• General Information

    • Grid-Tied Solar/Wind Electric Systems

    • Off-Grid Systems

 

General Information

  We have been harnessing the wind's energy for hundreds of years. From old Holland to the first farms in the United States, windmills have been used for pumping water or grinding grain. Today, the windmill's modern equivalent-a wind turbine-can use the wind's energy to generate electricity.

 Small wind turbines are electric generators that utilize wind energy to produce clean, emissions-free power for individual homes, farms, and small businesses. With this simple and increasingly popular technology, individuals can generate their own power and cut their energy bills while helping to protect the environment. The U.S. leads the world in the production of small wind turbines, which are defined as having rated capacities of 100 kilowatts and less, and the market growth is expected to continue through the next decade.

 The amount of electricity that a wind turbine can generate is a function of how much wind you can "collect." If you can consistently collect medium to high winds, you will generate much more electricity than if high winds are a rare occurrence only associated with thunderstorms. So living in an area with a good wind resource is important to the success of your wind system.

 Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications, or they can be connected to a utility power grid or even combined with a solar photovoltaic system  (Grid-Tied Solar/Wind Electric Systems). Stand-alone wind turbines are typically used for water pumping or communications. However, homeowners, farmers, and ranchers in windy areas can also use wind turbines as a way to cut their electric bills. Similarly, in order for your wind system to actually generate electricity, your wind turbine must be situated in such a place where it can access the flow of the wind. This is why wind turbines are installed on towers that rise high over the surrounding trees and buildings in an area. Tall towers are necessary to gain access to the flow of the wind.

Links for more wind turbine information include:

http://skystreamenergy.com/how-it-works/index.php or

http://www.nrel.gov/learning/re_wind.html