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I'm planning on putting in a wind turbine at my little farm when I get out of the service.
I have been reading up on them and have discovered that there is an issue with bird-strikes / fatalities caused by wind turbines.
Does anyone out there have better input on this?
Is this issue unique to the very large industrial scale turbines or do the smaller farm / home turbines also pose a threat to bird life too (raptors mostly)? If so, what can be done about it?
Indeed getting off the grid is more and more appealing every day but I love the wild life around my area and I don't want to be the cause of its destruction.
Can't help you as far as the bird and bat strikes but I've this far stayed away from the horozontal turbines because of what I've read regarding that. I suspect the large birds such as raptors/geese are more affected by the huge commercial size turbines rather than the residential. Another problem with the horizontal turbines is that they create a significant high pitched noise.
Before you choose one try to find locations where the various models you've been considering have already been installed and operating. Listen and see if you think you can live with the pitch of the noise they put out and talk to the owners as to their experiences instead of whoever is trying to sell you the product.
Depending on the area in which you live you might be better off starting with solar panels as there are better rebates and incentives for those right now. A hybrid system is another option.
Couldn't you set up an alarm (like a motion detector) so that when a bird strikes you would be able to go out there, collect it and prep it for dinner?
It's recycling and takes you even more off the grid.
Some of the vertical wind turbines have a more solid blade construction that is easily seen/detected by birds and bats respectively. Helix wind and Gale are examples of such. That said, it is my understanding that the VATs do not have the energy efficiency in generation that the HWTs do but the prices between the two are comparable. So, with the VATs you are paying more for less energy but more bird/bat friendly.
Careful what you do here. You need to get a assessment done to find out if you have enough wind where you want to site it. Find someone independent that doesn't sell wind mills to do it.
I'm acquainted with someone that put one of these in and it's producing no where near what they told him it would. He will get a return on his money in a few decades assuming no mechanical issue but he had it to do over again he wouldn't make the investment.
Wind energy is a lot more complicated than solar. You also need to look at having your turbine high off the ground (30' is desireable) and away from structures (300' is desireable).
You also need a large "swept area". Like a 10'-14'....or more. Plus a truly windy area.
The bird thing is another item for the environmental alarmists to squawk about. Some turbines have been placed in migratory paths and that was bad planning of course. Bird and bat losses are not generally significant.
Lots of shysters out there. Beware of huge claims. Get a couple books and read up on it.
Your pole & mounting may cost more than your turbine.
I love animals too but we can't go through life without harming anything. So about the birds, it can't be that bad if your turbine sends a few of them to death's door. What you should also consider though are claims on Wind Turbine Syndrome. I am pretty unsure myself about whether living near turbines can cause health problems but your neighbors might think otherwise.
You can learn more about it here: http://greenenergyinsiders.com/wind-turbine-syndrome-2/ (broken link)
Wind energy is a lot more complicated than solar. You also need to look at having your turbine high off the ground (30' is desireable) and away from structures (300' is desireable).
The windmills around me are on 100' towers, I can see 7 Bergey 10KW windmills from my house and they are all on 100' towers.
I think the OP isn't planning on putting a 10kW commercial wind turbine to power his place, which I understand could benefit from a 100' tower. However in the private market wind turbines are a compromise of increased output and height of mast. A 100' mast isn't cheap (although you can use it for more than just power), it might be more cost effective to have a 30'-50' mast and a higher output turbine.
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