How to Buy Wind Turbines

Let’s say you’ve decided to go the semi-hardy way and are creating wind power by buying a wind-turbine. I will NEVER speak ill of someone doing this. You have to deal with it being more expensive, so if you want a really cheap or free wind turbine, I’d get my hands on copy of wind plans. If you’re going to buy a turbine and install it yourself, let’s look at what you need to consider. I have laid out the terms I am using below in the wind power glossary. If any of this looks unfamiliar, check that out.

Cut-In

This is perhaps the most important piece of information to consider when you look into which power system to buy. In brief, this is the amount of wind necessary for the blades of your turbine to turn. If you live in the doldrums, like me, then it’s important to consider that you might want a super-light, less powerful wind turbine. If you live in the northern part of the great plains, perhaps this isn’t much of a concern.

Regardless, it is worth checking on your average wind speed at night, in the day, in the summer and in the winter. A good average for the United States can be found on the wind maps, but don’t let that be your sole judge. If you looked at the map, I live in the white zone- where nobody should be building wind power. Yet- I can think of at least three wind-farms with 1/2 hour of my house- and the turbines are usually spinning. I would recommend checking the wind at your house at different levels and determining what to expect out of a wind turbine from there.

Space

There are there common measures to consider: 1. rotor diamater; 2. swept area; 3. tower height. For the purposes of this, consider 1 and 2 to be the same. The key is how much space does the turbine actually take up? Can it be placed on the roof? Does it need to be on a tower? These are very important.

Tower height plays several roles. You may have the best wind resources at 200 feet. Will your local ordinances allow this? Worth considering. Second, if your turbine comes with a tower, how large is it and how much space does it take up on the ground to secure it. This is of utmost importance. The best wind turbines take up a lot of space- so be prepared to use a lot of space.

Governing Speed

This is, for most people, a minor consideration. But if you live on the shores of lake Michigan, and the wind blows at 35 MPH on an average day, then it’s a bigger consideration. The only time I would truly worry about this is if you live in a place that is so windy that your turbine is likely to shut down for some period of time.

Cost

Obviously, we all think about cost. But consider what type of system you are installing because any number of extra components may be necessary. It is often the case that the most expensive part of a wind turbine is actually the tower. So maybe the $1500 turbine doesn’t actually save you money over the $4000 turbine that comes with the tower. Again- this depends on your site and plan. But do carefully consider that when thinking about what turbine to buy.

Predicted Energy Output

This is based on the average speed of wind on your property. The manufacturer should be able to tell you what is the likely power output of this particular wind system. It will usually have a range between 8 and 14 MPH and will tell you how much energy you can expect out of the wind system.

Final Thought

Buying a wind power system and installing it yourself is a good compromise between the high cost of hiring a contractor and the extra work of putting scraping together secondhand pieces till you have a functional system. However, before making this investment, think carefully about your site, about the amount of wind and space you have, and make an intelligent decision when you go to buy your tower.