When looking for a way to generate electricity for their home most people think of solar power. While this is a good solution, home wind turbines are also a very reasonable alternative for most homeowners. Home wind systems will generate plenty of power and are more reliable, more quiet, and more efficient than previous models.
Bids are due by Sept. 7 and CSU plans to pick a winner about a month later, with the projects scheduled to come online by Dec. 31, 2012.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.The primary advantages are the same whether you buy or make your own wind turbine - you are using wind power to generate some or all of your electricity. However, making your own system can save you $5,800 to $19,800, plus installation depending on the system you would have bought. You can do everything yourself in a weekend or two, except you will need a licensed electrician to tie your wind turbine into your home's power supply, if you choose to do so. An alternative to tapping into your home power supply is to get a simple and inexpensive power inveter that you can simply plug your home appliances into directly.CSU principal engineer Chris Neil, who is overseeing the bid process, said the wind power will represent 5 percent of CSU's generation capacity and move the utility toward its goal of producing 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. It would be CSU's first large-scale wind power project."We really are hopeful that we get good bids and we can make this work and we get wind farms up and running by next year," Neil said."Wind fits their system better than it fits our system," Neil said. "Integration costs are a very big issue and concern with us."A basic wind turbine has three parts: Rotor blades, a shaft, and a generator. The rotor blades catch the wind creating a drag or pulling which causes the blades to rotate the shaft. This action transfers energy from the wind into kinetic energy. Kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Any object in motion has kinetic energy. When the blades rotate, they cause the shaft to turn, or rotate, as well. The action of the shaft rotating transfers the mechanical energy into the generator. Generators operate on the principle of electromagnetic induction. When magnets are rotated around a conductor, they generate electricity.Generating your own power with a wind power system will give you many advantages. Unline solar panels that can only work during the day, wind turbines can run 24 hours a day as long as wind is present.The next issue is that the horizontal models have to face the wind and the wind's direction is always changing. This rotation is done by the wind and the turbine cannot generate electricity until it is in position.While wind power has a lot going for it, it also poses some challenges for CSU. Wind blows when it blows and other times turbines fall still. Integrating that intermittent energy resource into Utilities' primarily coal-powered electrical generating capacity can be a challenge, Neil said. Xcel has more natural gas plants, which are easier to cycle on and off than coal plants.
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.
Author: Lee Maynard
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