Do You Notice The Wind?
by Brit Xavier
With all the concerns about improving the environment these days, many more people are searching for alternatives when it comes to powering their homes and businesses. While there are a number of companies exploring solar energy, the power of the wind has been actually used for a very long time. From the first windmill that harnessed the wind’s energy to grind out wheat to the wind generator farms of today, this abundant source of renewable energy has gone from uses in business, to many residential applications.
While the wind is not always plentiful or abundant if you have at least a breeze of more than 10 MPH, it’s enough to power some low voltage turbines. You can expect to cut your utility bill by 50-90%, with some average power bills ranging from $8-$15 for most of the year. Where it’s cooler and an air conditioning unit is used less often or not at all, this could be your electric bill for the entire year.
The typical home uses a little under 9000 KWh of electricity a year, averaging around 780 a month. Depending on your family needs and the continued wind speed in your location, a wind turbine of only 5-15 kilowatts would cut this consumption down considerably.
One should bear in mind that one should ideally have about one acre of land in order to take full advantage of a wind turbine. This is essentially because one needs adequate space for the actual tower and also for the rotors. Of course, there are also some other factors which require a homeowner to have a sufficient amount of space. Even wind turbines with short rotor blades and which are mounted on a relatively small towers, require a reasonable amount of space.
If you don’t have an average wind speed of more than 10mph, then a wind turbine will not work for you. However, there are at least 47 states where wind powered homes are found, with the majority being in areas of being in the Northeast and Midwest.
You generator will help the environment in many ways, including cutting down on noise pollution and easing the burden on power grids. Many times the power company will pay you when you are on the grid, but imputing electricity to them instead of taking it. When you start to see you meter running backwards, then you will know how much help to our planet you are really doing and see your wind power at work.
Many more companies are starting to realize the profitability of wind turbine electricity. You see more and more wind farms springing up all over the country, and some farmers are beginning to consider the wind as a viable source of income. It seems that the stronger the wind, the more wind power products spring up.
It is important that we all do our part to reduce our impact on the earth. Whether you decide to use wind power to run your home, or turn off the lights when you’re not using them, or only running large appliances at night, everything that we can make a difference.
