Does anyone have a residential wind turbine and tied to the grid?

[claud]

We have a big house and are looking into alternative power.
Am also considering solar but not sure how efficient it would be here in the northeast.

Wondering what the cost of installation and efficiency of a wind turbine system would be.......

 

[freemotion]

I have no clue, claud, but

 

[big brown horse]

Not yet, dreaming of one.

 

[claud]

Thanks!

 

[xpc]

We have a big house and are looking into alternative power.
Am also considering solar but not sure how efficient it would be here in the northeast.

Wondering what the cost of installation and efficiency of a wind turbine system would be.......

Any wind generator even coming close to providing you with an appreciable amount of "free" electricity will cost about $30,000 installed, and that's on the low side. Those 500watt $500 generators are almost useless except for a few small load.

A big part of the cost is the tower and can easily be $10,000 by itself, needing to be a minimum of 30' and recommended 80' tall. I took my small generator down already and am using the parts for other things.

 

[dinesh]

As a land lock country, I don't know about the wind energy at all because in my country there is no more sea in my country and don't know about the proper location for wind energy but regarding the solar system I am well identified with this. both the solar and wind is alternative energy equally important in our life. About the installation cost I think it is reasonable for solar, and for wind it may take high cost and can not easily afford by all the usual people.

 

[McNugget]

dinesh is right about the cost difference between wind and solar. Right now, solar is more affordable.

Solar effeciency is based on the position of the panels and the possiblity of shade being case on the panels during the day, not how far north you live. If you can position your panels true South in the northren hemisphere (180 degrees asmeth) and there is no chance for any shade to be cast on the panels due to trees or buildings during the day, you should get 100% effeciency.

Although it's true you won't generate the same total KW per day in the winter (due to short days) but you make up for it in the Summer (longer days). So it avererages out for the year.

Also, I still generate power during cloudy days. Not as much as sunny days, but still some which supprised me.

There are trade offs between wind and solar. With solar, no power genration at night, but you can generate power with a wind system if the wind is blowing at night. It is my understanding with wind, to get the best output, you need to live in a area that has a realitivly constant breeze.

 

[miss_thenorth]

We live in an area where there is an extraordinary amount of wind. We have currently over 40 commercial wind turbines, with more coming up. also, there are plans to put some up in Lake Erie, but there is alot of negative feedback, since it is in the migratory birds ' path.

My husband has a friend who designs wind turbines for home use, and he wants us to put one up at a discounted price , since it would be advertising for him also. His design in great--using magnetics as opposed to gears. that being said, even with the discounted price, it would still be over $20,000 for us to commit to, and we just don't have that kind of money to spend on it. Taken into consideration, is the fact that we don't plan on being in this house for more than 10 years,--it just doesn't make alot of financial sense. I wish it were cheaper.

 

[adoptedbyachicken]

As a land lock country, I don't know about the wind energy at all because in my country there is no more sea in my country and don't know about the proper location for wind energy but regarding the solar system I am well identified with this. both the solar and wind is alternative energy equally important in our life. About the installation cost I think it is reasonable for solar, and for wind it may take high cost and can not easily afford by all the usual people

Dinesh what country are you in? I'd love to learn more about the power alternatives used in other countries, how common they are and if most or few people participate.

 

[Icu4dzs]

We have a big house and are looking into alternative power.
Am also considering solar but not sure how efficient it would be here in the northeast.

Wondering what the cost of installation and efficiency of a wind turbine system would be.......

So Claude...you want to get off the grid, eh? Well, the other folks have been a little bit "conservative" with their estimates but accurate about the costs.
I'll give you some specifics in order for you to consider your quest. I am not going to discourage you but I do hope you have the resources for this kind of adventure. I was not expecting it to be quite so immense a project as it has become but now that I am deep into it, you may as well get the benefit from what I have learned.
I purchased a Whisper 500 and sixteen 170 Watt solar panels last summer. Along with that I bought the inverter, charge controller and 24 six volt batteries (AGM which are maintenance free) and all the stuff to put it together and run off the grid.
My calculations were that in the best of conditions of wind and solar radiation, my system would generate about 400 to as much as 750 Kilowatt hours per month, all things being ideal.
Just the equipment alone cost me $30K and I still don't have it installed. The tower (as previously mentioned) will cost you a bundle and installation will be right there with it. The problem revolves around the cost of steel. Right now steel is brutally expensive. My last estimate for the tower pipe was $.91/pound. Now you say, that doesn't sound all that bad. Well, a 21 foot section of schedule 40 steel (3/16" thick) pipe weighs 308 pounds. You need a minimum of 3 of them to make a 45' tower and that is not to mention needing the space for your tower and the wiring to get the power from the solar panels and the wind tower to the house or wherever the batteries and controllers are located.
Now you have to consider the other type of pole. It is called a monopole and it is the one used to fly the "Skystream 3.7". The pole alone costs $5000 which does not include the hardware and cement and labor to dig the hole and build the forms and get it all exactly right. That takes someone with mechanical engineering experience and skills. Assuming you have those, then you still have to run the cable to the batteries and then to your transfer box in the house you wish to power. (Is this sounding a bit daunting?)
So, now you have to get it hooked up to the bus bar on your distribution box (about $2000 in materials and labor of a "licensed electrician").
Then after all that expense, you get to turn on your juice. No, it is NOT free. You will NEVER recoup your costs even if the gov't gives you back 30% of the costs. What you will get however is the assurance that when TSHTF and everyone else is in the dark, you'll have light, refridgeration and pumped in water for the toilet in the minus 20 F temperatures of the winter...PRICELESS.
And, you will be paying the same amount for it year after year...all up front while the power companies turn up the price year after year till you can't afford it any more.
Of course if you have the resources to do the project in the first place, you probably can afford it year after year.
The grid is nice and it is helpful. If you want to live off the grid and you can do it, you can live wherever you want...which is also priceless.
So, all those things to be considered. Having a large house is not necessarily the right move when it comes to heating and cooling or lighting but then ..."to each, his own".
Power that YOU control has its own rewards.
Best
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