| By :
Roger Brown
This is a review of the Skystream home wind turbine kit. What exactly is a Skystream Home Wind Turbine Kit? The Skystream kit is a great way to make part of the energy you need to power your home. One wind turbine won't likely power everything in your typical home, but expecting it to supply a third to half of your monthly requirement is realistic - depending on how consistent and strong the wind in your area is. The Skystream 3.7 kit system is a horizontal axis wind turbine. So, it will look like a windmill - only without the quaint Dutch design. The windmill itself will sit atop a tower that can be up to 100 feet high. How much does the kit cost? The kits installed costs approximately $14,000, for the 2.4 kW model. All come with the components necessary to install the unit and make power - But, you will likely need help at least making the final tie-in to the grid. The great thing about the Skystream unit is that all the components - inverter and controls are all housed in turbine package itself - all self-contained. The cost of the kit alone is about half the total installed cost. It makes sense to either get a dealer to do the foundation work and tie-in with the house electrical system, or hire separate mechanical and electrical contractors. To add to all this fun, there is a 30% Wind Tax Credit going on now, too. Keep in mind, that's a credit on the TOTAL installed cost of the wind generator…that is a very very powerful incentive to take action before the politicians take it away! How difficult is the kit to put together and install? It is a character builder…meaning, you will learn a lot through the process. It is not easy but nothing that pays off forever, like a wind turbine, is going to be super-easy. It's quite rewarding once it is done. Preparing a wind kit for installation by others is a very plausible thing for the average guy - you just need to be aware that it can take some time and may require more of your weekends than you originally thought it would. What are the pitfalls with a Skystream? Don't try to go it alone. It is usually a mistake, unless you have considerable experience with installing towers and tying-in with the electrical system on a house. Plan on assembling the kit yourself and then having others - a mechanical and an electrical contractor - do the installation of the home wind turbine on your house and tie into the electrical system. What distinguishes this product from its competitors? Cool looking design - the blades are composite and very aesthetically pleasing. The biggest advantage of course is that it's modular - all the components are pre-installed in the turbine housing. What are the alternatives? There are several worthy competitors out there for this size turbine market - Wind Energy 7 and Honeywell to name 2. All in all the modular design and the low wind speed to get the Skystream wind turbine turning are strong selling points. Before you move too far down the road on this and even think about buying a system, please check the wind map of your area and check out your neighborhood covenants. Many neighborhood associations have a real problem with mounting turbines on roofs or anywhere on your property for that matter.
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