How Much Power Will a Home Wind Turbine Produce? (Page 2)

Above that threshold, energy increases exponentially with speed. A site with 12 mph winds can generate 70 percent more energy than a site with 10 mph winds.

Wind speeds also increase quickly with altitude. A 10 kW turbine generates 30 percent more power on a 100-foot tower than a 60-foot tower. The difference is greater if tall trees or structures block the wind or create turbulence.

Most wind turbines automatically shut down when wind speeds rise above 25 mph to avoid mechanical damage or bodily injuries. A relatively calm area with seasonal windstorms may never generate much wind capacity.

Turbine Size

The other major consideration is the size of the turbine’s rotor blade. Like wind speed, a larger blade will generate exponentially more energy. A 10-foot blade may not look much larger than an 8-foot blade, but the “swept area” is 58 percent larger. That corresponds with a 58-percent increase in energy production per blade rotation.

The other parts of the turbine differ in quality more than output. Look for a reputable company with quality parts and avoid claims of extreme power production.

You might get a good offer on a wind turbine rated at 10 kW, but without considering several mechanical and natural factors, it is hard to determine the actual electric production capacity.

Photo: ell brown on Flickr

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
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Mukesh R.

9:35AM PDT on Jul 5, 2012

thanks.

July 5
send a green star

Douglas S.

9:41AM PST on Jan 16, 2012

Nice

January 16
send a green star

Ruth R.

10:34PM PDT on Aug 7, 2011

Good.

August 7
send a green star

Trish K.

12:34PM PST on Mar 6, 2011

This is year one for the schools first wind turbine. I hope it did well.

March 6
send a green star

Eternal G.

4:17PM PST on Feb 28, 2011

Thanks!

February 28
send a green star

Carol S.

6:40PM PST on Feb 17, 2011

I am behind in my emails and trying to catch up. I agree that natural wind does not generate much electricity. However, there are two alternatives to pursue. Use an airfoil effect such as putting a wind turbine in the hood compartment of a car, and leaving the compartment open, or wiring the turbine to a solar array. The array boots the turbine vanes, and the turbine creates more electricity. If the array does not generate enough with one turbine, wire it to boot another turbine and the second turbine will generate more electricity, until we improve both devices more. Another way to get more out of an array is to focus the sunlight on the guts below. Make the glass caps on the housing MAGNIFY light. Or maybe we want to experiment with very weak lasers and possibly refrigeration housing. Get more use out of the light, while keeping temps cool enough that the solar array does not go KERFLOOEY.