| By :
Roger Brown
We are all going to have to get serious about sustainable power at home. Whether the inevitable happens next year or 20 years from now, we all know that the fuels we burn now are in short supply. We all need to invest some time in how to integrate renewable power sources in our lives. To figure out what to do with the power we could make requires some serious thought though. Before you dive in and take a lot of time trying to understand where you will use the power, it is wise to check out the wind on your property with a recording anemometer. Ok, how much power do you need to make? This is not an easy question to answer and it can't be answered in general. You need to study your particular situation and your particular power requirements. That means taking the time to get to the bottom of what appliances in your home could be powered with sustainable energy. The first step is to understand your power consumption and there are 2 ways to get do that: Look on your electricity bill - oftentimes your power company will show you right on the bill how much demand your home registers. This is not true with every utility but some will - it will be in terms of kilowatts, or "kW". Keep in mind this is the absolute maximum amount you would have used in any one 15 or 30 minute time period throughout the month. Make a list of your power "consumers" around the house - this is a lot more trouble but it is a great way to get a handle on how much energy your home uses. You have to list your major appliances and then either go to the owner's manuals or the nameplates on the equipment and learn the maximum demand - either stated in KW or and horsepower. This is a very important exercise because it shows you which appliances might be good candidates for backup with small wind turbine devices. For example, if you have a freezer that is very critical and you have frequent power outages, it might make sense to use a wind turbine to charge a set of batteries to be used in case of such an emergency. By understanding what your power consumption patterns you have you can zero in on where exactly you want to start and what at your home you want to power up with wind. The average American home uses 10,896 kilowatt-hours annually and therefore will require approximately 2 kilowatts to supply power it full time. However, your peak requirement will be greater than this at times - like when it's really hot outside and your air conditioner is running wide open. So, if you are average, you may need 3-4 kilowatts to cover yourself adequately to not be caught without enough. This presents a problem though regarding the way wind turbine kits are advertised. If they are rated at "4 kW" for example, that means that they are capable of producing that much at a constant wind of about 29 mph, usually. If the wind on your property won't give you that kind of consistent wind speed, then you may even need a larger wind device to accomplish what you are after or, a much larger battery array. That way you can store the energy you will need and consume it by gradually drawing from the battery.
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