There are a wide variety of wind generators available today, each with its own specific characteristics. Wind power generators have been around in this sort of form for a decades, but recent years in particular have seen a host of improvements in terms of design and functionality. Early wind turbine blades were so huge that they occupied too much space to be thought of as practical for most homeowners. Even specialized residential-use wind turbines were really just scaled-down adaptations of commercial models, and therefore they weren’t really ideal for use in residential environments. That these units required such strong winds meant that they almost always had to be set up on towers in order to be used effectively, and this added to the hassle and expense involved in installing them. Also, if they didn’t face the right direction, they wouldn’t be able to catch any wind. Sometimes, a tail rudder could be incorporated in order to help align the turbines properly. Turning the tail rudders into position also required high winds in virtually all cases, though. Residential locations don’t often provide the kind of strong, constant winds were a must for the operation of early turbines.

In the last decade, though, wind turbine designs have been introduced which provide significant amounts of power even without particularly strong winds, and as such are appropriate for use in residential environments. Their lighter weight means that they orient more quickly, as well. Vertical axis turbines have also been introduced, and their ability to catch the wind at any direction is a handy feature for residential users. In perhaps the best development from the homeowner’s perspective, modern wind turbine designs offer a great power-to-cost ratio. Do you want to know the price range of the different types of wind turbines? You can read wind turbines cost for more information.

Wind turbines are now available which are intended for residential use and can be mounted easily on small support structures, or even roofs. Advanced turbines have the added benefit of rendering unnecessary the expense of setting up a tall tower. These turbines continue to rotate even in light wind, providing a never-ending stream of power. Homeowners will like this consistency of production. The quiet operation of these small wind turbines is also appreciated by homeowners (and their neighbors). The affordability and reliability of modern wind turbines mean that this is a great time to switch to this clean, consistent provider of energy.

Do you want to build your own wind generator? It is quite possible to build your own wind generator if you have a good set of wind generator plans. For the best guides to building your own wind generators, visit Wind Generator Plans.

For another guide to building your own wind generator, go to How to Make a Wind Generator.

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Benefits

Endless energy

The wind will never stop. There’s no limit to the energy the wind can provide. Fossil fuels can’t make that claim. Non-renewable sources of energy including oil, coal and natural gas are just that – non-renewable. Once they’ve run out, there won’t be any choice but to start using other sources of energy. Decreasing reserves mean increasing costs, and the endless nature of wind means that its price remains constant, and therefore more and more attractive by comparison.

Energy without the bills

If you’re using wind energy, you won’t have to worry about kilowatt hours or anything like that. After the one-off cost of installing a wind turbine, you have permanent, free power. The previously impossible goals of going off the grid and saying goodbye forever to electric bills are now widely available with the use of residential wind turbines.

Clean energy

In addition to financial costs, you can also eliminate environmental costs by using wind power. The same can’t be said of fossil fuels, which constitute a serious threat to the environment in current usage quantities. You can reduce your carbon footprint significantly by using wind energy instead.

A truly domestic energy source

It’s often said these days that dependence on foreign oil is a serious problem for our country in terms of both security and economics. Electricity produced by wind turbines directly replaces energy that is derived from foreign oil, and therefore it can have a significant effect in terms of lowering dependence.

Energy at all times

One of the advantages that wind power has over solar power is that it can generate electricity for the home day or night and in any weather. As useful as solar panels are, they have the disadvantage of requiring sunny conditions. On overcast days, or at night, you’ll need an additional energy source, such as electricity stored in batteries or purchased from outside providers. These restrictions don’t apply to wind energy.

Any home configuration works

Solar power systems are held back by the fact that they require significant sun exposure in order to work at peak efficiency. For homes that have a lot of shade, or lack sufficient southern exposure on the roof, this can be a problem. A wind turbine isn’t affected by the same restrictions. Furthermore, a wind turbine takes up less total space than solar panels, while producing the same amount of power.

Disadvantages

Startup cost

There’s no doubt that the installation cost of a wind generator can be very high. In the long run, though, the free electricity that comes from a wind turbine will more than offset the initial cost. If you’ve got the know-how, some common tools, and some free time, you can even put together your own wind generator, which will make the entire process even more sensible from a financial standpoint. If you’re interested take a look at wind Generator Plans.

Height requirement

If you’re using a larger type of wind generator, you’ll need to be certain that it’s set up high enough to experience consistent, strong wind. Depending on the surrounding tree line and buildings, this can be very high. Wind generator users who are located in areas with many tall buildings or trees occasionally need to mount the generators on towers. The HOA permits or approvals that may be necessary in order to carry this out can add to the overall cost of installing a wind generator. Though, again, building a homemade wind turbine will help lower the cost.

Wind needed

Wind generators work best in areas with consistent wind. Of course, the more wind, the better. In other words, the fewer buildings and trees are present in the area, the better it will be for wind energy generation. Even though you can deal with these difficulties by making use of a tower, it is most efficient to produce wind energy in areas without these obstalces. A DIY guide will teach you how to build a wind turbine.

These are the benefits and drawbacks of wind power. For most people, the disadvantages end up being pretty insignificant in comparison to the advantages. Even solar power can’t compete with wind power when it comes to generating consistent power. Where solar power may suffer somewhat, wind power truly shines. Solar and wind power do share the common drawback of being costly to install. Perhaps the best way to deal with this problem, if you find the expense is discouraging you from moving forward, is to build your own wind generator.

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