Wind turbine? Does it make sense?

[schmism]

I may be wrong, but I think a tax credit is simply the amount you wouldn't have to pay tax on,

A tax credit is generally more valuable than a tax deduction or tax allowance of the same magnitude because a tax credit reduces tax directly, while a deduction or allowance only reduces taxable income and so the reduction in tax is only a fraction (the marginal tax rate) of the deduction or allowance.

The way i understand it, and what info i can find seems to back that up, yes you would be wrong.

If your total tax bill was $10,000 and your employer (or you) withheld exactly $10,000 you would neither owe any taxes on Apr 15th or recieve a refund.

On the other hand (useing the above example) if you qualified for a $4800 tax CREDIT (such as earned income tax credit, or the child tax credit) then your tax bill would be reduced by $4800 (you owe $5200 on Apr 15 but paid in $10,000) and therefore are entitled to a refund check of $4800

so yes you get a check for $4800

 

[cdaledave89]

On the .12 / kwh I would use about 30-50% of that number that you would get paid for. You have no transmission or distribution overhead so you will only be paid the Generation of energy costs which it normally around 1/2. Your bills are normally (when unbundled) shown as Generation, Transmission and Distribution. Most power companies rates are due to 75% Generation and Transmission costs.

We've done quite a bit of research on this and the pay-off doesn't seem worth it.

Right. That's the problem I found in my case. At the time, I was looking at about a $100 monthly electric bill, but only about $45-$50 was actual electric generation cost. The rest was transmission, distribution, "intangible transition", and fixed costs. Based on the SkyStream 3.7 model and using a windspeed in the range of 11-14 mph, the company I was working with estimated that I would only generate 40% of the electricity that I use every year. So, basically, I was going to save 40% of $50, or about $20 per month on a $16 - $18k investment. Yeah. So....where do I sign? And who do I make the check out to?

The cost was based on a quote from Vox Energy Solutions, who is a turnkey provider in my area. I don't know if they are local, regional, or national, but I wouldn't recommend them to anyone. A bunch of sales B.S. backed up by poor customer service and little knowledge about the product itself.

-Dave

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

We have done all the things possible to be as energy efficient as possible. But I do lots of laundry and have multi TV's and anything we want to use. The new energy efficient appliances make a huge difference, especially the front loader W/D.

Our house is over 2000 sq ft and my electric bill last month was $63 for 630 kwh's. It would take years past our life time to make putting something like the windmills or solar in to pay back. I think we are doing pretty good. If I really cut back, I could get it even lower, but this will do fine.

 

[Scooby074]

Windmills are definitely not for everyone or every place. People really got to do the math and see if it makes sense. A year long wind survey is just the start.

Where i live, were "blessed" with some of the strongest winds in the province. Locally there are at least 4 major turbines, with something like 20-30 planned. Construction should begin in the next year on the planned units. Our turbines are rarely stationary. This is due to good site selection, which cant be over stated.

I know of several dairy farms that have turbines installed (most are skystreams) to shave off some electric costs. There are a bunch of residences with them too, however, our electric company will only net meter. I think more people would get involved if the electric company was forced to actually buy the power back and not just give a credit.

If you have the necessary wind, then wind turbines can provide clean power. Our town has a coal fired generation station and compared to the mess that spews out of that place, clean, white, quiet wind turbines make total sense.

I dont believe that wtg's are the one answer, but part of a total plan, combined with hydro, nuclear and PV generation. Having kids living downwind of a coal powered generator sucks.

Wind power may not be the answer for you if the numbers dont work, but more people that generate power (any method) and net meter, the less load is put on the coal powered stations, the better we all will be.

 

[IXLR8]

I have been considering a wind turbine, local dealer says that with average of 9.8mph winds, based on wind charts, I would be a good candidate for wind power, it would pay for itself in 8 years. There are 4 wind turbines in my town now so I thought it would work well. Based on the fact that the charts from the turbine manufacturer show that I need at least 12 mph winds to get the power I need. And the fact that those 9.8 mph winds are 100ft above the ground, I would need a 200ft tower to get close to 12 mph winds. I put up an anemometer to measure wind speeds, I feel like I have a fairly windy location. I put it up in January, winter and spring are our windiest times, so far the average has been about 8.4mph, certainly not enough to spend the money on a wind turbine. I went to a Wind Power 101 class given by an Alternative Energy provider, (AltE - Call us for solar panels, wind turbines and solar hot water systems - DIY Solar Panels & Renewable Energy @ AltE) they basically said, wind speed must average 12 mph or more to provide significant power, less wind than that and a wind generator was not much more than a toy or an expensive lawn ornament. After talking with 3 of the 4 turbine owners, 2 of them said that it was not cost effective and would not do it again. The 3rd is still crunching the numbers.
Me- I am going with solar hot water and conservation for now.