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It costs $1,000-$5,000/per kilowatt to purchase a small wind turbine. However, the wind turbine costs represent only 12%-48% of the total cost of a small wind electric system. You also need to pay for other components of your wind energy system, such as inverters and batteries, as well as sales tax, installation charges and labour.
Keep in mind that the costs of wind power, unlike other sources of electrical power, are almost entirely due to the cost of purchasing and installing the system. Once the turbine has been installed, there is no fuel costs associated with its operation; you will only need to pay for maintenance of your wind turbine.
The cost of the energy produced by small (<10 kW) wind turbines over their lifetimes has been estimated to vary from $0.07/kWh, for a low cost turbine constructed in a windy area, to $0.96/kWh, for a high cost turbine constructed in a low wind area.
The performance of a wind turbine is normally described by manufacturers using a performance curve of power output versus wind speed, called a power curve .
One problem with wind turbine ratings is that there is no industry standard for a consistent wind speed at which to measure the output from wind turbines.
Instead, manufacturers choose which wind speed to use for their wind turbine output ratings. Take, for example, the "Wind-o-matic" and the "Mighty-wind", both rated at 1,000 watts. The Wind-o-matic was rated at 5 m/s winds, while the Mighty-wind was rated at 10 m/s. Because the power in the wind is proportional to the cube of its speed a 1,000-watt turbine rated at 10 m/s will only produce 1/8 of that power at 5 m/s. So, at a wind speed of 5 m/s, the Wind-o-matic will produce 1,000 watts, while the Mighty-wind will only produce 125 watts!
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Rather than comparing the rated outputs advertised for different turbines, compare the swept area of the turbines. Since the electrical output of a wind generator is largely a function of its swept area, the larger the swept area of a rotor, the more electricity the wind generator produces. Doubling the area on the solar panels that is exposed to the sun can double the electrical energy generated by solar panels. With wind turbines, swept area works much the same way.
If you do not know the swept areas, you can still make reasonable comparisons between wind turbines by comparing the rotor diameters of the turbines. A modest increase in the rotor diameter will lead to significant increases in both the swept area of a turbine and the amount of electricity that the turbine can generate. Please note that the values for power production shown on the following figure are theoretical values, and only intended for illustrative purposes. The actual power production from a wind turbine will be influenced by many other factors, such as: the efficiency that the wind turbine is able to extract energy from the wind; the elevation at which the turbine is located; and other design characteristics of the wind turbine.
Choosing an Appropriate Wind Turbine Size
To determine the appropriate size of wind turbine to use, review your monthly electricity consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh). To do this look at your electricity bills for the last year, add the kilowatt-hours you consumed, and divide by 12. Then compare this total to estimates of the power production for different wind turbines, a figure available from a wind turbine dealer.
To get a preliminary estimate of the performance of a particular wind turbine, use the formula below:
AEO = 1.64 D2 V3
Where:
AEO = Annual energy output, kWh/year
D = rotor diameter, meters
V = Annual average wind speed, m/s
By making your home or farm more energy efficient and reducing the size of your peak demand electrical loads, you can reduce the size of wind turbine you'll need, thereby decreasing the purchase cost.
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