Residential Wind Power

Home wind power under product name of Utility-scale is an important and growing part of the US energy portfolio. Farms ranging in size from dozens to hundreds of turbines can produce in excess of 60 megawatts of power. Plans for gigawatts power are being proposed all over the globe, and new wind farms are regularly being proposed that outstrip one another to be the largest in their respective locations, or in the world. At the far end of the scale, the largest size wind turbines at (413 feet), and are estimated to be capable of producing 20,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually (enough to power as many as 5000 European homes). The power generated by a turbine increases exponentially as it gets larger, new turbines will continue to grow in size.

Home wind power with small-scale turbines is perhaps a more exciting realm of development. The standard, propeller style turbine is well established, and there are many suppliers for this kind of generator in a range of sizes. In 2009, Home power magazine had a roundup of more than a dozen small wind turbines ranging from 8 feet to 56 feet in diameter (the latter of which is far larger than even a large, inefficient household would need for their power requirements)

Swift makes Home wind power turbine that is much like an ordinary horizontal-axis turbine, but unlike other propeller style turbines, though, its five blades are connected together with a ring. This makes it a hybrid between a propeller turbine, and a turbine like the Loopwing or the Energy Ball. The ring helps to cut down on noise, most of which comes from blade tips traveling through the air, not unlike the Loopwing or the Energy Ball.

AeroVironment has another Home wind power turbine designed for direct mounting on a building parapet. The AVX 1000 is designed for commercial use only. Aerovironment’s turbines can be installed with a decorative canopy that may also lessen the likelihood of bird impacts.

Both the Swift and the AeroVironment Home wind power turbines are displayed in building parapet installations where they are only a short distance above a building roof. They may be taking some advantage of the increase in wind speed that occurs at a building roof. But when the wind is blowing parallel to the face of the building, these turbines are likely to be fairly ineffective.

Wind power has not been quite as readily accepted for home power generation for several reasons. First of all, wind power has greater requirements for open space and access to wind for efficient operation. By comparison, solar is much easier to accommodate, especially on a small site. Solar is also far less obtrusive than wind power. Solar panels located on a low slope roof or in a back yard are often almost invisible to passers-by, while wind turbines need to stick up into the air where they are able to catch the wind. Any system with moving parts is more prone to breakdown and trouble than one that is solid state, which also contributes to wind power being less desirable for homeowners who do not also want to be turbine mechanics.

Home wind power is still a small niche compared with solar however the entry level for a wind turbine is far less than solar panels.  We have conducted a review of the best wind turbine plans available today.  You can see the best wind turbine plans here.  We have built the wind turbines in these guides and can honestly say that they are the best available on the market today.  With this home made wind power kits in this comprehensive review you can make your own wind turbine for under $100.