Residential Wind Power - a Practical Guide on Choosing Wind Power for Your Home

This article on Residential Wind Power is provided by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Determine if a Wind Turbine System is Practical for You

Residential wind power systems provide a cushion against electricity price increases. Wind energy systems reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, and they don't emit greenhouse gases. If you are building a home in a remote location, a small wind energy system can help you avoid the high costs of extending utility power lines to your site.

Although wind energy systems involve a significant initial investment, they can be competitive with conventional energy sources when you account for a lifetime of reduced or altogether avoided utility costs. They length of the payback period—the time before the savings resulting from your system equal the system cost—depends on the system you choose, the wind resource in your site, electric utility rates in your area, and how you use your wind system.

Small wind energy systems can be used in connection with an electricity transmission and distribution system (called grid-connected systems), or in stand-alone applications that are not connected to the utility grid.

A grid-connected wind turbine can reduce your consumption of utility-supplied electricity for lighting, appliances, and electric heat. If the turbine cannot deliver the amount of energy you need, the utility makes up the difference. When the wind system produces more electricity than the household requires, the excess can be sold to the utility.

With the interconnections available today, switching takes place automatically. Stand-alone wind energy systems can be appropriate for homes, farms, or even entire communities (a co-housing project, for example) that are far from the nearest utility lines. Either type of system can be practical if the following conditions exist.

Conditions for stand-alone systems

* You live in an area with average annual wind speeds of at least 4.0 meters per second (9 miles per hour)

* A grid connection is not available or can only be made through an expensive extension. The cost of running a power line to a remote site to connect with the utility grid can be prohibitive, ranging from $15,000 to more than $50,000 per mile, depending on terrain.

* You have an interest in gaining energy independence from the utility

* You would like to reduce the environmental impact of electricity production

* You acknowledge the intermittent nature of wind power and have a strategy for using intermittent resources to meet your power needs

Conditions for grid-connected systems

* You live in an area with average annual wind speeds of at least 4.5 meters per second (10 miles per hour).

* Utility-supplied electricity is expensive in your area (about 10 to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour).

* The utility's requirements for connecting your system to its grid are not prohibitively expensive.

* Local building codes or covenants allow you to legally erect a wind turbine on your property.

* You are comfortable with long-term investments.

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