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I haven't chosen one yet, though I'm sure that is the way I want to go. The info I can find on-line about various models too often doesn't include things like where to get them or how much. There don't seem to be suppliers in my area, and the turbine folks I have talked with want to sell the big horizontal job on a 60' pole and plug them into your home's circuit breaker box. Since I don't have any of those things ready to go at the farm, or want to spend $60K for what they sell, the need hasn't been pressing.
A VAWT is less efficient than a horizontal model from my reading, but has less adverse effects on living things in the area. My property seems to have a good low level breeze most of the time and a VAWT will turn in as little as 5mph winds. They can work at eight feet off the ground rather than needing to be 30 feet or more in the air. That will be important if it's me that has to go figure out why the thing is spinning but power isn't coming through the chute, so to speak. Also, you can use a chain drive for power transmission. Not real high tech, but easily repairable at lower cost than a bunch of electronics and computer aided gadgets.
I recently downloaded some information on building generator systems. The info shows how to wrap your own coils and create the stator plates necessary for magnetic power generation. Even though I have plenty of hands on experience I passed it along to a family friend who has better access to the required power equipment necessary to make the ****. (Since retirement I don't have access to a lathe) I have various turbine designs going on my Google Sketchup software, waiting for the opportunity to get together with the other folks involved in my personal commune situation. Our reasoning right now is that several small units at the point of use are preferable to one big unit and stringing wire cables everywhere. Of course I could walk in to the hardware store one day, see a squirrel cage and go !
I might wind up embarrassing the heck out of my nearest neighbors by putting several home made turbines within view of their walkout basement. The open field across the road gives plenty of space for me to get unobstructed wind from the west.
It has been a few months since I read a few books on the subject. This is my understanding:
I wouldn't try to build one unless you enjoy that type of stuff. I kind of know a guy who spend months doing it, then he had to re-do it.
You are better off with one big unit (14') than several smaller units. "Swept area" is what it all comes down to. Nefarious marketers get around this by talking about what their unit produces.......at 70 mph. Well 70 mph hardly ever occurs and you probably do not want that hitting your turbine anyway. You will likely need a "dump system" for when the wind gets over a certain speed. This keeps your turbine from self destruction and from supplying too much energy.
Wind energy is not simple. I thought it was and bought a turbine without much research. I almost registered a .com domain name thinking I could really capitalize on the renewed interest in wind energy.
It doesn't hardly work in, perhaps, most areas. It takes a truly windy area to make turbines cost effective.
This is for everyone interested:
The wind doesn't always blow. The sun doesn't always shine. If you want to be self-sufficient, plan on:
1) solar energy and
2) wind energy and
3) quality generator and
4) good source of firewood for northern denizens
It has been a few months since I read a few books on the subject. This is my understanding:
I wouldn't try to build one unless you enjoy that type of stuff. I kind of know a guy who spend months doing it, then he had to re-do it.
You are better off with one big unit (14') than several smaller units. "Swept area" is what it all comes down to. Nefarious marketers get around this by talking about what their unit produces.......at 70 mph. Well 70 mph hardly ever occurs and you probably do not want that hitting your turbine anyway. You will likely need a "dump system" for when the wind gets over a certain speed. This keeps your turbine from self destruction and from supplying too much energy.
Wind energy is not simple. I thought it was and bought a turbine without much research. I almost registered a .com domain name thinking I could really capitalize on the renewed interest in wind energy.
It doesn't hardly work in, perhaps, most areas. It takes a truly windy area to make turbines cost effective.
This is for everyone interested:
The wind doesn't always blow. The sun doesn't always shine. If you want to be self-sufficient, plan on:
1) solar energy and
2) wind energy and
3) quality generator and
4) good source of firewood for northern denizens
When we were off-grid we had solar and wind power, plus a great battery bank and inverter, plus generator (for cloudy, short northern winter days).
If we were still in Arizona, the generator would have been very rarely used because of the batteries.
Now we're grid-tied and have the best of both worlds.
I haven't chosen one yet, though I'm sure that is the way I want to go. The info I can find on-line about various models too often doesn't include things like where to get them or how much. There don't seem to be suppliers in my area, and the turbine folks I have talked with want to sell the big horizontal job on a 60' pole and plug them into your home's circuit breaker box. Since I don't have any of those things ready to go at the farm, or want to spend $60K for what they sell, the need hasn't been pressing.
A VAWT is less efficient than a horizontal model from my reading, but has less adverse effects on living things in the area. My property seems to have a good low level breeze most of the time and a VAWT will turn in as little as 5mph winds. They can work at eight feet off the ground rather than needing to be 30 feet or more in the air. That will be important if it's me that has to go figure out why the thing is spinning but power isn't coming through the chute, so to speak. Also, you can use a chain drive for power transmission. Not real high tech, but easily repairable at lower cost than a bunch of electronics and computer aided gadgets.
I recently downloaded some information on building generator systems. The info shows how to wrap your own coils and create the stator plates necessary for magnetic power generation. Even though I have plenty of hands on experience I passed it along to a family friend who has better access to the required power equipment necessary to make the ****. (Since retirement I don't have access to a lathe) I have various turbine designs going on my Google Sketchup software, waiting for the opportunity to get together with the other folks involved in my personal commune situation. Our reasoning right now is that several small units at the point of use are preferable to one big unit and stringing wire cables everywhere. Of course I could walk in to the hardware store one day, see a squirrel cage and go !
I might wind up embarrassing the heck out of my nearest neighbors by putting several home made turbines within view of their walkout basement. The open field across the road gives plenty of space for me to get unobstructed wind from the west.
Yes, the VAWTs are less efficient. This is what I had been considering but with the incentives right now I'll likely install PVC first and then maybe two VAWTs. Wind in my area is decent at night and that would fill a gap when solar PVCs are not producing.
As I understand it I would need two of the above to generate what one horizontal turnbine would. Too bad they aren't 1/2 price because of that. I've not been able to get close to one to find out what level of sound they generate either.
Most bird strikes that occur with turbines are large ones sited in the migratory paths. Most home systems aren't big enough to cause a real problem, but you should do a good site survey anyway to make sure you aren't putting the blades right in the path of something interesting to the birds... like right between your orchard and your pond. Otherwise, you should be fine... we haven't noticed any major bird massacres with our neighbors' home turbines and we'll be getting one of our own shortly.
As for power needs... the more juice you use the bigger the turbine you need, and that means a higher & more substantial mast, and a whole lot more money. Do you really need a 10kW turbine? Could you scale your power needs down to 2 or 3kw? Those turbines and masts are MUCH more affordable, and generally quieter as well. And, if you do need 10kW of power, do you need it all in one place? Sometimes it's cheaper and more efficient overall to put in a few smaller turbines at the point of use rather than trying to distribute the power from a single large one. The smaller turbines and masts are less expensive, the smaller charger/inverters are less expensive, and you aren't paying for a bunch of cable and poles... so do you a full cost analysis.
If you don't have grid power available at your site at all, your return on investment for solar or wind is 100% immediately If grid power is on site, the "payback" may take longer. If grid power is available at the road, but not on site, you may end up saving on private renewables over having the lines extended to your site. Do your cost analysis.
Even if solar and wind aren't 100% guaranteed every second of every day and aren't 100% efficient, 75% (or even 20%) of a free resource is still free and a properly sized battery bank is usually enough to tide you over the periods when both the sun isn't shining and the wind isn't blowing. At most, you could get away with a small, fuel efficient generator to cover any really long periods where your system isn't charging your bank or meeting your power needs. Note that not having either sun or wind at the same time is usually pretty rare since clouds usually mean a pressure system which brings winds. I suspect on a windy hilltop, you won't be having much problems with lack of wind, so much as getting a turbine that can handle your max wind speed... chose carefully.
Once you buy the equipment, the costs of your power are almost nil with a private renewable system... it's just maintenance since the input (sunlight and wind) are free and require no effort or expense on your part. The cost of the equipment, if you aren't grid-tied and need to bring it in from the road, may actually be comparable to the cost of having the electric company run lines and poles to your site... do a careful cost analysis with a wary eye on hidden costs of all systems.
The huge wind turbines may be efficient but they are very expensive. I don't think building Wind Farms to generate electricity to add to our Power Grid is very smart. Individual wind generators in any city are not going to be practical but for those who live in rural areas where the next door neighbor is at least a few hundred feet away wind could be a big resource. New systems and competition will keep bringing prices down.
GL2
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Even though I have plenty of hands on experience I passed it along to a family friend who has better access to the required power equipment necessary to make the ****. (Since retirement I don't have access to a lathe) I have various turbine designs going on my Google Sketchup software, waiting for the opportunity to get together with the other folks involved in my personal commune situation. Our reasoning right now is that several small units at the point of use are preferable to one big unit and stringing wire cables everywhere. Of course I could walk in to the hardware store one day, see a squirrel cage and go 
!
I've not been able to get close to one to find out what level of sound they generate either.
If grid power is on site, the "payback" may take longer. If grid power is available at the road, but not on site, you may end up saving on private renewables over having the lines extended to your site. Do your cost analysis.
