| By :
Roger Brown
With all the talk now about making homemade electricity, you'd think there would be more clarity about wind turbine purchasing. Instead there is a lot of confusion - units seeming to deliver the same value can cost thousands of dollars more or less. There's a lot of misinformation and myths out there about putting up a wind turbine I would like to clear up. The 2 most common myths that many people believe are: It's my property and I can put a windmill up if I like. The roof is the best place to find wind energy. It is wise to check with your local municipal government to see if it is ok to put up your wind turbine at your house. Your wind turbine purchasing could be a disaster if you buy before you check out the local rules. Wind turbines are simply not accepted everywhere. In many places, they are outright forbidden. The reason is they can be loud and have been known to be a hazard to migrating bird populations. Local ordinances often forbid wind turbines on roofs, too. Neighborhoods - like mine - just won't allow it anyway, by covenant. Many times though, all that is required is to buy a permit to put one up. On to our 2nd myth - With all the makes and models out there designed for operation on a roof, you would think that would be the best place for wind. Although the roof is a very adequate area to find wind in many places, unfortunately, it's not ideal. It may be your only choice though. The best wind of all is found high above the local obstacles like buildings and trees. That's where it is unobstructed and flows the fastest and the most consistently. Roofs have chaotic wind so if that's where you're going to mount your windmill, vertical-axis turbines work the best. That is because they are agnostic to wind direction. They have no tail like a horizontal unit needs in order to orient them into the prevailing wind. The roof can be a much more acceptable place to find wind though if you locate your turbine to take advantage of Roof Effect. Roof Effect is when the wind hits the roof at an angle and accelerates until it reaches the eve. The eve is therefore the point of maximum wind speed and the best place on the roof to mount your windmill. In conclusion, wind turbine purchasing is not an exact science but it can be made a lot easier if you are savvy and not mislead about the details. Check out those details and ignore the myths.
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