Why Can’t Houses Be Powered By Privately Owned Very Small Wind Farms?
February 7th, 2010 by BobWind turbines charging batteries doesnt seem that terribly complicated. Why couldn’t a home owner power his house with a number of small wind turbines? Is it just not enough power or is it not financially sound? I don’t know much about elictricity or how much it takes to power a home so this may be a silly question.
February 7th, 2010
In general, alternative energies require too much investment, inconvenience, and maintainance. Best way to save is to conserve. Combine trips. Get a VW diesel compact car. Better yet, ride a bike. Insulate your house. Better yet, make an underground or sod house. Use less hot water.
Most successful alternative energy schemes start by vastly reducing the energy used, then putting in a relatively small, thus not so costly, facility.
February 7th, 2010
You can power a house with a single turbine.
And no…It can be simple and cost effective.
However,
What is costly is the power electronics
that puts the power back on the grid.
Without that, you can dump the power into
cheap lead acid batteries and use that power
to heat your house from a 12-48 volt DC supply.
Unfortunately, most devices require AC not DC.
Heating however can easily use DC.
I plan on putting electric heat wires under
a ceramic floor in our sun room and prove
that a cost effective system that does not use
the power grid can suppliment house heating.
I am targeting the system at $1000 dollars,
to pay for itself within 2 years.
February 7th, 2010
wind doesn’t blow all the time, and in some areas it is active only a small percentage of the time.
also, there would be a lot of noise if every house had one of those on a tower above the roof.
And what about people who live in a condo?
solar power would be better, but there are problems with that, not the least of which is $50000 each home has to pay for the installation.
February 8th, 2010
Space and zoning restriction. The small wind turbines I have seen sit on top of thirty foot towers supported by guy wire. You would need several to power your house.