A Windy Season

Hello everybody and welcome back to my blog "Towards A Greener World". Hope you guys have a great time during the long weekends. I went for a short trip to a place called Mount KK and it was such a nice view. The people is nice, the food is fantastic and the weather is great. We even went to Kundasang (it's the closest town to Mount KK).

Imagine the outside temperature is below 20 degrees Celcius and I actually bathed cold water during the night. It was freezing and quite windy. When I was sitting down there relaxing and enjoying the skies, I can see the trees and leaves are moving vigorously due to the strong wind. Then the idea comes in: why didn't the locals install a wind turbine to harness the free energy?

Maybe they did not know about this recyclable energy and I believe some of the urban people also do not know about this. So I would like to share more on this energy source with you so that you can have some knowledge about it and maybe, just maybe, that you can install one on your roof to save on the energy bills.

How Does It Work?

So how do wind turbines make electricity? Simply stated, a wind turbine works the opposite of a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, wind turbines use wind to make electricity. The wind turns the blades, which spin a shaft, which connects to a generator and makes electricity.

Wind is a form of solar energy and is a result of the uneven heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the irregularities of the earth's surface, and the rotation of the earth. Wind flow patterns and speeds vary greatly across the world and are modified by bodies of water, vegetation, and differences in terrain. Humans use this wind flow, or motion energy, for many purposes such as sailing, flying a kite, and even generating electricity.

The terms wind energy or wind power describe the process by which the wind is used to generate mechanical power or electricity. Wind turbines convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical power. This mechanical power can be used for specific tasks (such as grinding grain or pumping water) or a generator can convert this mechanical power into electricity.

Types of Wind Turbine

Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups: 

1. the horizontal-axis variety, and 
2. the vertical-axis design

Horizontal-axis wind turbines typically either have two or three blades. These three-bladed wind turbines are operated "upwind," with the blades facing into the wind. Wind turbines can be built on land or offshore in large bodies of water like oceans and lakes. 

Utility-scale turbines range in size from 100 kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Larger wind turbines are more cost effective and are grouped together into wind farms, which provide bulk power to the electrical grid. 

Single small turbines, below 100 kilowatts, are used for homes, telecommunications dishes, or water pumping. Small turbines are sometimes used in connection with diesel generators, batteries, and photovoltaic systems. These systems are called hybrid wind systems and are typically used in remote, off-grid locations, where a connection to the utility grid is not available.

Return On Investment

The price of a home wind turbine could fetch from RM1075 minimum. However, do take note that a wind turbine is a relatively large device and it is not so suitable for urban or small-lot suburban homes. The economics of a wind system are determined by the average wind speed in the area, the availability of rebates or tax credits, and the cost of electricity. As a general rule-of-thumb, we recommend that you have at least a 10 mph average wind speed and be paying 10¢/kilowatt-hour or more for electricity. 

Will it help the environment if I install a wind turbine at my home? Wind turbines produce no pollution and by using wind power you will be offsetting pollution that would have been generated by your utility company. Over its nominal 30 year, life it will offset approximately 1.2 tons of air pollutants and 200 tons of greenhouse gases.

The return of your investment on wind turbine depends on your cost of electricity and average wind speed. The wind system will usually recoup its investment through utility savings within 6-30 years and after that the electricity it produces will be virtually free. Compared to purchasing utility power, a wind system can be a good investment because your money goes to increasing the value of your home rather than just paying for a service. Many people buy wind systems for their retirement because they are concerned about utility rate increases.

What To Consider When Buying?

What size would you need for your home? Homes typically use 1,000-2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per month. Depending upon the average wind speed in the area this will require a wind turbine rated in the range 5-15 kilowatts.

You do not need to take the wind measurement for a year before buying it. For residential systems the cost of taking wind measurements is not justified in most situations. Wind resource data published by the local authority is sufficient to predict performance. In a very hilly or mountainous areas, however, it may be prudent to take wind data before purchasing a system to ensure that your site in not in a sheltered area.

Are wind turbines reliable, and what about maintenance? The turbines have only 3 or 4 moving parts and do not require any regular maintenance. The turbines are designed to last 30-50 years or more and they operate completely automatically. Small wind turbines do make some noise, but not enough to be found objectionable by most people. They do not interfere with TV reception.

Pros & Cons

So how good or bad to install a wind turbine at your home? I have listed a few of them to help you decide on whether or not to install a wind turbine.

Wind Energy Pros

• Wind energy is clean, and harnessing it does not produce any harmful by-products.
• Wind is free and 100% renewable.
• Turbines pay for themselves within a few years.
• The power company pays you back if you produce extra electricity.
• Tax incentives may be available from local or the federal government for those who install wind turbines.

Wind Energy Cons

• Upfront costs are high.
• You must have enough land to accommodate a turbine.
• Not all geographical locations are suitable for wind turbines so have to check with your local wind speed averages.
• Building codes may restrict turbine installation.
• Wind turbines make noise and some people (possibly your neighbours) find them to be ugly.
• Turbines typically operate at only 30 percent capacity (but to put that in perspective - solar panels operate at only 15 percent efficiency).
• Blades have been known to kill birds.
• Turbines can be damaged in lightning storms.

So as you can see, the renewable energy of wind is not for everyone. It still depends on few external and internal factors before installing it. But one thing for sure, as the electricity cost is going and with more introduction of tax rebate, this wind energy could be the next big thing for a smart home.