The Future of Personal Wind Turbines

Photo: Paul Anderson

Green energy for the environment is a hot topic today, and now it’s becoming even more a reality for the USA, UK and for Canada. Small wind turbines for homes and small businesses are finally here, and they take on a smaller form than their predecessors, for they can be easily mounted on a rooftop or pole. They also can be tied to the national grid system, thereby selling any excess back to the electric company.

In past years, wind turbines and wind farms were used more by India and Germany, but recent results show that the United States has taken over the top spot. The United Kingdom is seated at a respectable number 5 as a country having the most functioning wind turbines. But typically countries have had such devices on farms, on the plains, near mines, offshore and other places with wide open spaces. That is changing. A good part of its location use was due to the fact that the turbines were very large, disrupting the landscape, and causing local opposition, and that too is changing.

In the past, wind turbines have been primarily Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs), or Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) that came with a host of challenging problems. HAWTs were difficult to install and transport and approximately 20% of the transportation cost was added to the equipment cost.

Photo: Neutronic

VAWTs did not fair much better, for they had blade failure due to fatigue and changing parts could be difficult depending on the design of the VAWT. One VAWT subtype generally required some external power source because the starting torque was so low. Moreover, both the HAWTs and VAWTs required additional expensive equipment.

HAWTs needed an additional yaw control mechanism to turn blades and nacelle toward the wind, and filtering was needed to suppress signal clutter of radar installations, because the reflection of the tall towers could affect side lobes there. VAWTs had additional structures or parts so that downward thrusts that cause stress could be eliminated. These units along with other subtypes such as the helical twisted VAWTs and those with rotating sails are still used and will not be completely in our past, but they will not be the only wind source available in the near future. Small wind turbines for residential use and small business use can help supplement home and business owners thanks to emerging new technologies.

Photo: Tiho42

Designers have been hard at work to create a less obtrusively visible turbine that has a 20-year life span, usually a 5 year warranty and is not as cost prohibitive as its former cousins.

Some small-scale, home-based turbines are already being used - BBC News reported in Oct 2005 that 7,000 turbines were already in use based on households that had been given grants and paid for 1/3 of the total cost. The source noted that the typical household saw a reduction between a quarter and a third of its annual bill and that some places in the UK could benefit more depending on the location and if it was more particularly windy.

Grants may have ended but companies are coming out with even better turbines. A more recent update has emerged for the U.K. by the Energy Saving Trust, detailing the different turbine sizes, selling your energy, cash back program and a link to a wind speed prediction tool.

Canadians too can jump on the bandwagon, for the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANwea) is also helpful in outlining case studies, info on measuring wind and a handy ballpark cost calculator.

UK-based company Renewable Devices partnered with Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Cascade Engineering, Inc to design the unit called the Swift Wind Turbine that is manufactured and marketed by Cascade and is available in many parts of North America, including Canada. Their website includes a data sheet found under the brochures tab and a technical specifications section as well.

Like their Canadian neighbors, Americans too can take advantage of the Swift Wind Turbine and another product in the pipeline whose release has been held up. The new products was first expected to hit the market in February this year, then the date was moved to August 2010, and now bumped again with a new expected release date in September. This will be the highest output, and lowest cost per kWh for a turbine in its class and size, and generates energy across a broader range of wind speeds or classes. Stay tuned, and check back often for updates detailing this system.