Occasionally people here post about buying small wind turbines for home use. Because of the economics of the performance of these turbines I routinely criticize these purchases and recommend that more bang for their buck can be had by contracting with their utility for green energy purchases. This short article addresses the issue.
The truth about wind turbines: Size matters09/24/08 · 12:07 pm
From Jay Leno's on the west coast, to Alliance director's Christy Mihos' on the east coast, the results are in for small roof-mounted wind turbines. They're just blowin' in the wind.
The situation came to a head recently when Massachusetts suspended a rebate program for small wind turbine projects, causing, in one case, Mashpee Commons to reconsider its proposal to mount rooftop turbines in the shopping center. The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, which oversees the state's major alternative energy programs, canceled the small wind initiatives because the turbines it has funded produce far less energy than originally estimated.
A sampling of the 19 small wind turbines installed using MTC grants shows an actual average power output of only 27 percent of that estimated, with the high being 59 percent and the low an abysmal 2 percent.
The low power results from three causes: a) Turbine manufacturers overstate the capacity of their turbines. b) Site maps overstate the wind speeds at the various locations. c) The turbine heights are far too low.
There are small turbines at Logan Airport. These have underperformed. Ditto for small turbines at Brooklyn Navy Yard. New York City's Mayor Bloomberg has proposed dotting the city with them. A good public relations ploy, but experts say these small turbines generate so little electricity that the economics may never make sense.
On the west coast, Jay Leno has installed a wind turbine on the garage ...
http://www.capecodtoday.com/blogs/index.php/2008/09/24/the-truth-about-wind-turbines-size-matte?blog=20