How long it takes to pay back your investment depends on how much energy the turbine ends up producing and how much you typically pay for electricity through the grid. Realistically, any turbine that produces less than 500 W is a waste of money and time, unless it’s to power lights in a remote location on your property where it’s hard to route a regular power line.Ī good general rule is to look for a home wind turbine that can produce at least 1000 W.īear in mind that while a 2-megawatt turbine could repay the energy required to produce and install the turbine and yield a net benefit, within 5-8 months of operation, a home wind turbine is far less powerful, with top models generating only around 2,000 W and most clocking in at far less. This is enough to charge small appliances such as your laptop, lights, and power tools. If you aren’t planning on living off-grid and just want a turbine to power a pump for a pond, or the power for a studio in the garden, a turbine only needs to produce some 400-1000 Watts. Instead, you can combine several wind turbines and/or wind turbines and solar or microhydro systems.Īnd, of course, it also pays to make energy upgrades to your home, such as insulation, new windows, draft-proofing, and so forth. To go off-grid, you’ll need to produce 5-15 kW of power, which isn’t achievable using most home wind turbines. How Much Energy do you Need Your Turbine to Produce?Īverage household energy consumption in the US hovers around 8000-9400 kWh per year. So, overall, the cut-in speed is probably the most important number to note (along with the safe wind speed if you live in a super windy area). Realistically, though, you’re unlikely to consistently achieve the rated wind speed and maximum energy production. The rated wind speed is also important to note as this is often the speed used to calculate how much energy could be produced and how much this might offset energy bills. After all, if it never reaches the cut-in speed, all you have is a fancy yard ornament. the maximum wind speed before the turbine is vulnerable to wind damage)Īs you might imagine, the starting wind speed isn’t all that useful when figuring out the right turbine for your situation.
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