patrick_g
Elite Member
Charlie, So many times folks think it is really windy at their place but when you look up the stats you find that reality doesn't match perception.
Most of the little wind generators need an average of something like 9 MPH to ever stand a chance of being useful. many of them need around 7 MPH to do anything at all and don't hit their rated output till over 25 MPH.
You can get a decent unit (400 Watt rating) for around $650 but it doesn't make 400 Watts till you get 28 MPH of wind. Most places don't see that very much of the time.
Here in Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, we often still don't get enough wind on average to make small scale wind generators practical, especially in competition with the grid.
I don't wish it were more windy but I wish wind generation would advance sufficiently such that our typical wind stats would make wind generation practical. While wishing, let's wish for photo voltaic panels with price performance ratios that would make them competitive with the grid. Not everyone wants PV so badly as to pay a big premium for bragging rights.
When I was in high school there were still a few families in the most remote rural areas that had wind chargers and 12 volt residential lighting with battery backup charged by the wind (no inverters.) They had no available connectivity to the grid so there was no issue of cost comparison.
Where the grid is available it is a rare situation indeed where alternate electrical generation can compete. Some small hydroelectric operations with a reliable year around water supply are quite good and can compete with the utility company but few small scale wind generation installations are competitive and I have never heard of a solar electric system that could beat the grid when it was available for a standard short run hookup.
One day maybe this situation will be improved but right now it is rare that residential power can be supplied economically by alternate power generation when competing with the grid unless the Gov tilts the playing field with tax money from the rest of us.
Pat
Most of the little wind generators need an average of something like 9 MPH to ever stand a chance of being useful. many of them need around 7 MPH to do anything at all and don't hit their rated output till over 25 MPH.
You can get a decent unit (400 Watt rating) for around $650 but it doesn't make 400 Watts till you get 28 MPH of wind. Most places don't see that very much of the time.
Here in Oklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, we often still don't get enough wind on average to make small scale wind generators practical, especially in competition with the grid.
I don't wish it were more windy but I wish wind generation would advance sufficiently such that our typical wind stats would make wind generation practical. While wishing, let's wish for photo voltaic panels with price performance ratios that would make them competitive with the grid. Not everyone wants PV so badly as to pay a big premium for bragging rights.
When I was in high school there were still a few families in the most remote rural areas that had wind chargers and 12 volt residential lighting with battery backup charged by the wind (no inverters.) They had no available connectivity to the grid so there was no issue of cost comparison.
Where the grid is available it is a rare situation indeed where alternate electrical generation can compete. Some small hydroelectric operations with a reliable year around water supply are quite good and can compete with the utility company but few small scale wind generation installations are competitive and I have never heard of a solar electric system that could beat the grid when it was available for a standard short run hookup.
One day maybe this situation will be improved but right now it is rare that residential power can be supplied economically by alternate power generation when competing with the grid unless the Gov tilts the playing field with tax money from the rest of us.
Pat
