| By :
Roger Brown
If you are checking out wind turbine pricing, you first want to know and understand what factors are considered crucial to the operation of the device. And, how do those factors relate to the cost of the unit? Fortunately, when it comes to windmills for your home, there are really only a few key factors you need to consider and a single most important factor. To understand these and sort your choices accordingly will make the buying experience a lot more stress free. These are factors that really separate one wind turbine from another: Power Rating - how many watts or kilowatts (1,000 watts) will the device deliver? Installed Cost - not just the first cost, or purchase cost of the unit, but what it does it cost once it is up and running? Costs Over Time - how often is normal maintenance performed and what do replacement parts cost? Which of these is most critical in wind turbine pricing? Actually, none of them. Instead it is a ratio of "Total Cost" over the life of the windmill. The way to get that is to get what the manufacturer considers the useful life of the wind turbine. Usually, in the range of 20-30 years, but it could be more, depending on how judicious you are about performing preventive maintenance. Then, make sure you are considering both the installed cost and the likely annual costs over that time period. This is particularly critical because the maker's literature doesn't spell things out in these terms. They normally want you to focus on the initial cost only in making your decision. Then, divide that number by the maximum rated kilowatts x the number of hours you think the windmill will operate over that time period. The way you get that is to take the maximum kilowatts the unit can put out and multiply that by the average number of hours in a day you expect the turbine to operate. Your answer is in terms of $/kilowatt-hour. This is an equalizing number and can be used across the entire spectrum of devices, regardless of type or size. This is the ultimate way to compare one wind turbine pricing option with another. It takes some time but a thorough investigation of the facts will give you the data you need. By making all your options stand up to a common standard, you are making them much easier to compare.
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