# Wind generation - Want to get serious about the idea.



## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

I've been talking to a guy up here about adding wind power to our solar system and wondering just how we do this and what we'd need. He's willing to do it for us at a price but he's not available for several months to install. Soooo, I want to learn all I can abouto this and find out if it's something I could do with my husband on our own.

We get pretty good steady winds/breezes here even at grade but get lots of gusts in the late fall, winter, and early spring months. I THINK we would want to have a free-standing tower with a turbine that can adjust with the direction of the wind. Tell me everything - I am new to this!

Currently running a 24v battery system with back-up generator and 1750 watts of solar panels on two stacked Outback FXs. Had been planning on adding a second MX60 to the mix for the solar array as we have too many panels for the amount of power it makes in the summer to use it all. That's about $600 plus install.

What else would I need/could I use and how do I go about this? What will it cost me???

HELP!


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## ed/IL (May 11, 2002)

http://www.otherpower.com/learningcurve.html Perhaps you will learn what you need there. If not ask in the message board they have.


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## Runners (Nov 6, 2003)

About 2 years ago, HomePower magazine did a comparison of wind gennys - pretty thorough and indepth articles.


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

Thanks, reading the links... I just don't know enough at this point to ask specific questions beyond what I already posted...


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

Hi,
The biggest thing is do you get enough wind?

Here is a quick way to get a rough idea if you are in an area that gets enough wind:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Wind/WindResource.htm

If you are in a class 3 or higher area, you are probably good to go.
If class 1, I'd say you probably want to forget it.
If class 2 -- you probably need to do some more research.

The power in wind varies with the cube of wind speed, so if you say a 12 mph average is OK for wind power, then a 9 mph average isn't 9/12 = 75% as good, its the cube of (9/12) = 42% as good as 12 mph. Point being, the power available drops off very fast as the average wind speed goes down.

Brief periods of high winds don't help the average much.

Gary


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

Yes, we believe we do, especially when solar is down (clouds or low sun days in winter). I did check out those sites and we are either Class 2 or 3 but believe we are 3 at the height we'd put the turbine (some people say at least 100' off the ground, others say 300'??).

Thanks, Gary.


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## Runners (Nov 6, 2003)

hoofinitnorth said:


> Yes, we believe we do, especially when solar is down (clouds or low sun days in winter). I did check out those sites and we are either Class 2 or 3 but believe we are 3 at the height we'd put the turbine (some people say at least 100' off the ground, others say 300'??).
> 
> Thanks, Gary.


I live in a class 3-4 area, but the hills and trees are so tall, I'd have a tower well over 150'. I also live in an area known for numerous lightning strikes - and that alone discourages towers. If I recall, you want to be a minimum of 30-60' above the highest structure, even higher if your terrain is hilly (and you can't use the hill to your advantage - ie. shifting wind directions).

While driving up to the MREA in Wisconsin years ago, It was hard not to notice the trees were growing "bent" in the direction the wind blows... now that's an obvious sign of a good wind site!


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

We were thinking about putting the turbine on the house but have been discouraged due to vibration causing noise & structural damage. Yeouch!

We live on rolling hills and the winds just come right down them. We get those Chinook winds here and the directions shift seasonally but are generally traveling along the same path.

We do get some lightning here but not a lot. How do you discourage lightning from hitting the turbine & tower?


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## Runners (Nov 6, 2003)

I work in communication buildings with elaborate grounding grids, heavy grounding cables CAD welded together, etc., and I've been in there during 2 strikes! The best part, absolutely nothing was damaged! The lightning had an easy path to ground via the big conductors & low resistance.

Big copper conductors = low resistance or an easier path to ground. I _think_ noticed the fast moving storms seem to produce the most ground strikes... but could be wrong.

"winds....generally traveling along the same path." If it's true and steady, I'd start recording/logging ACTUAL wind speed on site, you could have a nice site if it's steady and the hill increases the speed. A guy with 3 old towers was featured in HP mag. about 2 years ago. He took his time figuring out 'where' the best location would be - as luck would have it, he was able to use the slope of the hill to increase his production significantly.


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

Yeah, I think that will be my next venture before we dive into the whole wind power thing - setting up a wind meter of some sort (what's the word for this?) and logging wind speeds. Would be nice to have a year of logs to see the seasonal differences but not sure if we'll have that luxury...

We have a solar array on a tracker already and it's mounted on a big, metal well casing. It's buried about 20' in the ground and sticks up about 20' I think. Everybody has told us not to worry about lightning with it for some reason or other. I called my insurance agent anyway to be sure we'd be covered if it were destroyed by lightning.


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

I've been using windpower since 1977, and our wind generator on it's 60 foot tower has been hit numerous times, with no problems to the rest of our system equipment (inverter, PVs, batteries, controllers, etc.) However, we have had some lightning damage to our inverter which is connected to the grid AC for battery charging purposes, and the damaging surge has come into the inverter through the AC lines, and done damage to the AC grid connected parts of the inverter. I finally found a place where I had tied the ground rod circuit on the wrong part of the inverter, removed that connection, and have had no more problems.

Our generator tower is so short because it is a 1935 vintage tower wioth a 1940s vintage generator on it, and back then shorter towers were common.

The tower is well grounded--rods 8 feet long at the bottom of the 5foot deep footing holes for 2 of the legs, and more rods attached above ground to the other 2 legs. Lightning arrestors everywhere needed.


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## SolarGary (Sep 8, 2005)

hoofinitnorth said:


> Yeah, I think that will be my next venture before we dive into the whole wind power thing - setting up a wind meter of some sort (what's the word for this?) and logging wind speeds. Would be nice to have a year of logs to see the seasonal differences but not sure if we'll have that luxury...
> 
> We have a solar array on a tracker already and it's mounted on a big, metal well casing. It's buried about 20' in the ground and sticks up about 20' I think. Everybody has told us not to worry about lightning with it for some reason or other. I called my insurance agent anyway to be sure we'd be covered if it were destroyed by lightning.


There are a couple wind logging anemometers here:
http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/Wind/wind.htm#Logging

I think that Otherpower.com may also have one or plans for one you can make?

Some people just put up the inexpensive wind generator from SouthWest 
http://www.windenergy.com/air_x.htm
You can use it to see how well wind does at your location, and sell it if wind does not work out in your location.

Gary


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## hoofinitnorth (Oct 18, 2006)

Thanks, Gary, I'll check it out!


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## cowboy joe (Sep 14, 2003)

I've been considering a wind gen for some time & should be in the position to put up or shut up by summer 2008. I'm currently working on an anemometer to measure the wind speed. I hope to log the daily wind speed to look at various locations around the property as well as height, season, etc. The charts show class 2-3 for the area but I would rather be sure than go with a rough estimate.


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Any body serious about wind would be wise to install a wind data tower for a --year--. 
This needs to be at the intended hight of the turbine.
Not a roof top whirly-gig toy.


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## Suemo (Sep 19, 2002)

According to the map for our area we are in a 3 for wind. That is as it may be for years past but that has certainly changed to a 4-5 or even higher. A wind farm is being prepared for an expected output for 30.000 families not far from here. I live in a valley and it has always seemed to be more windy but the speeds have really picked up in the past 3 years. 
I have heard many pro and cons on this subject. I have seen the big wind farms in Texas with 1/2 to 3/4 of them not running. I have heard that the commercial wind machines are expensive to maintain. Could it be that the shorter, smaller units will produce more power more economically? 
Suemo


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## Jim-mi (May 15, 2002)

Sue
You've got a apples and oranges question there. . . .and I don't feel like typing all night.

From what you just posted I'd say your a prime candidate for a good *home* size turbine right now.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Just found this site. Hope it helps.

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/03-047.htm


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Another link you might like since it deals with Alaska:

http://www.eere.energy.gov/windandhydro/windpoweringamerica/astate_template.asp?stateab=AK


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