Residential Wind Turbines

Feasibility of Residential Wind Turbines

As Americans work to reduce fossil fuel dependence and look to more environmentally friendly energy sources, the use of wind energy technology has become the fastest growing segment of the energy market. The feasibility of residential wind turbines mainly comes down to wind resource, economic feasibility, and consumer acceptance. The use of residential wind turbines is certainly feasible in some areas, however; I do not believe they are feasible on a wide-scale for residential use in the United States. While there are many benefits to the use of wind turbines, there are many barriers as well. As with any renewable energy source, all factors must be considered before implementing the technology. The use of wind as an energy source goes back thousands of years. The first use of wind energy was with a sail to power ships. Windmills were developed to help pump water and grind grain. Windmills were an important resource to the Dutch to drain water from the land. To this date, Holland has more windmills than anywhere in the world. The use of wind to generate electricity, dates back to the late nineteenth century. Most small, residential wind turbines are horizontal-axis, upwind machines with two or three blades which may be made of fiberglass. With a wind turbine, the wind moves the blades which rotate and drive the rotor. The energy from the rotor turns the generator which produces electricity. The electricity generated from wind turbines can now be used to power homes directly or the excess can be sold back to the utility companies for use by other consumers. Residential wind energy is also referred to as “small wind”. Residential turbines are much smaller than commercial turbines and usually generate enough electricity for one home. There are advantages of using wind power technology. Wind is an abundant and inexhaustible resource unlike fossil fuel. It is a clean energy that does not produce harmful greenhouse emissions. Wind energy is also one of the lowest cost sources for electricity generation. The use of wind energy can also help local economies by producing jobs. There are benefits of using wind turbines for homeowners. Wind is free, and once you have paid for the equipment, there is a significant reduction in energy costs. Wind turbines can lower your electricity bills by 50%–90%. If enough energy is generated from the wind turbine, you can actually make money by selling the excess energy back to the grid. A family who can rely on their energy from a wind turbine, can become self-sufficient by not relying on power from electric companies. Turbines can also be useful in areas where there is no other means of supplying electricity and help avoid the high costs of having utility power lines extended to a remote location. Wind turbines can also increase the value of the home which may be realized after the sale of the property. Homeowners may get grants, rebates, and other incentives to install a wind turbine. While the use of wind energy has many advantages, there are also many disadvantages to wind turbine technology making them not suitable for many residential areas. The main disadvantage I see is the unreliability of the wind. Wind does not always blow and in many places, it is just not sufficient enough to power the turbine. On the converse, strong winds can actually damage or destroy the blades. In extreme cold weather, ice can form on the blades and stop them from working. Another disadvantage can be noise. The higher the wind speed, the louder the noise. Wind turbines can also be fatal to birds as well if they get caught in the blades. They may also create an electromagnetic interference and interfere with television and radio reception. They can also be viewed as an eye-sore, blocking the view of the landscape. There are many considerations when deciding if a wind turbine is feasible for a certain property. Wind is the main factor. You have to know if there is enough wind to make the installation of a wind turbine tower feasible. Zoning codes should be checked to ensure they allow for the installation of a wind tower. Wind turbines are not suitable for most urban or small-suburban homes and is-recommended for property sizes of one-acre or more. You also need to know how much energy you use to determine the size of the turbine and if you use enough to make it cost-effective. Electric bills should average $150 or more. Conducting an energy audit can also help to see if insulation could reduce your energy consumption. You also need to decide on building your own wind turbine or hiring a contractor. Research is a necessity when making such an important decision. A homeowner must also be comfortable with the long-term investment associated with installing a wind turbine. When considering a residential wind turbine, one must also consider other sources of renewable energy and how wind energy compares to each. For most residential homes in suburban areas, solar power is generally more preferred to wind energy. Solar energy is energy produced by the Sun's radiation, and is much more abundant in most locations than wind. This makes solar panels much more reliable. While turbine blades can damage and need to be replaced, solar panels have no moving parts and require little maintenance other that cleaning. Solar panels also do not create as much of an “eye-sore” as they are less visible and usually installed on roofs. Solar panels do not create the wind noise that turbines produce and are quiet in operation. They can also be installed quicker than turbines. However, solar power installation also comes at a high cost and a low capacity factor. When it comes to reliability, geothermal energy is much more reliable than wind energy and does not depend on the weather to operate. Geothermal energy is derived from heat from the Earth, so unlike wind turbines, geothermal systems can be used anywhere and aren’t dependent on location and wind conditions. Geothermal systems take up much less “real-estate” and are usually installed underground and not visible. Geothermal power has the highest capacity factor at over 90% compared to 25% for wind. However, like wind turbines, geothermal systems also come at a high initial investment. Hydropower is another renewable energy source to consider as it has the lowest cost per watt hour. Hydropower is created from flowing water which creates energy that can be turned into electricity. Hydropower systems are quiet, low maintenance, and provide a predictable output. These are all disadvantages of wind turbines. The hydropower systems are much more efficient than wind energy and have a high capacity factor. However, they are location dependent like wind turbines and the initial cost investment is also high. For a hydropower system, one must live by a flowing creek, stream, or river. While residential fuel cell system technology implementation may be a few years away, it may prove to be much cheaper than wind energy and much more efficient. Residential fuel cell systems are compact, unlike wind turbines. They produce electricity with an electrochemical reaction. For anyone considering using renewable energy for their home in the future, this would definitely be an alternative to research. Although wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and fuel cell energy are all clean and renewable sources of electric power, one of the biggest problems for promoting wind energy or any renewable energy source is consumer acceptance. I find that convincing consumers to switch to a renewable energy source from fossil fuels represents one of the biggest challenges. First is to show that the advantages of using renewable energy outweigh those of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have been used as the primary source of energy since early times. Fossil fuels are readily available for consumer usage. They also produce large amounts of energy and are easy to store and transport. Storage is a major concern for all types of renewable energy. A big advantage for using fossil fuels is cost. Fuel cost are relatively inexpensive and unlike wind energy, there is no large cost of an initial investment for residential home usage. The downside of using fossil fuels is that they are not a renewable source of energy. Our fossil fuel resources are in jeopardy of being depleted. They also release harmful greenhouse emissions which adversely affect our environment. While many Americans are aware of being “green”, I don’t believe most are knowledgeable of renewable energy sources. They may be aware that these energy sources are good on the environment, but not aware of how it may benefit them. Many people also fear change. They are comfortable with the status quo and have the mentality of “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it”. Unless people can see an immediate impact on their lives and their money, it is very difficult for them to buy in to a long-term investment such as a residential wind turbine. Wind energy itself faces many barriers with wide-spread implementation mainly because of government regulations. While many government officials often talk about using more renewable energy sources, the parties often seem divided on implementing such policies. Cost presents a huge challenge in implementing a residential wind turbine. Wind turbines require an expensive initial investment. A residential wind turbine system can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $70,000. The average homeowner will find this initial investment too costly. Not to mention, many average Americans in today’s economy are unable to even secure enough financing to install a wind turbine. In order to recoup these costs, the energy produced from the wind turbine must be more than the energy received from the utility grid. It could take between 6 – 30 years to recoup the costs. Another cost factor is financing and interest rate. If the interest is too high, it can negate the long-term cost savings causing a longer period for a return on the investment. Another challenge with implementing residential wind technology is the wind resource of the area. Wind speeds should average at least 10 m.p.h. Wind speeds below 7 M.P.H. will not produce any energy output. The highest wind speeds are found along the coastal states, (mainly West Coast), and in the Great Plains. Taller wind towers produce more power than shorter towers. Due to the variability of wind speed, wind towers produce energy well below their average most of the time. Many states do not have a high enough average wind speed to facilitate the use of wind turbine technology. Arkansas, for example, has average wind speeds below 7 m.p.h. It would not be feasible for a resident of Arkansas to install a residential wind turbine. Without sufficient wind speed, the wind turbine will not operate and would not be worth the investment. There are many different types of residential wind turbines with varying costs. Many advances have been made in the design and technology of wind turbines. The $5,000 Windspire from Mariah Power is probably one of the most affordable. It has a rated capacity of 1.2 kilowatts and can generate up to 30% of an average homes power. The Energy Ball from Home Energy features a very unique, contemporary look. The prices run $3,690 and $6,900 on different models. The higher priced model could produce 50% of the average home energy. The Swift Rooftop Energy System by Cascade Engineering also features a sleek design, is said to be quiet and takes up very little real estate as it is attached to the roof. However, installation can run $10,000 to $12,000, giving it a long term to recoup costs. With any wind turbine, the costs factor in not only the equipment, but the installation which can be pricey with any model. Financing and interest rates must also be taken into consideration when figuring the economic feasibility of installing a residential wind turbine. I believe when considering the feasibility of residential wind turbines, my main reason for believing they are not feasible, is the cost. With costs ranging from $10,000 to $70,000, it is hard to convince someone to make that type of an investment. I believe most people put priorities on spending money. I also think that if someone had $10,000 to $70,000, they would much rather invest that money in a new home, buy a car, or save for their child’s education. With the current economy, many people are finding it hard just to make ends meet. If they have a lot of money to spend, they want an immediate reward or gratification with their money. Wind turbines do not produce either of these, other than the immediate gratification of knowing you are doing something for the environment. For most residential areas, wind turbines are not economically feasible. The average electric bill in the United States is less than $150.00. With the costs of wind turbine systems so high, it would take way too long to recoup the initial investment costs. The period for return of investment, would have to be shortened substantially to only a couple of years for there to be widespread acceptance. Most people just aren’t willing to wait that long, and also do not own their homes long enough to ever recoup the costs. Wind resources in most areas are not sufficient to power a wind turbine. Most states have well below the wind resource level needed to power a turbine. If you look at a map, most of the southeastern states would not be able to support wind energy technology. If you lived in coastal states such as California, or Great Plains states such as Nebraska or the Dakotas, it may be feasible to own a residential wind turbine as the wind resources are much higher. Despite the fact that I believe wind turbines are not feasible in most areas, I do agree that renewable energy sources should be considered in every home, as well as overall conservation of energy. We should also all be concerned with reducing our dependency of fossil fuels. At the least, homeowners should conduct an Energy Audit. An Energy Audit is an analysis of a home which tells the homeowner how they can reduce energy consumption and how to save on their energy costs. These audits look at the insulation in the house as well as windows, doors, vents, walls, and ceilings. For most consumers, cutting energy costs and energy consumption would tremendously help our fossil fuel usage. In most cases, making your home more energy-efficient would be a lot cheaper that installing a wind turbine. Many people who choose to install wind turbines do so to protect the environment, and to reduce energy costs. However, there are many things we can do at home to conserve electricity and to reduce our harmful greenhouse emissions. One way is to use fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs. ENERGY STAR® bulbs use about 75% less energy than standard home bulbs. They cost more but you recoup the expense in energy savings. Turning off lights and unplugging unused chargers or equipment help as well. Energy-efficient appliances can also greatly reduce greenhouse emissions and save a lot of money on energy bills. The most energy consumption is used on heating and cooling units. Homeowners should change air filters regularly as well as raising your thermostat in the warm months and lowering it in the cooler months. You also decrease the temperature on your water heater. Besides reducing electric consumption, there are others way to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse emissions. Conserving water usage is one way. Simple things like turning the water off when you brush your teeth or fixing leaking toilets and faucets reduces water consumption. One of the easiest things we can all do is to reuse and recycle. Paper and cardboard can all be recycled. Non-biodegradable products should be avoided such as plastic bags and plastic water bottles. In conclusion, I do not believe that the use of wind turbines is feasible for most residential homes due to cost, economic feasibility, and wind resources in most states. There are also many other ways that homeowners can cut down on fossil fuel consumption and help the environment. I do not believe the average American has the resources or the desire to implement a wind turbine system at their home. In the future, as costs come down, wind energy may be more prevalent. In areas with the right resources, I do believe wind energy is a viable option. Any solution to fossil fuel usage is a better alternative, the solution just needs to be one that is readily available and economically feasible for the homeowner.

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