| By :
Roger Brown
Along with the other choices out there for producing home wind power these days, you need to be seriously looking into the vertical wind turbine kit. The reason I say "kit" versus just vertical wind turbine is how much less expensive they are when you buy them that way. I recommend that you proceed cautiously though, no matter what kind of device you are planning to buy. The front end of this process is where the analysis belongs, not when you have bought the windmill already. Then it may be too late to make changes. You must try to completely get a grip on where the wind is blowing the strongest and most consistently on your property. That is not a big challenge to do but it takes a little time to do right. You have to be willing to do a little research. Always check first with your local municipal authority and find out what the rules and permitting requirements are. Oftentimes that will tell you more about the type of windmill you can have than any other single factor. Also, you need to perform an assessment of the wind topography on your property or wherever you plan to install the turbine. This will give you information on where the best wind is. By the "best" wind I mean the wind that is the most consistent and meets the minimum requirements for power production. As cut-in speeds go down, this is less and less of a factor since we have wind turbines now that will start producing power at less than ½ mph. Once you have checked out permitting and know where the wind patterns on your property dictate that you put your device, you are ready to start searching for a specific unit to purchase. Below is a general discussion about the key points of comparison between verticals and horizontals: 1. The vertical turbine has no tail - when you buy a horizontal device, it will always have a tail to seek the wind and redirect the windmill into its path. Vertical turbines however, don't have that appendage because they are bi-directional and don't depend on being aimed into the wind for their efficiency. 2. Turbulent wind performance - horizontal wind turbines shut down when wind conditions get beyond its operational capabilities - usually at 35-40 mph. Vertical turbines don't have furling mechanisms and will continue to operate in much higher and more chaotic wind conditions. 3. Tinier footprint - vertical wind turbines can fit in a much smaller area. This makes them work very well on the roof for example. In general, if you are going to be mounting it on your roof, the vertical wind turbine kit is the ideal solution, especially if you are thinking about multiple units. Having more than one in close proximity is actually an advantage aerodynamically.
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