| By :
Roger Brown
You can absolutely destroy the financial side of your wind turbine for the house project by picking the wrong location to install it. It is really a tragedy that so many people buy a home windmill and get serious about location later. We tend to get focused on the notion of owning a renewable power source and neglect to adequately consider the details which will drive return on investment. When you get right down to it there are a number of locations on most peoples' property that will likely work for making power. Even in an urban setting, there are places on your roof that will work better than others. (The roof in general is not the best place of all but there are places on the roof that have wind.) Regarding the roof for your wind turbine for house project, there are 2 places that many people overlook: 1. Peak of roof along the ridge line 2. On top of the chimney As the desire to make renewable power at home continues to gain momentum, the roof is really coming into its own as a place to harvest power. The higher up, the stronger the wind and the better the project. There are great places, good places, and bad places to make power on your roof. Where exactly you placed your turbine will make all the difference when it comes to the volume of kilowatt-hours you can make. In order to understand the aerodynamic opportunities there you need to first understand the concept of "Roof Effect". By applying this principal you will be able to optimize the energy you can convert. The way it works is when the wind first encounters the roof it compresses and travels in a relatively thin boundary layer of 1-3 feet along the contour. The acceleration continues until the ridge line is reached. Speed of the air can increase by up to 300%. This means if you can install your windmill at the peak or apex of the roof along the ridge line, you will be taking maximum advantage of Roof Effect's potential to improve project payback. Secondly, you can also install your windmill on your chimney. You will be taking advantage of the stronger winds higher up while still making the device relatively easy to access. The only clear downside of mounting there is you may have to move it when you are using the chimney in the winter. In summary, you have a lot of options around your property for your wind turbine for the house project. Take the time up front and survey areas around your property, especially your roof. Carefully study the topography of your roof to optimize where to locate your turbine.
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