Harvest the Wind
(Page 5 of 7)
June/July 2002
By Michael Hackleman and Claire Anderson
Even a large battery bank takes up surprisingly little room. It can be placed in a corner of the garage, under a workbench, on a porch or in its own little shed. It must be vented to the outside if it resides indoors, and should be accessible for regular periodic inspections, and for adding any water lost to evaporation over time or from heavy charge or discharge rates.
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Battery banks sized to handle the loads and provide a day or more of autonomy cost about $5 per watt. Wiring, disconnects, fuses and breakers, and code-compliant hardware will add a few more dollars per watt to the total.
If your wind plant power is for household use, you'll probably need an inverter—an electronic device that transforms low-voltage DC (direct current) power produced by the wind plant into the 110-volt AC (alternating current) electricity we usually find at the wall socket and most appliances run on. Inverters come in a variety of power ratings and are built to suit various needs. Depending on features, they cost $1 to $2 per watt.
The controller regulates voltage and current, protects the battery bank from overcharging, and monitors and displays system parameters like voltage, current and battery state of charge (often referred to by the acronym "SOC"). The controller also houses controls that may be adjusted to ensure the efficiency, safety and optimum performance of the wind-electric system.
THE BOTTOM LINE
A small, 1,000-watt wind plant system on a 100-foot tower without batteries will cost from $5,000 to $12,000. With 12-mph average winds, it will produce about 2,400 kilowatt-hours per year. A large 10-kw system will cost $28,000 to $35,000 installed, and will produce 10,000 to 18,000 kwh per year. At current electric rates, these systems would have a simple payback period of 10 to 20 years in most areas. Government incentives can cut those costs by 50 percent or more. And if you are selling power back to the utility and electric rates increase (no one thinks they won't), then the economics of wind power become even better.
A wind plant may not be able to meet 100 percent of your energy needs, but it can offset your energy bills. As coal, oil and natural gas become more expensive, it is only a matter of time before wind machines and related renewable energy technologies—solar-electric PV modules, solar-thermal systems and microhydroelectric—will gain the attention and respect of people of every lifestyle who wish to power their dreams in a sustainable way.
Michael Hackleman has been installing and teaching about renewable energy for more than 30 years. He is the author of seven books for the do-it-yourselfer on solar, wind and microhydro electric systems, and electric vehicles. He teaches workshops at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair and Solar Living Institute each year.
Living Well with Wind
Living off the grid? We love it!
Two years ago my lifelong companion Gundel purchased a small piece of property in the rolling hills of Saskatchewan. Located on the entrance of the Grassland National Park near the U.S. border, the place is famous for having the world's largest medicine wheel. It is truly a spiritual place. Our home, originally a church built in the late 1920s, now offers all the conveniences of a home located in any major city.
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