5 Facts You Need To Know About Home Wind Turbines

Home wind turbines can be a terrific way to cut off the effects of rising electricity costs at the knees.

It is a good idea however, to know a few facts and terms before you research and find the perfect wind turbine for your wind conditions:

First, the Basic Components of a power generating windmill:

1. Rotor and Hub Assembly:

The rotor is the part of the mechanism that harvests the wind energy. Lift is the force created by the aerodynamic properties of the blades and drives the rotor which in turn, drives the turbine shaft. An aerodynamic hub makes sure all available wind is channeled to the blades.

2. Nacelle:

All of the equipment needed to convert energy and create electricity is housed here. The generator is the first step to consider. It converts the mechanical energy of the turning shaft to electricity. After the electricity reaches its final destination, an inverter then converts that electricity into a frequency and type that can be used in your home. The inverter system also keeps the power you create for your home from back-feeding to the power grid and causing an imbalance.

3. Towers:

Most home turbines are mounted on top of towers so that they can take maximum advantage of the wind. Some turbines are mounted on roofs for convenience sake, but it a tower is required to put the turbine in the area of maximum wind flow.

• Watt (and Kilowatt): watts are the most basic unit of electrical energy. 1,000 watts are in a kilowatt. Most homes don't have more than about 1.5 - 2.0 kilowatts maximum demand at any one time.

• Noise around wind turbines: relatively speaking, wind turbines - even very large ones - are not very loud. I know it is hard to believe but, they throw off about as much noise as a refrigerator. They have gotten a bad rap though because of older units that are still in the field that produce a good bit more noise at max rotor speed.

• Blade Shadow Flicker: turbine rotor systems can produce a shadow on a sunny day. It can be very distracting, but because of the high position of the sun most of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, it is not normally a problem in the United States.

• Setback Distance from your home: ideally, home wind turbines should be mounted setback between 600 -1,000 feet from your home. At that distance, noise and flicker aren't much of an issue.

• Wildlife issues and encounters: a number of birds and bats are killed or injured each year as a result of turning turbine blades or collisions with the related substructure, like power delivery and guy wires. The wind turbine industry has responded by making most turbine towers solid nowadays, so that birds aren't encouraged to roost in the latticework seen in previous designs.

As prices of home wind turbines continue to come down, it will become increasingly easy to justify one for your home, even in low wind conditions. Get to know this terminology and issues - and, continue your research to find the optimal windmill for your local area.