Basics on Wind Electric Generators

New engineered wind turbines provide a cost-effective energy source in sites where wind resources are favorable. Wind energy may generate more than 20% of the global electricity needs in many countries, in the near future.

Generating electricity for yourself or to sell…

There are many options concerning wind energy: you may be interested in a small turbine – that may cost you less than $50,000 -, to generate electricity for your house, and/or to sell it to the utility grid… Or you may be interested in a micro wind system, to power your sailboat or to battery charging in remote places…

But you may also be interested on leasing your lands to developers, if your land has the right wind resources… Or you may be interested on mega-turbines (that may cost you $1,000,000 or more each one) and wind farms, for large scale production of electricity...

There are indeed many options involving the wind energy, namely:
- large turbines in onshore and offshore wind farms
- small wind turbines for single homes, farms and small communities
- on-grid and stand alone turbines;
- micro wind systems (for battery charging, sailboats, electric fencing...).
- experimental urban wind systems

Wind energy and environment

Over its lifetime a diesel based system produces more than 1 ton of air pollutants and around 200 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.  A small home wind system can reduce those pollutants and gases to zero. Wind energy is pollution-free, and doesn’t require fuel or create greenhouse gases or negative wastes.

See, for details: Wind energy and Environment

Trends, future and technology

Wind energy systems can provide between 1/5 and 1/3 of the electricity requirements of most countries within the next two or three decades. It’s a trend already embodied by countries as Germany, Spain or Denmark. We shouldn’t forget that a single mega turbine can provide the electricity to supply the needs of many hundreds of people, and that wind power already provides the equivalent to the annual electric needs of 1.2 million British homes.

Obviously, most of these goals or achievements are connected to wind farms and their mega-turbines. Wind farms like the London Array generate enough electric power to supply the needs of 750,000 homes…

But besides wind farms, with their mega-turbines, there are also the small and the micro-wind systems, largely focused on home's electricity needs. These types of systems may also have an important role, mainly in rural areas or in specific applications.

See:
Wind power generators technology
Offshore vs offshore wind systems


Wind speed and wind maps

Wind speed and steady pace are crucial. All other things being equal, a site with 16 miles per hour average winds may generate the double of the electricity of a site with 14 miles per hour average winds.

See, for details:
Wind speed and wind maps

Mega-turbines & wind farms

Wind farms are based on large turbines, located on-ground or off-shore. 5 Megawatts (5.000.000 W) wind turbines are already in operation in off shore platforms in the North Sea (typical turbines capacity is around 1,5 MW-2MW) and their dimensions are impressive: the diameter of the blades is around 126 m and they weight around 120 tons. These turbines are representative of a new trend on offshore wind farms and their turbines.

See:
Onshore vs offshore wind farms and systems
Wind power generators technology

Image source: EERE


Small home wind turbines

We can distinguish between…

1) the very small turbines and systems, below 1 KW of power  (which we may call the micro wind systems), mainly directed to specific uses and battery charging and…

2)  the turbines and systems that may provide enough electricity to fulfill the needs (or most of the needs) of single homes.

See:
Small wind systems
Micro wind systems (below 1 kW)
Turbines size and power


Landowners and onshore wind farms

Owners of windy land may be interested in leasing them to wind farm developers (or in erecting one or more wind turbines themselves, on their lands).

See, for details:
Wind farms
Wind farms, mega-turbines and landowners
Onshore vs offshore wind farms and systems


Wind turbine towers

Wind turbine towers are an important element of any wind system (except in the experimental urban wind systems). Wind speed increases strongly with the height of the tower, and that causes higher performances. The same turbine can increase its power by 30% or more if its tower height passes from 50 or 60-foot to the double.

See, for details:
Wind turbine towers: height and size


On-grid or Stand Alone Wind Systems

Small electric wind systems can be stand alone or on-grid.

In the first case - and eventually also in the second case - small home systems demand a storage battery bank. In the second case, net-metering is a key element.

See:
Stand alone wind electric generators
On-grid wind and solar systems
Net Metering
Storage Battery Bank and Back-up Engine Generators


Costs, Investment, Payback

See, for details on prices, investment and its recovery:
Prices and Investment & Wind Generators
Wind Energy payback and financial incentives
Wind farms


Manufacturers, Dealers and turbines lifetime and maintenance

The lifetime of wind turbines is 20 years or more. Though their maintenance costs are low, they exist: turbine systems require service checks every year or few years.

See:
Wind Turbines Manufacturers and Dealers


Wind vs Solar and Hybrid Systems

See:
Solar-Wind Hybrid Systems
Solar vs Wind electricity production


Safety and Legal Requirments

See:
Legal requirements







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