Residential in Size - the Small Wind Turbine
These factors include the cost itself of the wind turbine you purchased - which may vary for every size, the amount of electricity your household consumes, and the wind speed of the area you live in. Other factors which require consideration when it comes to determining how much wind turbines cost are the size and type. They can be small, residential, or commercial in size. It is a pole out the rear of the turbine. At the end is a flat, vertical surface. This surface automatically turns towards the wind, which causes the blades on the other end of the turbine to do so also. To the surprise of many, wind turbines are also built with a breaking system. Why brakes? Well, you may need to work on the turbine or turn it off if very high winds are expected. The brakes are often electrical in nature. The higher those blades are off the ground, the more energy will be produced. These larger units are usually fitted with gears which can step up the rotations or step down depending on the wind speed velocity. For most average homes to completely drop off the grid and be energy independent would require a 16 ft diameter propeller mounted 80-100 feet off the ground. Obviously this is beyond the capabilities of many people. Fossil fuel burning to generate power is a very serious cause of pollution. We must reverse the trend to build more and more fossil fuel powered generating plants. Individual consumers can help with the move to clean power by using small wind turbines to supply some or all of their power requirements. Wind turbines can be obtained from several manufacturers and can be mounted on a rooftop or on a small free standing tower.