RESIDENTIAL WIND TURBINES

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A Residential Wind Turbine is a generator, installed at the top of a tower, that collects kinetic energy from the wind and converts it into electricity that is used throughout the home. With todays rising costs of fuel, as well as increased emphasis on the environment, many homeowners are looking at alternative ways of providing their homes with energy. Residential wind power not only provides homeowners with less expensive electric bills, but also decreases a familys carbon footprint.

WIND DIRECTION

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FIGURE 01_

Typical Residential Application

Source_ http://www.windmonkey.com

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IS A WIND TURBINE AN OPTION FOR YOUR PROPERTY? WHAT ARE THE AVERAGE SAVINGS?

There are some fundamental property requirements that can guide you to deciding if a wind turbine is an option on your property. First, for the turbine to be a useful source of power, the average wind speed at the site should be at least 10 miles per hour (Figure 03). As wind speed increases, the energy output increases exponentially. Therefore, even a slight increase in wind speed greatly increases the amount of electricity produced. Secondly, because wind turbines are relatively large devices, they are not suitable for suburban or urban applications, as there may be zoning restrictions or community inacceptance. Figure 01 above shows general spacing requirements in relation to other elements on a property. Depending on the output power, manufacturer, and size, the cost of both the turbine and installation can range from $6,000 to $22,000 according to the American Wind Energy Association. However, these up-front costs can be offset within 5-15 years in energy savings. Generally, the electricity bills of homes with wind turbines are decreased 50% to 90% depending on average wind speed. For example, 10-kW wind turbine can generate about 10,000 kwh annually at a site with wind speeds averaging 12 mph, or about enough to power a typical household. Likewise, if the turbine produces more electricity that a particular home requires, that energy is sold to the grid, meaning the utility company will buy the excess electricity from the homeowner, and use it elsewhere in the community.

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FIGURE 02_ Cross Section of a Typical Wind Turbine
Source_http://science.howstuffworks.com

PARTS

There are several different types of wind turbines, but those most commonly used in residential applications are classified as Horizontal-Axis Wind Turbines or HAWT. The following are the most elemental parts of HAWTs:

rotor blades Rotor blades are effected by the movement of wind over them, causing the blades to rotate. When the wind forces the blades to move, it has converted some of its energy into rotational shaft energy. Depending on the design, a wind turbine can have from 1 to 3 blades, while three blade designs are most common. As the blade length increases, the potential for energy increases. pitch The pitch refers to the angle of the blades, which controls the rotational speed. Blades are turned, or pitched, out of the wind to control the rotor speed and keep the rotor from turning in winds that are too high or too low to produce electricity. The nacelle is the unit that contains the following equipment: shaft The shaft is rotated by the rotor blades. generator The generator uses the rotational energy of the shaft between the rotor hub and the generator itself. This is the component that generates the electricity. electronic control unit The electronic control unit monitors the system, sending alerts and shutting down in the case of malfunction. yaw controller The yaw controller moves the rotor to align it with the direction of the wind. brakes Brakes stop rotation in case of system overload or other emergency. The tower is the vertical support of the rotor blades and nacelle. Typically towers are made of tubular steel in residential applications. As wind speed increases with height, taller towers enable turbines to generate more electricity.

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electrical wiring The electrical wiring carries the electricity from the generator, through the shaft, and underground to the houses meter.

PROCESS

As the wind passes through the blades of the turbine, the energy in the wind is converted to rotational motion by the blades. The rotor blades then turn the shaft, which transfers the motion through the components of the nacelle. Through the connection between the shaft and the generator, the rotation in the shaft is converted into electricity by the generator. The electricity is then sent through cables down the shaft, and then through underground wires to a second utility meter on the outside of the home. There is no need to change the wiring of a residence, as the residential turbines are easily adapted to work with any home electrical system. In most applications, the home is connected both to its wind turbine and to a local utility.

FIGURE 03_

Annual Average Wind Power in the United States. The highlighted portion of the chart shows the areas suitable for residential wind turbine applications.
Source_ The National Renewable Energy Laboratory < http://www.nrel.gov/rredc/>

PRODUCTS

For more information on residential wind turbines, please visit the American Wind Energy Associations listing of manufacturers at <http://www.awea.org/small wind/ smsyslst.html>.