lightingking

In some of the smaller towns in California, I notice a lot of ranchers using wind energy with positive results. The initial cost is steep, but the long term effect is very good.

Wuzzat?

Fun with numbers. . .

number of years to break even [BE]=
installed system price[IP]/(yearly on-the-grid utility cost[GC] - yearly repair/maintenance for the system[YRM]).

so BE = IP/(GC-YRM)

Let's say IP = $10,000, GC is $1200/yr and BE is 10 years, max.
YRM= GC - (IP/BE) = $1200 - ($10000/10) = $200 per year, max.

The avg. house takes 1 kw all the time but the batteries need to be able to supply >10 kw for hours at a time. For batteries, you get 50% to 90% of the energy out of them that you put into them.

http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm#Lifespan%20of%20Batteries

Lead-acid battery lifetimes, from the Web:

lifetime charge/discharge cycles
150
200
200
300
300
500
500
700
800
1000

10 = number of samples
150 = min sample value
1000 = max sample value
465 = sample avg.
400 = sample median
200 = sample mode

50% lasted between
200 and
700 cycles

Deep cycle batteries may last longer.

harryb

Expensive, but could it be a very good investment in the long term? The problem with wind energy has always been harnessing it effectively and managing space...in some ways all those blades on the hills of Yorkshire are a bit of a blight. How would you find space in your garden? Anyone got any pics?

Wuzzat?

File:Vestasturbine.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I never understood why these things have a brake inside; it seems the answer is that you may need to stop the blades in a hurry and there is no easy way to do that.

And with sunlight in the US you can expect an average of 500 watt-hours for each day the sun shines. Anybody have an Internet link that shows expected energy from wind?

harryb

Thanks Wuzzat?! Surely the ones in the garden a little bit, well, smaller?

Wuzzat?

residential wind turbine manufacturers - Google Search

If your neighbors are not complaining then it's not big enough.

A 2 kw gen. would have a rotor dia. of 3 meters. That's quite a lawn ornament.

Instead of batteries, try
Flywheel energy storage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
About $3000 for 10 kw [should probably be for 10 kwh; you pay for energy, not power] and you replace the bearings every 3 years. But, for safety, this flywheel should be buried in a pit in the ground or put in an explosion-proof vessel.

harryb

Thanks once more! I'd definitely be scared to go out in the garden with one of those things about...would scupper the kids' games of football for sure. And I dread to think what the birds would think!

SJNServices

No matter which system you go with (especially if you diy it.) make sure that you have a cut out so that when the line is dead on the power company side you wont feed power to the grid. This prevents you from zapping an unsuspecting power company employee!

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