| By :
Roger Brown
With all the talk in the media about using wind and other renewable resources to supply power at your house, many people are investigating the subject now for the first time. But, how do you know if a wind generator for home use is right for you and your special circumstances? This is the question that you must answer before you go any deeper into a possible purchase. It is very tempting to just dive in and buy a wind turbine that looks good and is priced right. But, that could result in a total mismatch of that device with the job you have for it to do. The way to find out what you need requires a little investigation on your property and the patience to think through what you need to do before you move forward. These are the questions you must ask to get to the point where you can look at specific turbines to buy and actually purchase one: Do I have enough wind at my house to make power? If you live in the state close to the center of the country, you are more than likely have enough wind. (That's where most of the excellent wind seems to be!) However, you need to take some time and assess your particular property. The way to do that is to buy or borrow a small anemometer. These devices come in very handy because you can use them to take wind measurements at a particular location and use the average wind speed you discover there to help you make your decision about which wind turbine location to choose. Where will I install the wind turbine? This is a two-pronged question. First, you get to pick a location that maximizes your wind energy. Then, that location also needs to be one that doesn't offend your neighbors. The more you can make your wind turbine fit in with its environment the less likely the neighbors will be to complain. Will I have any problems with permitting (or with my neighbors)? This is something easy enough to check out by calling your local government entity and asking what the permitting requirements for installing a wind turbine. What are my goals for power production and what do I want to do with the electricity I make? When you see and understand what kind of wind energy you have to work with, you can then figure out if you have enough to run your entire house or, maybe even export power to the grid. Most people start out with just charging a small set of batteries. It's easy to graduate from that to larger and more complicated applications. Once you have taken the time to go through this analysis carefully, you will know if wind generators for home use are really an option for you.
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