 |
FEBRUARY, 2003 Turning the Wind to Power:
The first in the series looks at what consumers should consider when thinking about investing in a personal wind generator for their home, farm, or business. Many people think their land is very windy or are attracted by the idea of helping the environment or being independent of the power company, but there are a number of things to think about before making this kind of investment. The good news is that wind power technology is getting easier to use, more reliable, and more affordable. You can dramatically lower the amount of electricity that you purchase from your local utility, but, with today's technology you do not have to be completely reliant on the wind. Most systems that are installed in the U.S. are "grid-connected," meaning that when the wind is not blowing, you will be able to receive power from the utility as before. What are your motives? If your primary motive is to save money on your electricity bill, you need to carefully consider how much the system will cost and how much you are likely to save. Small wind systems tend to cost approximately $2,000-3,500 per kilowatt. A typical 10-kW system can generate 13,000 kWh per year at a good wind site. So, you need to investigate how much power you use and how much you pay for it. As a rule of thumb, if you are paying less than 11 cents per kWh retail, investing in a wind generator will probably not save you money, unless the state you live in offers attractive tax incentives or rebates. Your best bet would be to invest in energy efficiency measures. If you are motivated more by the fact that wind power does not create any air or water pollution, and does not use any fuel, you may be less concerned with the economic payback. You are aware that the electricity we currently use does not include the costs to clean up the pollution created or mitigate the effects of global warming, and you are willing to accept an additional cost for the knowledge that you are reducing your environmental impact. If you want to be completely independent of the power grid, or are concerned about receiving electricity in a blackout, you should be aware that you might need batteries to store backup power, which will increase the cost of your system. Another option is to use a small household generator as a source of backup electricity. What is your wind resource, and how much land is available to you? To get a better understanding of how much electricity a wind generator could produce, you have to understand how good your wind resource is. A typical small wind generator requires a site with average winds of 9 mph. The Department of Energy's basic wind energy resource atlas is available online at http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas . Some states have resource maps that are more current and more detailed. For more detailed maps of New York and the Pacific Northwest, go to http://www.truewind.com . For more detailed maps of Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington, go http://www.windpowermaps.org/windmaps/windmaps.asp . Wind areas are classified from the lowest (Class 1) to the highest (Class 7). In general, Class 2 or higher sites are the most suitable for a small wind turbine. However, you should also consider local terrain factors. Trees and other obstructions can cause turbulence, which will reduce the amount of power your generator can produce. For more data about your wind resource, you may look for wind data from nearby weather stations, or use a hand-held or an installed anemometer (measures wind speed). The next question you should consider is what is your land resource? The small wind turbine industry recommends property sizes of one-half acre or more for turbines up to approximately 3 kW and one acre or more for a larger turbine. Small wind turbines can be heard above background noise if you are within a few hundred feet, and some neighbors may object to the way they look. You will reduce the chance that a neighbor will object to your installing a small wind turbine if you have a buffer area of land between your turbine and your neighbors. What are the laws in your state and county about erecting a wind turbine? Some states offer incentives for investments in self-generation technology. The most notable is California, which has a program to rebate 50% of the cost of a small wind system. Many other states mandate "net metering." Under net metering, excess electricity produced by the wind turbine will spin the existing home or business electricity meter backwards, effectively banking the electricity until it is needed by the customer. This provides the customer with full retail value for all the electricity produced. For more information about what incentives your state offers for wind power installation, refer to AWEA's State-by-State Inventory of State Incentives for Wind Energy at http://www.awea.org/pubs/inventory.html . You will also need to be aware of zoning and permitting issues in your area. Building permits are usually obtained by the planning office for the city or county with jurisdiction over your property. Some cities and counties have restrictions on the height of tower that can be installed without a variance. The permitting process can sometimes have a large impact on the overall cost of the project. What kind of system is right for me? Finally, you need to look more closely at what kind of systems are available. There are commercially-available small wind turbines that range from 400 watts to 100 kilowatts. Important considerations are warranties, predicted lifetimes, and the reputation of the turbine and the manufacturer. Go to http://www.awea.org/faq/smsyslst.html for a list of AWEA members that provide commercially-available wind turbines. For more information:
|
©
2003 by the American Wind Energy Association. |
o, you believe that it is
important for the nation to get more of its electricity from wind power;
that more wind power would alleviate some of the pollution and other harmful
impacts from generating electricity with fossil fuels or nuclear energy;
that it would help smooth volatile natural gas prices; that it would be
economically beneficial for us individually or collectively to diversify our
fuel resources and to put the country's vast wind resources to work? But,
what do you do about it? This series of three articles will examine how to
put the wind to work--by installing your own generator, by purchasing wind
power through a green power program, or by pushing for state and national
policies to encourage more wind power in the national generation fleet.