How do residential wind turbines work?

Small wind turbines are electric generators that utilize wind energy to produce clean, emission-free for individual homes, farms and small businesses. This simple and increasingly popular technology in individuals can generate their own power and cut their energy bills while helping protect the environment. India will shortly, lead the world in the production of small wind turbines, having rated capacities of 1000 watts and more. The market is expected through the next decade.

A wind turbine, which is installed on top of tall towers / multistoreys, collects kinetic energy from the wind and converts it to electricity that is compatible with a home’s electrical system through an inverter.

In a normal residential application, a home is served simultaneously by the wind turbine and an array of solar photovoltaic panels, which is commonly known as a “Hybrid System”. If the wind speeds are nil of less (depending on the capacity of the turbine) there will be low output from the turbine. All this is done automatically. There are batteries which stores the electricity whenever it is produced like from solar energy in the day time and through the turbine whenever wind speed is good.

 

Will a small wind turbine save me money?

The wind turbine typically lowers your electricity bill by 50 to 90% for six/ten months of the years. The amount of the money a small wind turbine saves you in the long run will depend upon its cost, the amount of electricity you use, the average wind speed at your site and other factors.

 

What size turbine would I need for my home?

Homes use approximately 9,400 kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electricity per year (about 780 kwh per month). Depending upon the average wind speed in the area, a wind turbine range of 1 to 5 Kilowatts would be required to make a significant contribution to meet this demand.

 

Who should consider buying a wind turbine?

Anybody who wishes to contribute to the environment by producing his/her own electricity Residential wind turbines have been installed in almost all cities in India and are known to work successfully.

 

Will it help the environment if I install a wind turbine at my home?

Yes. Wind turbine produce no pollution and using wind power you will be offsetting pollution that would have been generated by your electricity supplying company. Over its life, a small residential wind turbine can offset approximately a minimum of 1.2 tons of air pollutants and 200 tons of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and other gases which cause climate damages).

Don’t I have to take wind measurement for a year or more?
For most residential system the cost of taking wind measurement is not justified, because the technology has improved vastly and they are able to function with very less wind speeds unlike older turbines.

Do wind turbines make noise or interfere with TV reception?
Small wind turbines do make some noise, but not enough to be found objectionable by most people. A typical residential wind system makes less noise than the average washing machine. Wind turbines do not interfere with TV reception.

 

Will I have to charge any of the wiring in my house?
No. A wind turbine is easily retrofitted to virtually any home without the need to charge any wiring or appliance.

What about towers?
A20 to 60 foot tower is usually used alone with the wind turbine. Towers this tall are necessary to raise the wind turbine above turbulence generated by obstacles on the ground and trees. Wind velocity and, therefore wind turbine performance, increases with altitude. Several different types of towers are available, depending upon which capacity turbine you choose. Each type has its advantages.

How much does a wind turbine cost?
A small turbine can cost anywhere from Rs.2, 50,000 to 7, 50,000 installed, depending upon size & application.

How reliable are wind turbine? Will I have to perform much maintenance?
Most small turbine have very few moving parts and do not require any regular maintenance. They are designed for a long life (up to 20 years) and operate completely automatically. Apart from the batteries which need to be changed between 3 to 5 years depending on the manufacturer.