as you go for wind energy, which certainly isn’t the case with non-renewable energy sources. The only cost associated is that which comes from installing a wind generator; once you’ve done that, wind power is absolutely free. It really is possible to go “off the grid” and provide all of your own power with a residential wind turbine, never having to pay an electric bill again.
No emissions
In addition to monetary costs, you can also put a stop to environmental costs by using wind power. Conversely, fossil fuels like gas and coal produce dangerous amounts of CO2 and other forms of pollution. Switching to wind power is perhaps the best way to reduce your carbon footprint.
No more foreign oil
Many Americans are searching for ways to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Today, consumers can do their part to combat this problem by taking advantage of wind energy as an economically and geopolitically sound alternative to foreign oil.
Energy 24/7
Among the advantages that wind power has over solar power is that it can generate electricity for the home at any time regardless of weather conditions. As useful as solar panels are, they have the disadvantage of only working with sunny conditions. On cloudy days, or overnight, you’ll need a supplementary power source, such as electricity stored in batteries or bought from outside providers. These limitations don’t apply to wind power.
No home orientation problems
Also, even when the sun is out, solar panels have to have the proper exposure to the sun in order to work their best. This means that solar panels aren’t a good option for homes that have too much shade, or where the roof isn’t aligned appropriately. A wind turbine isn’t subject to the same limitations. You can also get the same amount of energy from a wind generator while using less space than solar panels would.
Drawbacks
Installation cost
Make no mistake: a wind generator is a significant investment. The money you’ll save from using the electricity generated by your own wind turbine, though, is more than enough to justify the initial cost. If you’ve got the technical savvy, some common tools, and enough time, you can even build your own wind generator, which will make the whole process that much more economical. If you’re interested Check out wind Generator Plans.
Height needed
In order to be exposed to enough wind to generate their maximum potential in terms of power, larger wind turbines needhave to be mounted at a certain height. It may be necessary to mount the turbine at a significant height depending on the height of the surrounding tree line and/or the height of any nearby buildings. This means that, a lot of the time, users place wind generators on top of towers or other tall structures. This may mean that it’s necessary to obtain HOA approval or other types of permits, which in turn lead to a certain amount of additional up-front cost. But, once again, constructing home made wind turbine will help lower the cost.
Wind requirement
Consistent wind is needed in order to generate a truly significant amount of electricity from a wind turbine. Thus, the most efficient locations for wind generators are those which experience the strongest and most consistent wind. Areas with relatively few buildings or trees are the best in this regard. This means that, basically, the types of locations where you don’t even have to consider mounting your wind generator on a tower are the best areas for wind generators anyway. Plans such as those referenced above can show you you how to build a wind turbine.
The above are the basic factors that make wind power different from other types of power. For most people, the disadvantages seem pretty insignificant in comparison to the advantages. Even in terms of renewable energy sources, wind power has a number of distinct advantages. Where solar power can suffer somewhat, wind power truly shines. Solar and wind power do share the common disadvantage of being costly to start up. However, this cost can be mitigated by building your own wind generator.
