Can a wind turbine power your house?

Answer 1

It depends. What kind of wind turbine are you talking about? A homemade wind turbine, for instance can probably power a single light bulb. Those big wind turbines can create a lot of energy. But think; what if the wind isn't blowing for a day? Would you like to be in a house with no use of electricity?

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It depends on the size of your house and electrical usage. As far back as the late 1920s at least, farmers and others were connecting automobile generators to their water pumping windmills or dedicated mills and generating small amounts of electricity. They solved the problem of windless days by using automobile storage batteries.

Is it reasonably feasible, disregarding people who are "off grid" anyway, to power a house with wind today? Generator capacity for most homes range from around 2 kW to 10 kW at a given time, depending frequency of wind and speeds, and type and shape of turbine this needs a turbine with an equivalent diameter of 12 to 25 feet. A "typical" home average is 5-kW at 18.'

Size of "foot print" and height of tower depends on type of turbine, area available, zoning laws, and physical surroundings. A small turbine can be on a tall tower to get above buildings or to raise blades above harms way, a large one can be on a tower just high enough to clear blades from ground. Zoning may limit height and minimum clearances.

Up front costs range from about 3 or 4 K $ for very small generator and tower (1kW) on up. That 'typical' system starts at least at $9,000. Depending on up front costs, cost of on grid powere, and many other factors a turbine can pay for itself can be from 6 to 30 years or even never.

What to do when the wind don't blow. Small back up solar, water, or gas powered generator. What to do when the wind don't blow, sun don't shine, creek don't run, and you're outta gas. Remain on grid, when you're not generating power you buy from grid. When you are generating power you are not using, grid buys from you. Depending on rates of grid selling retail and buying wholesale, you should at least break even, possibly make a "profit" e.g. reduce pay back time.

Storage Batteries and converters. Batteries are more efficient cost wise and over all than back in great grampaws time. Most lights dont care if they use DC, leds require it. Most motor driven appliances can be converted to DC, but most systems have a converter. Heating and cooking in non grid systems should not be electric of course.