Most people think of solar power when they consider a home electricity generator. While this is a good solution, home wind turbines are also a very reasonable alternative for most homeowners. Wind power turbines are efficient and reliable, and run much quieter than before, and will generate a significant amount for power for your home.
Generating your own power with a wind power system will give you many advantages. Unlike solar power that needs the sun to be shining in order to generate electricity, home wind turbines can operate day and night as long as the wind is blowing.
You need to think about your lot size and it’s elevation before deciding which type of system you want to install. The factor that most effects power generation of a wind turbine is finding a strong wind for as long as possible. You might need to have the turbine unit on top of a tower to get to the wind, or find a location on your lot that isn’t blocked by trees.
When selecting a home wind turbine you really have a choice between two different styles. There is the standard horizontal configuration and the newer vertical configuration.
The horizontal home wind turbine uses a rotor assembly with a number of blades that spin when the wind blows. This rotor assembly is connected to a generator by a shaft assembly and this generator is what generates the electricity when it spins.
There are a few drawbacks to this design and you need to know about these before making a decision. Firstly, the turbine blades are larger, which means it takes a stronger wind to get them to turn. Despite being able to generate electricity with a slower wind, a smaller turbine would not be able to produce as much energy as a larger turbine.
The next problem is that the horizontal home wind turbine needs to align itself with the wind. The turbine will not generate electricity until the wind turns it into proper orientation.
The vertical turbines utilize a separate design. They are connected to a vertical shaft and they don’t uses blades to spin the shaft. Vertical systems will have scoops attached to a shaft that will rotate.
This can be a better solution since they take up less space than the large blades of a horizontal wind turbine.As well, because the shaft that rotates is vertical, the heavy generator can be installed close to the ground.
Besides not having to move it’s position, vertical turbines also will catch wind from any direction it comes from. It is more efficient than a horizontal turbine because it can still move even if the wind isn’t all that strong.
The downside to the vertical home wind turbine is that they tend to generate less electricity than the horizontal designs do. This is somewhat offset by the fact that they can generate power from a wind too slow to rotate the horizontal version, but they still lose overall.
You can see that both designs offer advantages and whichever one you choose, it can really help you lower your electricity bill by providing quite a bit of power. Take your time and compare the different models and you can find one that is perfect for your needs.
To learn more about home wind turbine sysytems please visit http://www.residentialrenewableenergy.com/home-wind-turbines.php
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