One of the great aspects of technology is the ability to make vast improvements in design and efficiency on items that have been around for many years.  In recent years the improvements in design and efficiency for residential wind turbines has been vast, bringing with it hopes and dreams for future generations.

A Colorado company is introducing a system that will allow wind turbines to generate power even when the wind is not blowing. The SmartGen hybrid gas-wind turbine enables wind turbines to produce energy at periods of low wind, by turning the turbine with compressed air generated at the base of the tower from a turbo-compressor that is run on natural gas or biogas.

Even more importantly, the SmartGen system can be retrofitted into existing wind turbines, allowing existing facilities to increase their performance. This is likely to be particularly compelling for installations seeking to extend their production while remaining free of fossil fuels. In areas where biogas production is also available nearby, a wind power facility that is generating renewable energy credits could likely also produce power from biogas in this manner as another form of renewable power and thereby remain 100% renewable energy based.

A smart clutch disengages the wind blades from the machinery when the compressor is engaged. The company also notes that the exhausted air from the air motor cools dramatically when it is released, which can help provide cooling for the generator nacelle and may even help prevent fires in the housing.

One of the brilliant parts about this idea is that it can be retro fitted to existing wind turbines.  That means wind turbines just like the DIY Wind Turbine that i built and shared the amazing wind turbine plans with you last year can benefit from these fantastic design improvements. One of our readers, Mike Doolan also did a reader review of this wind turbine that he built and is keen to make further improvements like this. I am already living 100% “off the grid” with my residential wind turbine however because my wind turbine feeds the excess power back onto the grid i am able to benefit more than before.  Why do i benefit? Because i sell the excess power generated from my home made wind turbine back to the utility company and get a credit check in the mail each month….with this improvement i will be able to generate more energy and make more clean, green energy and get paid for it!

India needs tremendous amounts of energy resources not only for rural electrification but also to meet the rising demands in the big cities. Coal reserves are in short supply, with limited domestic gas reserves India is heavily dependent on imports which are mostly entangled with strategic tug-of-wars be it the case of losing oil & gas blocks to China or ditching plans for energy partnership with Iran under pressure from the US.

Nuclear energy expansion, too, has many roadblocks – concerns about safety, waste disposal & civil liability and fuel shortages.
Although dwindling, indigenous coal reserves are still the backbone of India’s power generation sector with more than 70 percent of power generated by coal-fired power plants. The Indian government has been opposing mandatory emission reduction targets arguing that it needs to provide cheap, coal-fired power to its millions of villages.

Now India already has a voluntary goal to reduce its carbon intensity by 20 to 25 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels and it will have to agree to mandatory and absolute emission reduction. Therefore, it is India’s own interests that it seriously considers renewable energy technologies which can take up a substantial burden of the power generated in the country in the medium to long term.

Advantages of Distributed Power Generation

Distributed power generation has several other advantages in the case of India. Being a large country it is difficult to expand transmission lines to the remote places. Distributed power generation makes redundant the various parameters that an independent power system needs to match with the central grid for efficient power evacuation. An article by Grist’s David Roberts sheds light on the advantages of distributed power generation.

The effectiveness of intelligent grids will be enhanced by new ways of storing electricity at the building and neighborhood levels. It is energy storage coupled with the smart grid, Alford says, “that enables grid security, grid stability and power quality.”

Shifting of power generation of centre from traditional power plants to homes and communities would ensure reduction in losses due to power theft and would also improve the stability of the grid. India lost a staggering 88,327 MW due to power theft in 2007-08.

Power generation through localized clean energy technologies would not only reduce India’s carbon emission output but could also reduce power wastage as people would possibly value this resource more when them produce it ‘themselves’, at their homes.

One benefit of energy localism that is difficult to quantify but nonetheless significant is that it engages a city’s residents in a more active civic role: People sort their trash, they manage their power consumption, they get involved.

Local involvement at the most fundamental level of the society could initiate and fuel a sustainable revolution in the power generation sector.
Lastly, the entry of one of the largest companies in the country in a dormant sector boosts confidence in the investors and opens countless avenues of employment generation for millions. Investment thrusts from the private sector, supported by government-backed incentives and international cooperation could eventually transform India’s power sector into a profit-making sector that would fuel competition, accelerate clean energy revolution and bring the best quality services to the customers.

Residential Wind Turbines are a great way to produce free electricity for your home. Some units can be expensive on startup costs however you must think of a wind turbine as a long term investment – you will be ahead in the long run. If you are not able to finance a wind turbine I strongly suggest that you have a good look at getting your hands on this do it yourself wind turbine kit – it is the most effective design that we have come across as well as being a simple process to build and install, not to mention at $150 the payback period may only take a few weeks!

Still not sure? Why not check out our review on the best wind turbine plans.

It would appear that a lot of us every day are actively searching for cheaper ways to produce electricity for our homes which can only be a good thing. The thing that is driving our search for cleaner, cheaper, renewable energy sources could be down to any number of factors. High utility prices are no doubt one thing and the need for a greener environment may be another.

One thing is quite clear however – home wind turbines can provide for both of these needs and they are super cheap, fast and easy to build.

Here are the 5 simple facts that you should know before you start to build your own wind turbine, and to avoid if possible:

1 ) Before you installing your home wind turbine, make sure that you check the average wind speeds that blow in your areas. If the wind blows is too low, then it is wise for not installing any wind generator system, as your wind turbine probably won’t able to collect enough kinetic energy to produce any sufficient electricity.

2 ) Try to place your wind generator in the best possible site for maximum results, flat areas are generally is a best place to collect the kinetic energy as there won’t be any huge obstacle or debris to stop your wind turbine to collect the energy. Try to avoid hilly areas.

3 ) Checking on the local permit requirements first as you doesn’t want to be charged over thousands of dollars without any particular reasons and from nowhere. Some of the regions does not approve of the usage of wind generator or windmill.

4 ) If you are live in a small towns or city, make sure that you discuss your wind turbine plans with your neighbors before you installing a wind generator to avoid any unnecessary opposition. It is better to avoid such conflicts when you can. After all, it is understandable that your neighbors or anyone would make an opposition on something that they don’t understand the purpose of your plan.

5) Believe the system. Focus and concentrate your mind during the project. There is a high chance that you won’t be finish your wind generator and will give up if you continue being doubters or naysayer.

Residential Vertical Wind Turbines are a great way to produce free electricity for your home. Some units can be expensive on startup costs however you must think of a wind turbine as a long term investment – you will be ahead in the long run. If you are not able to finance a wind turbine I strongly suggest that you have a good look at getting your hands on the Earth4Energy do it yourself wind turbine kit – it is the most effective design that we have come across as well as being a simple process to build and install, not to mention at $150 the payback period may only take a few weeks!

Still not sure? Why not check out our review on the best wind turbine plans.

The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) requires utilities to purchase power from small wind systems, such as the single turbine residential system. In order to take advantage of this policy, you must sign an interconnection agreement with the utility. Under the agreement, electricity is measured as it flows into or out of the house. The utility bill is affected in one of two ways.

If a smart meter is installed in the home, it can measure the input and output of electricity. When the wind is really blowing and the home cannot use all the electricity generated, it flows back into the grid and the smart meter subtracts the price per kWh from the house account. When the wind is dead and the home must draw from the grid for electricity, the account is charged the price per kWh.

If a separate meter is installed, it is responsible only for recording electricity flowing back into the grid. The original meter continues its job of measuring the amount of electricity used by the home. Each month or quarter, the two meters are added together and the resulting amount is charged or paid by the utility.

With both the smart meter and double meter systems, there is a chance that the utility will be paying you for electricity rather than the other way around.

Although PURPA has been in effect for 30 years, the popularity of small wind systems has exploded only in the last couple of years. Many utilities have never used an interconnection agreement, and could present a potential obstacle to the turbine owner. Professional turbine installers may turn out to know more about interconnection agreements and meter installation than the utility does. When neither party in the agreement has much experience, a professional is always useful to make the process run smoothly.

There are systems which don’t rely on the grid at all, called off-grid systems. Rather than using the electric company as back-up power, off-grid systems use deep-charge batteries to store excess energy generated by wind turbines. The house can access the batteries when no wind is blowing. In addition to batteries, most off-grid systems use other types of power, such as generators, to back-up their wind power systems.

Getting the most energy savings from a wind turbine system is one of the main reasons to install it. Working with the utility company to realize savings and even get paid is part of the energy savings process.

I have been running a grid fed home wind turbine since 2007. The wind turbine that i am running on my home was built from some do it yourself wind turbine plans that i bought off the internet. Since i installed my grid fed home wind turbine i have not paid for electricity since 2007! Now i still have an active connection to my electricity company however that is so that i can sell the energy produced from my wind turbine to the electrocity company, and get a check in the mail from them at the end of the month. You can read more about how i built my own home wind turbine or you can go to the same place that i bought the wind turbine plans from and get started on your own home wind turbine.

Many other readers of residential wind power have built the same wind turbine that i am running with great results. Have a look at Mike Doolans review of his do it yourself wind turbine. Mike is now running a grid fed system on his home just like mine.

Generating renewable energy with a home wind turbine is a lot easier than you think. And the costs aren’t as prohibitive as some would lead you beleive. I was able to build a home wind turbine following these simple plans for a total cost of $150.

Accessing the free power of the wind for generating electricity is possible in many areas. The first step is to determine the average strength and velocity of the wind that blows over the property. If the average wind speed is more than 10 MPH, a wind turbine would be appropriate to install on your property.

Next, look online for some windmill building guides. While the information to build a windmill system yourself isn’t free, it comes from people who are dedicated to the technology, and who’ve spent years perfecting their individual systems. Comprehensive books, including Hugh Piggott’s A Wind Turbine Recipe Book and Off-Grid Living’s Homemade Wind Generator guide, are low-cost, step by step guides that provide valuable information from people who live to build wind power systems.

Common household tools can be used to build your turbine structure, including raising the pole on which your turbine will sit, connecting the turbine to the battery and inverter that will turn it into usable electricity for your home, and general maintenance.

The blades can be made from PVC pipe, plywood, corrugated cardboard, or metal if steel working tools are available. The base and frame of the turbine, and the tail, can be made from the same materials. Also, Honeywell sells turbines through Ace Hardware, which can then be mounted on a pole and connected to the electrical system.

The turbine itself strongly affects the amount of electricity the system can generate. Turbine blades should be the correct length to catch the most average wind; longer blades will generate energy even with slower wind speeds, while shorter blades can create energy faster from strong winds. The turbine should be mounted high enough in the air to be unobstructed by trees, buildings, and hills, in order to catch the strongest winds.

The turbine will be connected to the home via electrical wires that feed into a battery, which is where the energy will first be stored. The battery can be powered by regular AA batteries or NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) batteries. In order for the energy generated by your windmill to be used by your home, it will need to be converted using an inverter.

If you plan to meet the entire home’s electricity usage needs with the wind turbine, your wind power system is complete. If you’ll be supplementing renewable wind power with electricity from your utility, you’ll need to connect the turbine system to your electric grid. Once connected, the grid will take in any extra energy generated by the wind turbine during times of strong wind, and will provide electricity to your home when winds are slow.

A comprehensive wind turbine DIY guide can provide specific plans and instructions for the builder. A DIY wind power system is a great way to save money for those mechanically inclined people, and it’s also a great opportunity to use salvaged and recycled materials for your renewable energy needs. The DIY wind turbine system won’t, in all likelihood, achieve efficiencies above 1000 KW capacity, but the opportunity is there for your household’s electrical needs to be fully met with renewable energy.

Personally i believe that you do not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to benefit from wind energy, you can build your own wind turbine like i have done. I have personally reviewed the best guide available on the market today which is by far the leader in the renewable home energy market. This guide is available with some great FREE bonuses exclusively for residential wind power readers and you can get your hands on the plan along with videos and support for a special residential wind power only price right here.

To determine the wind speed for your property, begin by checking online wind maps for your state and specific region. Wind maps are available on the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory websites.

A wind map is divided into classes from 1-7, with class 1 having the lowest wind speeds and class 7 having the highest. Classes 3 and above should be suitable for residential wind generators, which require average wind speeds of at least 10 MPH. Still, a wind map isn’t the last word, because every specific property is different. In a class 1 area, the property may have high ground in an exposed area suited for catching wind, and conversely, a class 7 property on low ground with many tall trees may not be able to catch enough wind to power an wind energy system.

The wind map also gives wind speeds and densities by height. When reviewing your property for obstacles that will affect residential wind turbine performance, note the height of all trees, buildings, and hills on your property. A residential windmill tower should stand 20 feet above the highest obstacle within a 400 foot radius, in order to catch the most wind possible without obstruction. Using this information, check the wind speeds for the height you’ve estimated for the tower. Lower classes may have stronger winds at greater heights.

For more detailed and specific information about your area’s wind speeds, check local weather stations or have a professional take a wind survey of the potential wind turbine site. Scientists and other professionals have been collecting data on wind activity for more than 50 years, so more than likely there is detailed information available to you describing the specific wind patterns of your property and area.

Once you’ve gathered a comprehensive portfolio on the wind behavior for the property, you’ll use this information to make informed decisions about the type of system to install on the site. For example, there are residential wind turbines with tails to change position with the direction of the wind, and there are stationary wind turbines which don’t move with the wind. Knowing the common wind patterns for your area can help you find the correct type of turbine.

There are many different sizes and lengths of wind turbines and towers, and the combination you choose will affect the amount of energy the wind power system can generate. A 26% increase in wind speed, for example, can result in a 100% increase in power generation. If you’re planning to generate enough electricity to power your home without help from the grid, you’ll need to make sure that your system is efficient enough to meet those needs.

Personally i believe that you do not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to benefit from wind energy, you can build your own wind turbine like i have done. I have personally reviewed the best guide available on the market today which is by far the leader in the renewable home energy market. This guide is available with some great FREE bonuses exclusively for residential wind power readers and you can get your hands on the plan along with videos and support for a special residential wind power only price right here.

Personally i believe that you do not have to spend tens of thousands of dollars in order to benefit from wind energy, you can build your own wind turbine like i have done. I have personally reviewed the best guide available on the market today which is by far the leader in the renewable home energy market. This guide is available with some great FREE bonuses exclusively for residential wind power readers and you can get your hands on the plan along with videos and support for a special residential wind power only price right here.

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.

The home scale single blade wind turbine previously introduced on this site continues to make good progress in the South Pacific. Powerhouse Wind, based in Dunedin, New Zealand are using a new take with clever electronics to bring the single blade concept to the domestic wind market. A single blade has the appealing benefit of being the most minimal way to sweep a given area. Combined with the electronic innovations, it also creates the opportunity to design a machine that can sense wind strength and react to gusts to improve energy capture from the variable winds typical of a house site.

Powerhouse Wind’s designers are also very conscious of developing the turbine for the best possible fit with the domestic environment. The machine is styled to be aesthetically pleasing, offers a very low visual profile, having only blade, and is quiet by virtue of having only 1/3 of the noise sources of conventional machines.  Early machines have been finished in a silver and natural cast aluminum finish. The commercial machines will offer complete automation, including command and output reporting via the internet.

For more information about the project, the product or to register your interest for future newsletters, please visit www.powerhousewind.co.nz or if you are intersted in building your own wind turbine check out our wind turbine plan review here

The Powerhouse Wind Single Blade Wind Turbine

Powerhouse Wind's Brilliant wind turbine in action

From the land of the long white cloud (New Zealand) comes this single blade wind turbine that the inventors are pitching at the home wind power market.  The Power House Wind Turbine which is due to be released into the market in late 2009 features a blade that can change position to protect itself from strong and destructive winds.

Developed by two former Fisher & Paykel engineers the variable speed wind turbine is designed to power a single house, a market that has a massive world wide potential.

For more information on the single blade residential wind turbine check out the video below.

Keen to jump on the renewable energy bandwagon? Wether your looking to buy or build your own wind turbine or solar power system we recomend you have a look at our top 3 home brew wind turbines.