Wind Turbines

Like solar panels, Wind Turbines are another source of clean, renewable energy. The benefit of wind turbines is that they can provide power 24/7, depending of course, on the wind conditions where they’re located. Thus, wind turbines are great when you put them out in fields or farms, or on top of high-rise buildings. It’s generally not a good idea to put the turbine on a home in an urban area because the wind flow in cities and urban areas can be unpredictable because of all of the variation in building heights and size.

A wind turbine, like any turbine, works on the basis of continuous movement. The turbine needs something (whether it’s water or wind) to keep it moving so that it can continually generate power. Which means that a wind turbine must have a steady and strong air current. If you’ve ever watched a football game on TV, you’ll notice sometimes that the announcers mention the “swirling winds” in the stadium. Those swirling winds are a staple of city life, and absolutely useless for generating consistent power with a wind turbine.

If you’re going to install a wind turbine in your suburban or rural home, putting it on the roof might seem like a logical choice. However, you’d be better served by mounting the wind turbine higher than the roof itself, but you’ll probably need to consult your local building codes to see what exactly is permissible as codes usually define the maximum height of any structure on residential property.

Once you’ve determined that you have enough wind, and can actually install a wind turbine on your property, you’ll want to pick out the right size turbine. Residential wind turbines can have outputs exceeding ten kilowatts, but in order to utilize such a large turbine you’re going to need to have a lot of wind. Thus, it’s a good idea to try to measure the wind over a decent period of time to see what your average day looks like so that you optimize the efficiency of your wind turbine.

If you need any help in picking out the right wind turbine for your home, call one of our friendly customer service representatives at ibuysolarpanels.com and they’ll be happy to help you!