| By :
Roger Brown
When you are considering residential wind energy systems it is very seductive to think that you might be able to extricate yourself from the electricity grid altogether. While this is theoretically possible, it is not that likely - please let me explain why… Here's the problem - our homes and businesses have grown to use and depend on a tremendous amount of electrical energy justice stay afloat. Gone are the days when people used electricity in certain circumstances just for reading or refrigerating. Now, electricity is such a part of our minute by minute daily life that we can't do without it. That means that the need is continuous and we want power immediately when we think we need it. The difficulty comes in because wind energy systems deliver sporadic doses of mechanical energy that has to be later converted to electrical energy. So, if you want to run your computer at 10 o'clock the morning and the winds not blowing that you have a problem. Even if you have a humongous wind turbine that can deliver 50 kW in your homeowner requires a total of 1 kW, if you're wind is not blowing at the moment you have no power. Therefore, it is not wise to plan to totally get off electricity system when you first buy wind device. It is much better to walk before you run and that means probably powering some small device like a refrigerator or freezer before you jump in with both feet and try to power your entire home with residential wind power. As the efficiency of blades continues to improve though, and cut-in speeds are driven lower and lower, there may come a day when we can make enough electricity at our homes to actually get off grid or at least close to it. In the meantime, we need to stay connected to your electricity source of the current moment. Residential wind turbine power is extremely valuable concept for diverting a lot of that money away from the utility back in your pocket but it is in no way a one-size-fits-all solution. In conclusion, I can envision a world in which the majority of Americans will get at least some of their energy from residential wind turbine systems. That world though will not come into being until the cut-in speeds are driven to preposterously low levels so that anybody almost anywhere can make electricity from the wind.
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