| By :
Roger Brown
With a residential wind turbine you have a product that is very similar to a commercial or utility-grade wind turbine. Manufacturers of these devices are making both and employing similar technologies. These are the main ways they are alike... Optimal blade structure - All wind turbine manufacturers are involved in a delicate dance, trying to find the perfect combination of aerodynamic efficiency and power production. This is not an easy effort in any way shape or form. It is relatively simple to make a wind turbine spin a very high rate. It is also relatively simple to get the wind turbine to start making power in a very low wind speed by using extremely low weight blades. The problem then comes in that you have to limit the speed in order keep that from destroying themselves at a very high wind situation. Very critical where you locate them - It goes without saying that where you place your wind turbine can have a tremendous impact on how much energy you will be able to extract from your environment. Every specific area around your house has its own microclimate. That is to say that the signature the wind leaves behind is different if your talking about area on your roof versus the property behind your house. Obviously you'll get a lot more energy if you place your wind device strategically than if you just leave it to chance. These are the ways they are different - Computer assisted wind finding algorithms - With a large commercial wind turbine many times it is assisted by computer software to optimize the amount of energy that will be extracted by carefully slowing down and speeding up the blades even in high wind situations. This is a lot more technology and expense though the residential wind turbine purchaser is likely to want to take on. Eventually though this will trickle down to the home wind turbine market and everyone will have the benefit of this type of technological advance. Cost - Commercial and utility grade wind turbines can cost into the millions of dollars. They can actually make a enough power in some locations to supply electricity for a whole town. This is obviously a lot more than you are going to want to take responsibility for it your home. So, the cost of a home wind turbine is geared for the home market. In conclusion, residential wind turbine companies are fashioning their products to be very similar to larger scale types of wind turbine devices. The advances in technology on the commercial side are clearly benefiting the residential market as well. As more and more of these products get out in the field and testing is done, improvements will cross pollinate between these market classes as well.
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