I live on a hilltop with pretty good annual wind. Any one out there have a windmill or know anyone who does?
I figure a payback of 7-10 years. And we know which direction the cost of a KWH is headed.
Any reasons I shouldn’t? Cost is about $17K installed.
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Replies
Tom,
Mine is a 1932 model Aermotor, typical farm windmill, for pumping water. 200 gallons an hour in a steady breeze. I love it, but it's just a little piece of Americana.
Greg
Do a Google search on "Micro wind turbines."
There's a bunch of interesting and relatively inexpensive technology being developed.
http://www.sunelco.com Someone I know is friends with this guy. He is in Montana.
Tom'
the "name" that is pretty much a standard is Jacobs wind electric..
mother earth news had an article on homeowner type windmills last year, you might check their site and i would also look at http://www.builditsolar.com
I'll tell ya this, if you have a windmill on your place producing KWH.... I'll be jealous. It won't be long before we all need one.
I live in a really windy area, but it is also a scenic area, so I have severe restrictions on height. I have been interested in the vertical windmills as they generally are built with a lower profile and they also reportedly present a bigger visual target for birds so that fewer birds kill themselves by flying into them. There are a couple on the market, but I don't know that any of them are approaching my price point yet.One magazine that you may want to get is Home Power. A couple of issues back they had a pretty comprehensive listing of available small wind turbines (don't recall that they had any verticals, however). Their website is
http://www.homepower.com
but they are available at some places that have a fairly extensive magazine selection (such as at my local Barnes and Noble or Borders)
I got a windmill from Harbor Freight. It costs about ~$50 but often is on sale. It doesn't produce any electricity or anything but is a good wind speed/direction indicator. It's a nice nuts and bolts project for kids like myself.
~Peter
Tom,
Things to consider....
Looking down from a 60ft tower is a whole lot further than 60ft looking up... You'll be wearing a safety belt and always lifting and working above your head while you do maintenance or repairs. Your legs and arms turn to noodles and you still have to get yourself all the way down...
There are maintenance requirements. Get a tilting metal pole-tower so you don't climb it. You may have to change the gearbox oil twice a year. Lightening and high winds may cause you to carry an extra Homeowners policy on it, just in case.
If you are expecting to "Spin the Electric Meter Backwards", here a local Texas Coop puts their meter in that won't go backwards. You have to buy another meter that shows how much goes back into the grid at a payback of 1/2 of their kilowatt charge. Plus, they make you carry an extra liability insurance rider of $300,000 up to 1 million....in case the wind generator backfeeds into a dead line and injuries one of their lineman...
Finally, if there is a finally, a 10mph hour wind in the summer generates less KWH that a 10 mph hour wind in the denser winter air. Some A/C generators consume electricity on startup and at the 10mph brink will also consume electricity in the hot summer breeze. Be sure to do a windsite test to see what your average windspeed and best altitude for speed and less turbulence.
Go solar and use as much insulation as possible...less moving parts and less upkeep. ;>)
Bill
sounds like a good idea bill, and on the subject of solar, the most bang for the buck is with solar hot water.
i was surfing and read about home made hot water storage tanks and collector's, and how some guy in montana heats his house with it.
further on in the article were some figures on costs and how solar hot water was cheaper. i forget exactly where i was at but build it solar is where i started.