HOME ENERGY SYSTEMS: WIND AND SOLAR

WIND SYSTEMS
The small home system is a wind garden compared to larger wind farms. A single wind turbine can generate enough energy to meet most or all of your household electricity needs, providing you with a cushion against electric power price increases. In fact, in some states it’s possible to sell excess electricity back to the power company. The long-term economic benefits can make home wind systems quite attractive. You will certainly make a substantial investment at the beginning of your wind system venture, but you’ll save money on electricity—or potentially make money—after you’ve recouped your initial expenditure. A home wind system can be a terrific investment and a wonderful way to reduce emissions and your family’s dependence on fossil fuels.

A single turbine can supply sufficient amounts of electricity for a household, depending on the amount of electricity used and the amount generated by the turbine. The electricity generated is largely dependent on the available wind resource. When planning for a wind farm, the question must be asked: Is there good wind at the location? This is the same question the homeowner will ask when considering the installation of a home wind system.

How much wind is enough? A minimum of 9 to 10 miles per hour on average, depending on whether you install a stand-alone system or a grid-connected system. A grid-connected system establishes you and the local utility as partners in generating electricity. If the turbine cannot deliver the amount of energy you need, the utility makes up the difference. When your wind system produces more electricity than the household requires, the excess can sometimes be sold to the utility. Whether or not you can sell electricity back to the local utility (an arrangement known as net metering) depends on the state where you live. A switching unit automatically takes care of these transfers. The other home configuration is a stand-alone wind system. The stand-alone system is particularly useful for rural homes and farms or ranches. Running a power line to a remote location to connect with the power grid can be expensive, ranging from $15,000 to more than $50,000 per mile, depending on the terrain covered. Therefore, the stand-alone system can be quite cost-effective.

The home wind system utilizes the same components a wind farm does, just on a much smaller basis. You will install a wind turbine, a tower, wiring and controllers, inverters, and/or batteries. The installation of some of these components depends on the system—grid-connected or stand-alone.

Some very important decisions must be made when deciding whether to build a home wind system. Is your property size at least an acre? Are your neighbors open to living next door to a wind turbine? Do your local building codes allow you to erect a wind turbine on your property? If you’re constructing a grid-connected wind system, does your local utility offer a competitive rate for buying back your excess electricity? Does the local utility require an expensive set-up connection?

HYBRID WIND/SOLAR SYSTEMS
The home wind energy system offers an interesting opportunity for the homeowner to participate in green energy. But a combined system of wind and solar can cover the changes in wind resources and sun resources throughout the year. In general, wind is more abundant in the winter and sun more abundant in the summer. Therefore, with a combined system, the homeowner can be assured of having enough electricity in every season and time of day.

The stand-alone hybrid system combines both wind energy and photovoltaic (PV) technologies to produce energy which is then stored in banks of batteries on the homeowner’s property. It is also possible to fulfill energy needs and replenish battery supply during down periods using an engine-generator powered by fossil fuels. As with a grid-connected system, these power transfers are generally fully automated. Battery banks are typically sized for one to three days of windless operation.

THE NEXT STEP
If you’re interested in pursuing the construction of a home energy system, check out the Department of Energy’s web site, especially their page titled, Connecting a Small-Scale Renewable Energy System to an Electric Transmission System. This very good explanation covers regulations, utility interconnection requirements, Power Purchase Agreements and arrangements, metering and billing, and the economics of home energy systems. The DOE’s Homeowner Help presents a helpful list of manufacturers and a case study of economic feasibility. Make sure to explore the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) site and their map of Average Annual Wind Speeds in 48 Contiguous States to check how much wind your property may have.

LINKS TO RETAILERS AND MORE INFORMATION
Aeromax is a wind turbine generator and solar energy company specializing in hybrid renewable energy systems and components.

AWEA provides information about buying and installing a small wind turbine in the following U.S. states offering green energy incentives: California, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas. AWEA has released (2003) a helpful booklet for the person thinking of installing a home wind system.

Bergey WindPower Company is the world’s leading supplier of small wind turbines.

Home Power: The Hands-On Journal of Home-Made Power, an online magazine, presents practical articles about home energy systems, with questions and answers about net metering.

Real Goods offers solar, wind, and hydro power production equipment, as well as small-scale solutions for individual appliances.

Sierra Solar Systems supplies solar, wind, and micro-hydro electric systems. They feature a design section on their web site to help you create a system specific to your electricity needs.

Solardyne.com sells renewable energy equipment and high-efficiency home appliances.

Wind Turbine Industries Corp. manufactures Jacobs energy systems. Jacobs, founded in the 1920s, is the oldest established wind company in the United States.