| By :
Roger Brown
Home wind turbines will drop your power bill - that is a given. With all the claims about performance from the wind turbine manufacturers who are selling their products, how can you differentiate between them? When wind turbine manufacturers state performance data, they are putting their best foot forward. As wind engineer Eric Eggleston says, "What will this wind generator do at MY site, in MY average wind speed? What key information you need to gather to make the best decision on which one to buy? The major differences in wind generators are: 1. Rugged Construction - How reliable your wind turbine is over time is key. This machine will be mounted 50-100 feet up in the air and will be subjected to tremendous stresses from the wind over time. As a rule, the heavier the construction materials, the more rugged the wind turbine. 2. Rotor diameter - The rotor is the path of the spinning blades and does the "work". It harvests the wind and translates the wind energy into mechanical energy. The larger the diameter of the path the blades make through the air, the greater amount of electricity it can produce. 3. Cut-in speed - This is the speed at which the blades start producing electricity. Generally, that is greater than 6 mph. Less speed than that and the blades will certainly turn but the amount of electricity they produce will likely be less than the line loss inherent in moving the electrons to your house. 4. First cost - The amount you pay for the windmill is important of course, but you don't want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Retread tires have a low first cost but they don't last long. Same concept applies to wind turbines. You may think you are getting a great deal by buying something cheap and light but in the final analysis, that strategy may end up costing you more. 5. Rated wind speed - This is the speed of the wind needed to reach the rated output of the wind turbine. All generators are not the same and the power you can produces varies as velocity cubed. This means, that the LOWER the rated wind speed, the more power a windmill can make. So, you should be looking for wind turbines that have low rated wind speeds. 6. Maximum design wind speed - Most units made nowadays can withstand gale force winds of up to 120 mph. They also all come equipped with a governor that will keep the wind turbine from over-speeding and burning up the generator. The real question is how well the device shuts down when the wind is over its rated capacity. 7. Blade material - Purists still like spruce as the lightest wood for the best rigidity. However, they cost a lot to replace. Newer plastic blades and composite blades are light and may be cheaper in the long run. Understand your average local wind conditions first and then find wind turbine manufacturers that build rugged units that make enough power to suit your needs based on that.
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