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HomeWindPower:Yes,inMyBackyard!
Consideringresidentialwindpowerforenergyselfsufficiency?Findoutwhetherahomewindturbineis
rightforyou.
April/May2013
http://www.motherearthnews.com/renewableenergy/windpower/homewindpower
zm0z13amzrob.aspx
ByMeganE.Phelps
Ifyouliveinaresidential
neighborhood,becertaincode
restrictionsdonotprohibitturbines.
PhotoByRobCardillo

Somaybeyourethinkingyouwanttogenerateyourownelectricity,andhomewindpowerhascrossed
yourmind.Afterall,whoreallyenjoyspayingautilitybill?Smallwindenergyisrenewable,non
polluting,and,intherightcircumstances,cansaveyoumoney.
Butishomewindpoweragoodchoiceforyou?Theanswermaysurpriseyou,becauselivinginawindy
areaisnotnecessarilythemostimportantfactor.Infact,manypropertiesarenotagoodfitforinstalling
awindturbineeveniftheyhavealotofwind(forreasonswellgetinto).Ontheotherhand,ifyouwant
togooffgridandproduceyourownelectricity,youalmostcertainlywanttoconsiderinstallingahome
windturbine,evenifyourlocationisnotnotablywindy.

OffGridResidentialWindPower
Heresthedeal:Forahomewindturbinetobeworthyourinvestment,youreallyneedtoliveonanacre
ormore.ThatstheguidelinefromtheU.S.DepartmentofEnergysGuidetoSmallWindElectric
Systems,afreepublicationforhomeowners.Livinginaruralareahelps,becauseifyoureina
residentialneighborhood,yourelikelytorunintoconflictswithzoningandlocalhomeowners
associations.Additionally,youremorelikelytofindahighaveragewindspeedinwideopenspacesfar
fromwindbreakssuchasbuildingsandtrees.Altogether,whileinstallingasmallwindturbineinacityor
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suburbiscertainlypossible,youremuchmorelikelytohavetherightconditionsforhomewindpowerif
youlivewelloutsidecitylimits.
ThatsthecaseforCamandMichelleMather,wholiveon150forestedacresinruralOntario.The
Mathersliveinanoffgridhomepoweredbysolarpanelsandtheirmicrowindturbine,a1kilowatt(kw)
BergeyExcel1.Onsuchalargeproperty,theyrenowhereneartheirclosestneighbors,sotheresnoone
whomightbeupsetaboutthenoticeablebutnotunpleasantwindturbinenoiseortheveryvisible
100foottowerinthecouplesyard.
WhatssurprisingabouttheMatherssituationisthattheirlocalwindspeedsarenotideal,yethome
windpowerworksbeautifullyforthem.Technically,ifyoulookatwindmaps,wereinabadlocation
forwind,butwewantedtobeoffgridforenvironmentalreasons,Camsays.Thebiggestissuewiththe
Matherspropertyisthattheyhavetoomanytrees,andeventhoughtheirsmallwindturbineiseasily40
feetabovethetreeline,thelandscapeslowsdownthewind.Windstillmakessenseforthem,though,
becausetheyreoffthegrid,sotheironlyelectricityiswhattheyproduceandthenstoreinbatteries.
Theystartedwithsolarpanels,butaddingawindturbinetothemixmadethewholesystemmuchmore
stableandefficientamajorbenefitwhenyouresolelyresponsibleforgeneratingyourownelectricity.
Renewableenergyexpertsoftenrecommendinstallinghybridwindandsolarenergysystemsforoffgrid
living.Thesesystemsworkwellbecausewindandsolarenergytendtobemostavailableatdifferent
times.
Priortoourwindturbine,wegotintothegroovewherethesungoesdownandyouliveoffthe
batteries,Camsays.Youwakeupinthemorning,andyouvedrawndowntheenergyinyourbatteries.
Withwind,youwakeupandyouhavemorepower.Asaresultofinstallingasmallwindturbine,the
Mathersarelessdependentonafossilfuelpoweredgeneratortoproduceelectricitywhentheirbatteries
runlow,which,asCampointsout,notonlyreducestheircarbonfootprint,butalsohelpsinsulatethem
fromfutureenergyinsecurity.Welookatitfromthestandpointofresilience,hesays.

GridConnectedHomeWindPower
Ifyourmaingoalisenergyselfsufficiency,youmaywanttobeoffthegrid.Butifyouresimply
interestedinproducingyourownresidentialwindpower,agridconnectedsystemcanmakealotof
sense.Withthissetup,anytimeyourwindturbineproducesmorepowerthanyourhomeneeds,that
powergoesontothelocalutilitygrid.Whenyouneedmorepowerthanyouregenerating,youdraw
powerfromthegrid.Gridconnectedsystemsareoftencheaper,becausewithouttheresponsibilityof
producingallofyourownelectricity,youcaninstallasmaller,lessexpensivesystem.Youcanalsooptto
skipthebatterypackandbackupgenerator.Finally,ifyouconsistentlygeneratemoreelectricitythanyou
need,youmayactuallygetcashbackfromtheutility.
ThatshowitworksforJohnIvankoandLisaKiviristontheirruralpropertyinBrowntown,Wis.
Theyreinagreatlocationforwindsincemovingin,theyvelostquiteafewshinglesofftheroof,
Ivankosays,andtheycanactuallyseeacommercialwindfarmfromtheirproperty.
About10yearsago,IvankoandKiviristinstalledtheir10kilowattBergeyExcelturbineona120foot
tower(seeaphotointheImageGallery).Theyrenowgeneratingabout10,000kilowatthours(kwh)per
year,anamountjustslightlybelowtheaverageannualhouseholdelectricityuseintheUnitedStates.
Thecoupleinvestedinhomeenergyefficiencybeforetheystartedinstallingrenewableenergy,however,
andwithanefficienthome,theynowgeneratemoreelectricitythantheyneed.Itsactuallyacashflow
forushere.Weoverproduceabout2,000to4,000kilowatthours,Ivankosays.Thatresultsinapayment
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of$200to$400fromtheutilityeachyear.
Exactlyhowthisrelationshipwiththeutilityworksdependsonstateregulations.Wisconsin,likemost
states(43atlastcount),hasnetmeteringregulationsthathelpmakegridconnectionagooddealfor
homeowners.Essentially,whenyouuseelectricityfromtheutility,yourmeterrunsforward,andwhen
youputexcesselectricityontothegrid,itrunsbackward.Raisingkidsinanenvironmentwith
renewableenergysystemsishuge,Kiviristsays.Oursonis11now,andhedoesntknowanyother
way.Hejustassumesthateveryonesmetergoesbackwards.

EconomicsofWindEnergySystems
Puttinginawindturbineoranyotherrenewableenergysystemisindeedaninvestment.TheMathers
estimatethetotalcostoftheir1kwwindturbinewasabout$9,000,excludingbatteries.Theywereable
tosavesomemoneybyinstallingtheturbinethemselves,andtheydoalloftheirownmaintenance.And
keepinmindthattheirsisasmallsystem.Evenwithasolidaveragewindspeedof9mph,theestimated
annualoutputisabout1,800kwh.Forasystemlargeenoughtoprovideallofyourownenergynearly
960kwhpermonthfortheaverageU.S.homethecostscanbesignificantlyhigher.
IvankoandKiviristestimatethatthetotalinstalledcostoftheir10kwwindturbinewasabout$39,500,
buttheiroutofpocketcostswerelessthanhalfofthat,thankstoastategrantandothercreative
financing.Forexample,theyreducedtheirlaborcostsbyteamingupwithwindenergyeducatorstohost
aworkshopontheirproperty.
TheMatherschoseoffgridlivingforenvironmentalreasons,butthedecisiontogooffgridcan
sometimesmakesensepurelyinfinancialterms.Tobeginwith,ifyouliveinatrulyremoteareaand
wanttogooffgrid,installingrenewableenergysystemswilloftenbelessexpensivethanpayingthe
utilitycompanytoextendapowerlinetoyourproperty.Infact,somestatesrequirethattheutility
provideinformationonrenewableenergyalternativeswheneveracustomerrequestsapowerline
extension.TheAmericanWindEnergyAssociationgivesawiderangeofexpectedpaybackperiodsfora
homewindturbinebetween6and30years.Yoursavingswilldependonalotofindividualfactors.
Oneoftheeasiestfactorstocalculateisindividualrenewableenergyincentives.IntheUnitedStates,
smallwindturbinescurrentlyqualifyforafederaltaxcreditof30percent,whichisscheduledto
continuethrough2016.
Otherfinancialincentivesmaybeavailablethroughyourstateorthroughindividualutilities.Thebest
placeforcurrentinformationonU.S.renewableenergyincentives,includingnetmeteringregulations,is
theDatabaseofStateIncentivesforRenewablesandEfficiency.Canadaalsohashomewindincentives
findmoreinformationfromNaturalResourcesCanadaandtheCanadianWindEnergyAssociation.
Anotherkeyfactorincalculatinghowquicklyyourwindturbinewillpayforitselfisknowinghowgusty
yourpropertyactuallyis.TheDepartmentofEnergyswindguiderecommends10mphasaminimum
averagewindspeedifyouwanttoconsiderinstallingagridconnectedturbine.Youcanfindoutrough
informationaboutwindconditionswhereyoulivebycheckingwindresourcemaps,suchasthose
availablefromWindPoweringAmerica,orbyaskinganearbyairportfordataonaveragewindspeeds.
Insomewindrichregions,youmayalsobeabletofindindependentsiteassessorsatareasonablecost.
TheMidwestRenewableEnergyAssociation,forexample,maintainsalistofsiteassessors.Inother
locations,youllneedtoreaduponsuggestionsforDIYwindsiteassessments,orgowiththe
recommendationoflocalwindturbinedealers.SeeHomeWindPowerResourceslaterinthisarticle
formorehelpfulwindbooksandwebsites.
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WhatHomeownersNeedtoKnow
Whatelsedoyoureallyneedtoknowifyoureconsideringwindenergy?PaulGipe,authorofWind
Power:RenewableEnergyforHome,FarmandBusiness,hasbeenresearchingandwritingaboutwind
turbinessincethemid1970s.Whilehesabigsupporterofrenewableenergy,hesalsoanoutspoken
consumeradvocatewhohascontinuedtoprodthewindindustrytomakebettersmallturbines,domore
testingandpublishmoreinformationaboutturbineperformance.Iwantpeopletousewindturbines,but
Iwantpeopletousethemsafely,andIwantthemtoproducesignificantamountsofelectricity,Gipe
says.
Hereshisshortlistofthingsconsumersneedtoknowaboutsmallwindturbines.
TowerHeight.First,yes,youreallydoneedthattalltower,becauseaveragewindspeedsincrease
substantiallywithheight.Forasmall,residentialsizedturbine,itshouldbeatleast80to100feettall,
Gipesays.Youllseewindturbinesmountedonshortertowers,andtheymaybeproducingsome
electricityjustlikelynotasmuchelectricityasyoudwant,andmakingthefinancialsideofwind
workoutisdifficultifyourenotproducingenoughpower.
RoofMounting.Neverputawindturbineontheroof,Gipeadvises.Thiscomesupallthetime,
becauseabigpartoftheexpenseoftheturbineisthetower,andpeoplearelookingforwaystosavea
littlemoney.Thisisntthewaytodoit,however.Ifyouwantawindturbinethatsgoingtobe
productive,theresultstimeandtimeagainprovemountingawindturbinedirectlyontheroofjust
doesntwork,hesays.Theturbinehastobesignificantlyabovetherooflinetobeabletogeneratemuch
electricity,whichyouwouldntgetunlessyouweremountingatalltoweronyourroofnotthesafest
placetoinstallalargemachine.Itsunsafe,unwiseanduneconomic,accordingtoGipe.
Certification.Avoidbeingseducedbyanewwindturbinedesignthatsoundswonderfulbutdoesnt
havethetestdatatobackitup.Lookforestablishedmanufacturerswithaproventrackrecordand
certifiedtestresultsthatshowhowmuchelectricityyouwillbeabletoproduce.Dontbuyanything
thatsuntried,untested,orthathasnotbeencertifiedbytheSmallWindCertificationCouncil,period,
Gipesays.(Asofthiswriting,threeturbinesarecertifiedBergeyWindpowerCo.sExcel10,Evance
WindTurbinesLtd.sR9000,andSouthwestWindpowersSkystream3.7withseveralotherspending
approval.)
Safety.Makesurethattheturbinecanbesafelyservicedandoperated,Gipesays.Basedonavailable
technology,thatmeansmakingsurethatthetowercanbesafelyloweredtotheground.Inotherwords,
consideratiltdowntowerratherthanonethatrequiresyoutoworkonthewindturbine100feetinthe
air.
IvankoandKiviristhaveafewadditionalwordsofwisdom:Getinsurance.Theydidnthavetodo
anythingspecialtogetliabilityinsuranceitwasjustonemoreitemlistedontheirhomeowners
insurancepolicy,Ivankoexplains.However,theyalsoinsuredtheirwindturbineagainstdamages,and
weregratefultheyhaddonesowhenthebladescrackedduringaseverestormlastyear.Withclimate
change,extremeweathereventsarebecomingmoreandmorecommon,thecouplewarns,sogood
insuranceismorenecessarythanever.IvankoandKiviristwerethrilledthatBergeychosetostand
behinditsbladesandreplacethemfreeofcharge,eventhoughthebladeswerenolongerunderwarranty.
Forthisreason,thecouplealsoencouragesbuyingfromestablishedmanufacturerstobesureturbinesare
certifiedandwarrantypoliciesarereliable.
AndsomefinalwordsfromCamandMichelleMather:Dontbeintimidatedyoucandoit!Whenthe
Matherswentoffthegrid15yearsago,theycouldntfindanyoneintheirareawhoknewaboutsolar
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panelsorwindturbines,sotheyhadtolearneverythingthemselves.Thereasontheyultimatelydecided
toinstalltheturbinethemselveswasbecausetheycouldntfindadealercloseenoughwhowoulddoit
forareasonablefee.Buttheymadeitwork,andsaytheyhavefoundmanybenefitstothishandson
approach.IfIhadto,Icouldbringthetowerdownin20minuteswithacordlessdrill,Camsays.Im
comfortablewithitbecauseIvedoneit.Generatingpowerfromrenewableenergyandfiguringouthow
tomaketheirwindturbineworkhasbeenexcitingforCam.Iabsolutelyloveit.Inabigwindstorm,I
canstandthereandlookatitallday.

WhenWindIsn'tforYou:What'sNext?
Soyourereadyforhomescalerenewableenergy,buthaverealizedthatputtingahomewindturbinein
yourbackyarddoesntreallymakesense.Whatareyouralternatives?
Ifyouvealreadydecidedyouwanttogenerateyourownelectricity,takealookatsolarpower.Many
sitesthatarentwellsuitedforwindturbineshavegreatsolarexposure,andthecostofsolarelectric
panelsissimilartowhatyouwouldpayforawindturbine.
Ontheotherhand,maybeyoudontcareaboutthehandsonsideofrenewableenergyyousimply
wanttoreduceyourfossilfueluseandsupportthedevelopmentofcleanerformsofenergy.Ifthatsyour
situation,researchyouroptionsforbuyinggreenpower.Insomecases,itsaseasyasselectingthewind
poweroptionfromyourutility.Inothercases,itsmorelikebuyingacarbonoffset.Findoutwhats
availablewhereyouliveusingtheEnvironmentalProtectionAgency'sGreenPowerResource.
Ifyouresimplyexcitedaboutresidentialwindpowerandwanttobringitclosertowhereyoulive,
considerlearningmoreaboutcommunitywindpower.Whileyoumaybemostfamiliarwithsmallwind
foryourhomeorindustrialwindforutilities,agrowingnumberofinbetween,communitybased
projectsareemerging.Inparticular,windturbinesoftenworkwellforschools,where,amongtheirother
benefits,theycanbeusedasateachingtool.LearnmoreaboutschoolwindpowerinWhyWindPower
WorksforSchools.

HomeWindPowerResources
Books
HomebrewWindPowerbyDanBartmanandDanFink
PowerFromtheWind:AchievingEnergyIndependencebyDanChiras,MickSagrilloandIan
Woofenden
TheRenewableEnergyHandbookbyWilliamKemp
RuralRenaissance:RenewingtheQuestfortheGoodLifebyJohnIvankoandLisaKivirist
ThrivingDuringChallengingTimes:TheEnergy,Food,andFinancialIndependenceHandbookbyCam
MatherYoucanreadmoreaboutCamsoffgridadventuresintheblog,HomesteadingandLivestock.
WindEnergyBasicsbyPaulGipe
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WindPower:RenewableEnergyforHome,Farm,andBusinessbyPaulGipe
WindPowerBasicsbyDanChiras
OtherResources
HomeScaleWindTurbineInstallation(DVD)byCamMather
SmallWindCertificationCouncil
independentcertifyingbodyforsmallwindandlistscertifiedturbines,pendingapplicationsanddetailed
consumerinformation
WindWorks
PaulGipeswebsiteinformationonsmallwind,includingspecificsondifferentturbinemodels

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