Creative idea !! Wind turbine with solar panel. Working principle is a little bit different from the other ones. Solar energy is used for producing power instead of using wind energy. Whats more the energy from small solar panel is used for rotating the blades. It is just for fun. As it seen this is a wind turbine model for kinds, offices or houses.
Wind turbine model
Sometimes different types of designs can be seen as the following photo. The energy to rotate the blades is provided again by the mini solar panels on the blades. These designs are only artificial. Due to aerodynamic properties of the blades it is not allowed to use any other materials on blades. If it wouldn't be like that one could think about this idea to produce power even lower wind speeds which normal wind turbines can't produce power.
Wind blades with solar panel
It is pretty good idea to give this type of presents to the persons who is busy with renewable energy.These gifts are effective and can be found easily from some shopping centers or online shopping sites.
Wind turbine model
Lastly some persons developed this idea to charge some small devices as mobile phones or chargeable lamps. Basically, the wind turbine part and solar panel part are working together to produce power. And the produced power is regulated with small regulator to use for mobile phones. When there is no sun on the sky, only wind turbine part can be used or vice versa.
Authorities in western Iowa are investigating how a wind turbine blade that’s the size of a football field snapped off. A technician for the Eclipse Wind Farm in Adair discovered the blade in a field Friday morning. Siemens Energy, the turbine manufacturer, is investigating the accident. Iowa Wind Energy Association President Kathleen Law says it’s rare for a blade to get loose, and she’s never heard of this happening in Iowa.
Television station KCCI reports Siemens Energy is working to replace the blade. Most of the blade that fell has been removed from the field.
Siemens
It rarely happens, but one of the blades on a wind turbine broke loose and landed in a field recently.
Officials said they are still trying to figure out what went wrong. The turbine manufacturer is leading an investigation into the accident.
"Wind farms are usually placed in agriculture areas, so they're out in the rural parts of the states. There are laws that require the wind farms to be set back a distance from residences and occupied buildings," said Kathleen Law, president of the Iowa Wind Energy Association.
Siemens wind turbine
A technician discovered one of the blades down on the ground Friday morning. Each blade is about the size of a football field.
"Things like this are very rare. We have about 4500 megawatts of wind turbine electricity in Iowa, and that's thousands of turbines in Iowa and this is the first instance I have ever heard of turbine blade coming off in Iowa," said Law.
Siemens Energy manufactures the blades. They said in a statement to KCCI on Monday that this type of incident has never happened before, and they're really not sure what caused the blade to snap off.
"I'm unaware of this ever happening in Iowa, so I'm not sure what happened in this instance for sure," said Law.
Siemens wind farm
A team of experts is working to investigate the problem. The manufacturer said it's already working to replace the blade for its customer.
"When the wind turbines go up, they're usually under warranty for a certain period of years and they're regularly maintained, they're oiled, …Maintenance technicians work with turbines all the time," said Law.
Your neighbours' concerns relating to wind turbine noise are important. No matter the size of the wind turbine, the potential for turbine noise to bother other people always exists. Even if a wind turbine does not emit enough sound to violate any noise regulations, the noise it produces may still be objectionable to other people. Before building a wind turbine, familiarize yourself with the types of noise your wind turbine could make: Aerodynamic noises may be made by the flow of air over and past the blades of the turbine. Such noises tend to increase with the speed of the rotor. For blade noise, lower blade tip speed results in lower noise levels. Of particular concern is the interaction of wind turbine blades with atmospheric turbulence, which results in a characteristic "whooshing" sound. Mechanical noises may also be produced by components of a wind turbine. Normal wear and tear, poor component designs or lack of preventative maintenance may all be factors affecting the amount of mechanical noise produced.
Wind turbine noise
How Loud Might a Wind Turbine Be?
At a distance of 250 m, a typical wind turbine produces a sound pressure level of about 45 dB(A) (decibels). As following figure shows, this sound level is below the background noise level produced in a home or office. Most small wind turbines, in fact, make less noise than a residential air conditioner.
Small Wind Turbines
The blades rotate at an average range of 175-500 revolutions per minute with some as high as 1150 rpm. Large turbines turbine blades rotate in the range of at 50-15 rpm at constant speed, although an increasing number of machines operate at a variable speed.
Comparison of decibel levels from a hypothetical wind turbine (from 250 m away) with other sources of noise.
Maintenance
A wind turbine requires periodic maintenance such as oiling and greasing, and regular safety inspections. Check bolts and electrical connections annually; tighten if necessary. Once a year check wind turbines for corrosion and the guy wires supporting the tower for proper tension. If the turbine blades are wood, paint to protect from the elements. Apply a durable leading edge tape to protect the blades from abrasion due to dust and insects in the air. If the paint cracks or the leading edge tape tears away, the exposed wood will quickly erode. Moisture penetrating into the wood causes the rotor to become unbalanced, stressing the wind generator. Inspect wooden blades annually, and do any repairs immediately. After 10 years, blades and bearings may need to be completely replaced. With proper installation and maintenance, your turbine can last 20-30 years or longer. Proper maintenance will also minimize the amount of mechanical noise produced by your wind turbine.
Maintenance
Safety Concerns
All wind turbines have a maximum wind speed, called the survival speed, at which they will not operate above. When winds over this maximum occur, they have an internal brake and lock to prevent them from going faster than this survival speed. For turbines operating in cold winter conditions, be prepared to de-ice as required, and store batteries in an insulated place. Mounting turbines on rooftops is generally not recommended unless a wind turbine is very small (1 kW of rated output or less). Wind turbines tend to vibrate and transmit the vibration to the structure on which they are mounted. As a result, turbines mounted on a rooftop could lead to both noise and structural problems with the building and rooftop.
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!
Small wind turbine
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.
Theoretical power production for small wind turbines when the wind speed is 10 m/s.
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.
Whether constructing a wind turbine is economically viable at your home or farm depends most strongly on the quality of your wind resource. Generally, average annual wind speeds of at least 4.0-4.5 m/s (14.4- 16.2 km/h; 9.0-10.2 mph) are needed for a small wind turbine to produce enough electricity to be cost-effective. A very useful resource for evaluating a site for its wind energy potential is a wind resource potential map.
Wind Map for Eastern Ontario. (a.g.l. = above ground level)
It may be useful to check wind speed measurements that have been recorded at a local weather station. It is important to consider that sitting factors at these weather stations, such as nearby trees and buildings, might influence any wind speed measurements. Also, keep in mind that the equipment at these stations is often located close to the ground, and that weather stations located at airports are usually sheltered from the wind.
Wind Map for Southwestern Ontario.
This means that wind speed measurements recorded at these stations might under represent the wind potential at your site.
For the most precise evaluation of the wind speed at your site, you need to purchase a wind resource evaluation system. While wind resource evaluation systems can be expensive, if your property is hilly and has unusual terrain features then it might be worth obtaining one.
The most important component of a wind resource evaluation system is an anemometer. Anemometers are typically designed with cups mounted on short arms that are connected to a rotating vertical shaft.
The anemometer rotates in the wind and generates a signal that is proportional to the wind speed. If you do purchase an anemometer, you will also need to purchase something to record the readings made by the anemometer, and a tower or tripod to mount the whole system on.
For as little as $500 you might be able to purchase a wind totalizer, which is a very simple type of wind resource evaluation system where the anemometer is linked to an odometer. The odometer is similar to those found in cars. After a period of time, the number recorded on the odometer, which represents the total "distance" the anemometer has turned, can be divided by the time passed since the odometer was last checked in order to determine the average wind speed over a period of time at a location.
If there is a small wind turbine system in your area, you may be able to obtain useful information from its owners about the annual electrical output of the system and, possibly, wind speed data. Such information could be extremely valuable as an alternative to installing a wind resource evaluation system.
Wind turbine schematic. (Modified image from Natural Resources Canada)
Picking the Best Location for a Wind Turbine
Where you choose to build your wind turbine is important. Remember that if nearby houses, tree lines and silos obstruct the full force of the wind from your wind turbine, you will not be able to generate as much power.
Also keep the following in mind:
Wind speeds are always higher at the top of a hill, on a shoreline, and in places clear of trees and other structures.
Remember that trees grow over the years; wind turbine towers do not.
Inform neighbours of your plans to avoid conflict later on.
Be courteous. Keep the turbine as far away from neighbours as possible. 250-300 m away is typical.
Check with the local government for any other laws and regulations about zoning.
Wind speeds tend to be higher on the top of a ridge or hill, and for that reason it is a good idea to locate wind turbines at hilly locations. Just remember to keep your turbine away from high turbulence. Neighbours must also be taken into consideration when picking a spot to build your turbine. The farther your wind turbine site is from neighbouring houses, the better.
Do not expect your wind turbine to generate the same amount of power all the time. The wind speed at a single location may vary considerably, and this can have a significant impact on the power production from a wind turbine. Even if the wind speed varies by only 10%, the power production from a wind turbine can vary by up to 25%!
Example of wind speed distribution by hour of the day. Values shown are monthly averages of measurements made by anemometers.
Wind turbines used to generate electricity come in a wide variety of sizes. Large wind turbines, which are usually installed in clusters called wind farms, can generate large amounts of electricity. Large wind turbines may even produce hundreds of megawatts (MW) of electricity - enough to power hundreds of homes. Small wind turbines which are generally defined as producing no more than 100 kW of electricity, are designed to be installed at homes, farms and small businesses either as a source of backup electricity, or to offset use of utility power and reduce electricity bills. Very small wind turbines (20-500 watt units) are used to charge batteries for sail boats and other recreational uses.
Wind turbine.
A small wind energy system could prove to be a practical and economical source of electricity for your home or farm if some or all of the following are true:
There are two basic types of wind turbines: horizontal axis wind turbines and vertical axis wind turbines. Horizontal axis turbines (more common) need to be aimed directly at the wind. Because of this, they come with a tail vane that will continuously point them in the direction of the wind. Vertical axis turbines work whatever direction the wind is blowing, but require a lot more ground space to support their guy wires than horizontal axis wind turbines.
Two basic wind turbines, horizontal axis and vertical axis.
Components of Wind Energy Systems
The basic components of a typical wind energy system are shown on following figure.
Components of a wind energy system.
These basic components include:
A rotor, consisting of blades with aerodynamic surfaces. When the wind blows over the blades, the rotor turns, causing the generator or alternator in the turbine to rotate and produce electricity.
An enclosure, or nacelle, which protects the gearbox, generator and other components of the turbine from the elements.
A tail vane or yaw system, which aligns the turbine with the wind.
If you plan on building a horizontal axis wind turbine, you will need a tower on which to mount the turbine (vertical axis turbines are usually built on the ground).
Several types of towers are available:
Guyed lattice towers, where the tower is permanently supported by guy wires. These towers tend to be the least expensive, but take up a lot of space on a yard. A radio broadcast tower is a good example of a guyed lattice tower.
Guyed tilt-up towers, which can be raised and lowered for easy maintenance and repair.
Self-supporting towers, which do not have guy wires. These towers tend to be the heaviest and most expensive, but because they do not require guy wires, they do not take up as much space on a yard.
An important factor in how much power your wind turbine will produce is the height of its tower. The power available in the wind is proportional to the cube of its speed. This means that if wind speed doubles, the power available to the wind generator increases by a factor of 8 (2 x 2 x 2 = 8). Since wind speed increases with height increases to the tower height can mean enormous increases in the amount of electricity generated by a wind turbine.
Relationship between wind speed and wind power.
It has been recommended that towers be 24-37 m (80- 120 ft) high. Installing a wind turbine on a tower that is too short is like installing a solar panel in a shady area. At a minimum, mount a wind turbine high enough on a tower that the tips of the rotor blades remain at least 9 m (30 ft) above any obstacle within 90 m (300 ft).
Make sure to check local laws about height restrictions for wind turbine towers. Use a tower approved by the wind turbine manufacturer otherwise the warranty on the turbine may become invalid. Also ensure the tower is connected to an underground metal object to ground the tower in case of a lightning strike.
You need a disconnect switch that can electrically isolate the wind turbine from the rest of the wind energy system. An automatic disconnect switch is necessary to prevent damage to the rest of the system in case of an electrical malfunction or a lightning strike. It also allows maintenance and system modifications to be safely made to the turbine. There are other system components you may choose or need to purchase. You may need batteries to store excess energy generated by the wind turbine. Because energy is stored in batteries as DC power, you may need an inverter to convert power from the batteries to the AC power required to run electrical appliances in your home.
Diagram of a grid-tied wind electric system.
If your home or farm is connected to the power grid on windier days you may be able to "sell" excess power generated by your wind turbine to your utility. Then, at other times when your turbine cannot generate all the power you need, you would buy power from the grid. This concept is called "net metering", or "net billing". Net metering is currently unavailable in most parts of Ontario, but may be available fall 2003. Contact your local utility or Hydro One.
Even if net metering is unavailable, you might be able to reduce your power bills by using the electricity you generate using a grid-connected wind turbine. If you do this, then you would not have to buy as much electricity from your utility.
If you do connect your wind turbine to the grid, your utility will require a transfer switch between the wind turbine and the utility line as a well as a two-way meter to keep track of the energy you have stored in and taken from the power grid. It is very important that your wind generator meets certain standards and that it does not pose a risk to your utility's personnel or equipment. It is also important that the quality of power coming from your turbine adequately matches the electrical characteristics in your utility's power grid.
The first offshore wind project was installed off the coast of Denmark in 1991. Since that time, commercial-scale offshore wind facilities have been operating in shallow waters around the world, mostly in Europe. With the U.S. Department of the Interior’s “Smart from the Start” initiative, wind power projects will soon be built offshore the United States. Newer turbine and foundation technologies are being developed so that wind power projects can be built in deeper waters further offshore.
Wind energy has been utilized by humans for more than two thousand years. For example, windmills were often used by farmers and ranchers for pumping water or grinding grain. In modern times, wind energy is mainly used to generate electricity, primarily through the use of wind turbines. All wind turbines operate in the same basic manner. As the wind blows, it flows over the airfoil-shaped blades of wind turbines, causing the turbine blades to spin. The blades are connected to a drive shaft that turns an electric generator to produce electricity. The newest wind turbines are highly technologically advanced, and include a number of engineering and mechanical innovations to help maximize efficiency and increase the production of electricity.
Offshore Wind Energy Resources
Offshore wind turbines are being used by a number of countries to harness the energy of strong, consistent winds that are found over the oceans. In the United States, 53% of the nation’s population lives in coastal areas, where energy costs and demands are high and land-based renewable energy resources are often limited. Abundant offshore wind resources have the potential to supply immense quantities of renewable energy to major U.S. coastal cities, such as New York City and Boston.
Offshore winds tend to blow harder and more uniformly than on land. The potential energy produced from wind is directly proportional to the cube of the wind speed. As a result, increased wind speeds of only a few miles per hour can produce a significantly larger amount of electricity. For instance, a turbine at a site with an average wind speed of 16 mph would produce 50% more electricity than at a site with the same turbine and average wind speeds of 14 mph. This is one reason that developers are interested in pursuing offshore wind energy resources. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provides a number of maps showing average wind speed data through its Resource Assessment & Characterization page and through National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) MapSearch.
United States wind speeds at 80m hub height (Credit: NREL)
Wind resource potential is typically given in gigawatts (GW), and1 GW of wind power will supply between 225,000 to 300,000 average U.S. homes with power annually. In a July 2012 Technical Report, NREL estimates a gross wind power resource of 4,223 GW off the coast of the United States. That is roughly four times the generating capacity of the current U.S. electric grid. Even if only a fraction of that potential is developed, clearly there is enough offshore wind resource to power a substantial portion of our nation’s energy needs.
Wind speeds off the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico are lower than wind speeds off the Pacific Coast. However, the presence of shallower waters in the Atlantic makes development more attractive and economical for now. Hawaii has the highest estimated potential, accounting for roughly 17% of the entire estimated U.S. offshore wind resource. For additional information on NREL’s assessment of offshore wind power resource, see the publicationAssessment of Offshore Wind Energy Resources for the United States. Maps of renewable energy potential for multiple technologies, or state-by-state analyses, can be downloaded here.
United States offshore wind resource by region and depth (Credit: NREL)
Transport of Wind-Generated Energy
An Electric Service Platform (ESP) for an offshore wind facility.
All of the power generated by the wind turbines needs to be transmitted to shore and connected to the power grid. Each turbine is connected to an electric service platform (ESP) by a power cable. The ESP is typically located somewhere within the turbine array, and it serves as a common electrical collection point for all the wind turbines and as a substation. In addition, ESP’s can be outfitted to function as a central service facility, and may include a helicopter landing pad, communications station, crew quarters, and emergency backup equipment. After collecting the power from the wind turbines, high voltage cables running from the ESP transmit the power to an onshore substation, where the power is integrated into the grid. The cables used for these projects are typically buried beneath the seabed, where they are safe from damage caused by anchors or fishing gear and to reduce their exposure to the marine environment. These types of cables are expensive, and are a major capital cost to the developer. The amount of cable used depends on many factors, including how far offshore the project is located, the spacing between turbines, the presence of obstacles that require cables to be routed in certain directions, and other considerations.
The engineering and design of offshore wind facilities depends on site-specific conditions, particularly water depth, geology of the seabed, and wave loading. In shallow areas, monopiles are the preferable foundation type. A steel pile is driven into the seabed, supporting the tower and nacelle. The nacelle is a shell that encloses the gearbox, generator, and blade hub (generally a three-bladed rotor connected through the drive train to the generator) and the remaining electronic components. Once the turbine is operational, wind sensors connected to a yaw drive system turn the nacelle to face into the wind, thereby maximizing the amount of electricity produced.
For more information about wind turbine technology, see NREL’s “Wind Energy Basics: How Wind Turbines Work.”
Today’s offshore turbines have technical modifications and substantial system upgrades for adaptation to the marine environment. These modifications include strengthening the tower to cope with loading forces from waves or ice flows, pressurizing nacelles to keep corrosive sea spray from critical electrical components, and adding brightly colored access platforms for navigation safety and maintenance access. Offshore turbines are typically equipped with extensive corrosion protection, internal climate control systems, high-grade exterior paint, and built-in service cranes. To minimize the expense of everyday servicing, offshore turbines may have automatic greasing systems to lubricate bearings and blades as well as heating and cooling systems to maintain gear oil temperature within a specified range. Lightning protection systems help minimize the risk of damage from lightning strikes that occur frequently in some offshore locations. There are also navigation and aviation warning lights, regulated by the U.S. Coast Guard and the FAA. Turbines and towers are typically painted light grey or off-white to help them blend into the sky, reducing visual impacts from the shore. The lower section of the support towers may be painted bright colors to increase navigational safety for passing vessels.
The Repower 5M turbine, offshore Scotland, one of the world’s largest wind turbines. (5-MW, 126m tall, 45m depth)
To take advantage of the steadier winds, offshore turbines are also bigger than onshore turbines and have an increased generation capacity. Offshore turbines generally have nameplate capacities between 2 MW and 5 MW, with tower heights greater than 200 feet and rotor diameters of 250 to 430 feet. The maximum height of the structure, at the very tips of the blades, can easily approach 500 feet, and turbines even larger than 5 MW are being designed and tested for future use.
While the tower, turbine, and blades of offshore turbines are generally similar to onshore turbines, the substructure and foundation systems differ considerably. The most common substructure type is the monopile—a large steel tube with a diameter of up to 20 feet. Monopiles are typically used in water depths ranging from 15 to 100 feet. The piles are driven into the seabed at depths of 80 to 100 feet below the mud line, ensuring the structure is stable. A transition piece protrudes above the waterline, which provides a level flange to fasten the tower. In even shallower environments with firm seabed substrates, gravity-based systems can be used, which avoids the need to use a large pile-driving hammer. Tripods and jackets foundations have been deployed in areas where the water depth starts to exceed the practical limit for monopiles.
Generate electricity at home with small-scale windturbines. Wind turbines harness the power of the wind and use it to generateelectricity. Forty percent of all the wind energy in Europe blows over the UK,
making it an ideal country for domestic turbines (known as 'micro-wind' or
'small-wind' turbines). A typical system in an exposed site could easily
generate more power than your lights and electrical appliances use.
Wind Turbine 500 Watt
The benefits of wind turbines
Cut your electricity bills:
Wind is free, so once you've
paid for the initial installation your electricity costs will be reduced.
Get paid for
what you generate:
Through Feed-in-Tariffs, you get
paid for the electricity you generate even if you use it. What you don't use,
you can export to the local grid - and get paid for that too.
Cut your carbon footprint:
Wind electricity is green,renewable energy and doesn't release any harmful carbon dioxide or other
pollutants.
Store electricity for a calm day:
If your home isn't connected
to the national grid you can store excess electricity in batteries and use it
when there is no wind.
Costs, savings and earnings;
Costs:
The cost of a system will
depend on the size and the mounting method: building-mounted turbines cost less
to install than pole-mounted ones. For equipment and installation, with VAT at
5%:
Roof-mounted 1 kW micro-wind system
costs around £2,000
2.5 kW pole-mounted system costs around £15,000
6 kW pole-mounted system costs around £22,500.
Wind Turbine 1 kW
Maintenance:
Maintenance checks are
necessary every few years, and will generally cost around £100 to £200 per year
depending on turbine size. A well-maintained turbine should last more than 20
years, but you may need to replace the inverter at some stage during this time,
at a cost of £1,000 to £2,000 for a large system.
For off-grid systems,
batteries will also need replacing, typically every six to ten years. The cost
of replacing batteries varies depending on the design and scale of the system.
Any back-up generator will also have its own fuel and maintenance costs.
Savings:
Building-mounted turbines tend
to produce less electricity per kW than pole-mounted ones. A well-sited 6 kW
turbine can generate around 10,000 kWh and the equivalent of around 5.2 tonnes
of carbon dioxide a year.
Wind turbines use large blades
to catch the wind. When the wind blows, the blades are forced round, driving a
turbine which generates electricity. The stronger the wind, the more
electricity produced.
There are two types of
domestic-sized wind turbine:
Pole mounted: These are free standing and are erected in a suitably exposed position, often around 5 kW to 6 kW.
Building mounted: these are smaller than mast mounted
systems and can be installed on the roof of a home where there is a suitable
wind resource. Often these are around 1 kW to 2 kW in size.
Wind turbines are eligible for
the EU countries Feed-in-Tariffs which
means you can earn money from the electricity generated by your turbine. You
can also receive payments for the electricity you don't use and export to the
local grid. To be eligible, the installer and wind turbine product must be
certified under the Micro-generation Certification Scheme
(MCS). If your turbine is not connected to the local electricity
grid (known as off grid), unused
electricity can be stored in a battery for use when there is no
wind. Please note that the Feed-in Tariffs scheme is not available in
Northern Ireland.
This video focuses on two
electricity-generating technologies for the home: wind turbine and solar
electricity.
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