What all is needed?

[Mearow]

I can't seem to find a straight answer on what all is needed for a windmill.  I want to use it to charge my battery pack then when the battery is full for the power to bypass and feed the grid.  Do they even have things like that available?  I see tons of what seem to be very affordable mills, turbines etc many places but then I see other things listed like wiring harnesses for seperate prices.  So what all do I need to purchase or look for when I figure out which windmill to buy for my home?  We have a new construction and we are trying our best to use alternate power for some of our homes power use.  The trouble I am finding is as a layperson I can't seem to find what all I need so I can even see if its in our price range.  I mean sure the blade parts I have seen for as low as 500 bucks but I know that isn't all that is required..I mean you have to have wires and a tower and other things right?  Can anyone help me with a list of things I will need to but or at least look for?

Thanks!

[dinges]

A shopping list or money is the least of your worries right now.

Study this board, or perhaps even better for a total beginner read and visit

www.homepower.com

and read their articles. The previous issue of the magazine can be downloaded for free and makes good reading for non-technical inclined people too. Will take a few weeks, but soon you'll find yourself no longer overwhelmed with what you will read.

There are no shortcuts here for knowledge. Not even lots of money.

Peter.

[Mearow]

Thanks Peter I will look at the site.

[drdongle]

If you want to feed back to the grid ( we call this "grid tie") you will have to use UL approved equipment designed for that purpose ( not cheap). I recommend that you use the money that this would cost and buy more batteries and and get independent of the grid all together.

Firstly you need to figure how much power you will need and then a system can be designed to accomodate your needs. Right out of the box, forget all the larger electrical appliances, stoves, heatpumps, waterheaters (unless you plan to use if for a diversion load) window air conditioners, etc. You will need to look at gas and wood heat. Consider super insulating.

I'm sure more suggestions will follow.

[Mearow]

hi and thanks so much for the response.  I looked at the site and it was most informative on what is required for a wind unit.  So Dr. D are you off the grid all together?  How does that work out for you?  No waterheater?  Does this mean cold showers or solar water heat?  I must admit I am a bit confused about how that works but I did read up on it quite a bit today.  Its been a very hard thing to learn since it seems like alternate power is a closely guarded secret or something.  

If we could generate enough to be off the grid all together that would be great but I don't think we can in our area.  We are in South Mississippi the wind average is 9.5 mph and I don't think that is enough to substain our home.  We are looking into hydro as well since we have water that flows 24/7.  We just have to build up so its head is high enough to produce a decent flow.  Anyway I am so glad to be learning about this and I am so very excited about our options and what it means for the enviroment.

Thanks again,

Mearow

[drdongle]

My RE set up is a work in progress, currently we heat the house, water and cook with gas. Wind and solar electric is in the works. None of this stuff is secret, it's just not common knowledge. Being here is is one of the best places to start. Since you are new to this I recommend that you start reading the board archive (not a simple or quick task) from the beginning. You will learn A LOT. Read the current posts, use the search function to research any particular subject. Feel free to ask questions, but research first.

Good luck

[force9BOAT]

Hello,

You said the average wind speed is 9.5mph.  Be careful about that.  Where I live the average afternoon wind speed is about 13mph but it's in the tops of trees 60 feet high.  On the roof of my house 25 feet high there is almost no wind at all, even when the tops of trees in my neighborhood are bending over.  Before you jump headlong into a wind turbine ask yourself for where you live do you have the ability to erect a tower tall enough to get your turbine up into the wind?  I have both solar panels and a wind turbine.  The solar panels produce about 90% of my RE power because tall trees in my neighborhood block the wind and I can't build a tower tall enough to get above them.

Also, the 9.5mph average, is that the afternoon wind speed when the wind is strongest for a few hours a day?  Or is it the 24 hour average?  My guess is it's the average "peak" wind.  Most of the time (in 24 hour day) I bet your wind speed is between zero and 5mph.  If that is the case your turbine will be producing nothing most of the time.  Even at 9.5mph you will get very little if anything at all.  Most small wind turbines don't start producing much power until the wind gets to about 15mph or more.  How many hours a day do you get that?  

Like I said, I have both solar panels and wind turbine.  The turbine gives me 90% of the fun working on it but the solar panels give my 90% of my RE energy.  You may want to consider spending your money on solar panels first.

Also, unless you really get serious about RE I agree with a previous comment about feeding power back to the grid, forget it.  Instead isolate the appliances that can be powered via RE such as computers, consumer electronics, lamps, etc. and power them independently with RE disconnected from the grid.  

Good luck,

Rob