wind generated electricity basics

Generating electricity for yourself or to sell…

There are several options concerning wind energy: you may be interested in a small turbine (that may cost you, say, $40,000 or $50,000) to provide electricity for your own use and and/or to sell 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 in leasing your lands to developers... if your land has very good wind resources.

Or you may be interested on wind farms and mega-turbines (that may cost you $1,000,000 or more each one), for large scale production of electricity.

Wind energy and environment

Over its lifetime a diesel fueled 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.

See, for details: Wind energy and Environment

Trends, future and technology

A single mega-turbine can provide electricity to supply the needs of many hundreds of people. Wind power already provides the equivalent to the annual electric needs of 1.2 million British homes. Wind farms like the London Array may generate enough 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 the individual home's electricity needs. These type of systems may also have an important role, mainly in rural areas or in specific applications.

See: Wind power generators technology and Offshore vs offshore wind systems

Wind speed and wind maps

Wind turbines may provide a cost-effective energy source in sites where wind resources are favorable. Wind speed and wind steady pace are crucial. All other things being equal, a site with average winds of 16 miles per hour may generate the double of the electricity of a site with 14 miles per hour winds.

See, for details: Wind speed and wind maps

Mega-turbines & wind farms

Wind farms are based on large turbines, located inshore or off-shore. 5 Megawatts (5.000.000 W) wind turbines are already in operation in offshore platforms in the North Sea (typical turbines capacity arounds 1,5 MW-2MW), and their dimensions are impressive: the diameter of the blades is around 126 m and their weight amounts to about 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, at small wind turbines level, 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 sites 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 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