Yielding Wind Energy for your House
Winds have been used for many purposes for hundreds of years. From ancient sailing vessels to windmill power on farms. With the depletion of fossil fuels a clear and present truth, wind power has become news for the now. Wind power for home use is now more accessible than ever before. From using home wind generators for powering appliances to wind farms used to power entire cities, wind turbines are a renewable source of energy for the ages.
Photo credit: Lee Carson
Building wind powered turbines can be a backup power source or it can be used to power appliances in one’s home. Wind power can take a home partially off the power grid or completely off the grid. The more wind the more power that can be made, as power is made from the blades turning.
The turning blades cause the shaft to turn which in turn creates electricity that is sent to a battery source for storage. This electricity or energy must be converted using an inverter which makes it usable for households. The wind turbines capacity for creating electricity is directly related to the size of the blades, the height of the tower, and the wind produced in the area.
Wind powered homes are typically powered both by the local power company and the wind power generator. If the wind speeds decline below the necessary speed and no electricity is created, the local power kicks in. On the other hand, if the wind powered generator produces too much power it is sold back to the local power company.
Another option is for the homeowner to go completely off the local power grid. In order to do this, the homeowner must have batteries to store the electricity created by the wind turbine. A home completely off the grid could experience severe outages if the wind is slowed for any length of time.
Inter-tied or off the grid powered homes are both examples of using wind power turbines for residential home power. For large scale power needs, it takes more than a single wind powered turbine.
Large scale power production from wind turbines required large scale wind turbines set up in clusters. These clusters are known as wind farms. Wind farms are typically set up on large areas of flat land where the wind is on average 14 mph. These wind farms, once developed, are free from inflation and offer a free source of renewable energy.
The energy gathered by the wind farms is collected and sent to generator stations to be distributed to homes and businesses. This energy, in areas that are windy, is a renewable source available at all times.
From wind farms for powering cities or wind turbine generators for powering homes, the use of wind driven turbines is on the increase. Our supply of fossil fuels mandates that we find and use an alternate energy source. Wind, a practically endless supply of energy, is at our disposal for power use. Homeowners can build and use their own wind turbines for supplementing their power.
If you are considering installing renewable power in your home then it is well worth taking into consideration a Homemade Power option, as these are simple to make and install. They also cost a fraction of off-the shelf systems.
There are some great Renewable Energy Resources available on the Internet these days, so check them out before committing yourself.
My concerns w/ wind power are that either the turbine has to be too big for most residential use, or not enough energy is created, I haven’t seen a whole lot of people getting the correct balance.