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WIND ENERGY / VERTICAL AXIS WIND GENERATORS
In addition to solar energy products, wind turbines offer a part of the solution to the world’s renewable energy sourced electrical needs. Installations vary throughout the world but in some countries they already contribute over 10% of electricity supplies. No doubt in the years ahead, they will represent a greater percentage of installed alternative energy systems. This is due to an increased awareness for alternative energy products as well as the increasing need to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and thereby reduce global warming as well.
Most people are aware of the large wind turbines placed all over the world that produce electricity for homes or are connected to the power grid. There are now also many smaller wind generator systems available as well for both residential and small commercial applications.
For most systems, a wind turbine uses the wind to create electricity. The blades of a typical wind turbine are shaped in such a way that wind causes them to rotate, which in turn spins a low speed shaft with a gear at the end. The shaft is then connected to another smaller gear on a high speed shaft that runs through a generator housing.
The generator creates electricity and that electrical current is then regulated and fed into either the “on-grid” system for a large commercial wind generator or provides power directly into the home when a smaller wind generator is installed. When a home wind generator produces electrical power, it is modified so that it can be used directly or routed into a battery bank for storage. When a battery bank is used, a regulator prevents overcharging.
The most common wind turbine is the horizontal-axis wind generator, which looks somewhat like a traditional windmill. Another well known system that is gaining in popularity is a vertical axis wind generator.
It is estimated that for every kilowatt hour of electricity produced by wind energy or other green energy systems including solar, approximately 1.5 pounds of carbon is prevented from going into the atmosphere had that same electricity been sourced from coal fired power plants. Carbon dioxide is a major contributor to global warming causing climate change.
For a typical horizontal wind generator, the turbine usually needs wind speeds of around 10 miles an hour (16kmh) to start generating electricity and optimum wind speed for larger turbines is approximately 30 miles per hour so they aren’t really an option if you’re located in an area where winds are usually light and variable.
Vertical axis wind generators operate using lower wind speeds and some models are now being produced that can generate electricity with as little as 5 mile per hour wind speeds
Horizontal wind turbines used in residential situations are much quieter than their wind farm counterparts, but you will still need to check with your local authorities as they are still not permitted in some areas. If you do meet resistance with your local council, talk to them about vertical axis turbines as these emit lower noise, have a lower profile and are considered to be generally more aesthetically pleasing than their horizontal axis counterparts.
Wind turbines for home use vary in price and greatly depend on your electricity needs vs. wind availability. However, the purchase and installation costs can be greatly offset by renewable energy credits offered by many local, state and federal government programs.
Vertical axis wind generators
Vertical axis wind generators or VAWT’s may be easily installed in almost any location that has good wind exposure. Vertical wind generators have the advantage of being suitable for ground level installation. This makes them easier to install initially as well as making them easier to maintain. Typical installations include towers or placing them on pipes with attached guide wires.
Some newer models are also designed to be mounted directly to roof tops. When a turbine is mounted on a roof top instead of a tower, the building generally redirects wind over the roof and this can double the wind speed at the turbine.
Vertical axis generators are typically much quieter than horizontal axis generators and because they operate well at a lower height, they are less likely to kill birds and also simplify maintenance.
Because vertical wind generators do not require the typical tail of a conventional turbine, they can generate energy from any wind direction. They also offer lower wind start-up speeds than other wind turbine systems. Typically, vertical wind generators start producing electricity at 6 m.p.h.
Output sizes of vertical axis wind generators vary but are usually offered from 500 watts to as much as 20,000 watts.
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