Home sized wind generators are small scale wind turbines that generate clean and renewable energy. They have no harmful emissions and can thus help reduce a significant proportion of our CO2 emissions. A domestic wind generator should be installed above all rooftops and trees, on the highest tower practical for the site. Towers used in domestic wind power situations are generally between ten and twenty metres (32-64 feet) tall.
A variety of different sizes and models of small wind systems exist. These range from 100 watts (W) for very small systems that are less than 1 metre in diameter, and typically used to charge 12 V or 24 V batteries in stand-alone systems such as boats. Turbine capacities increase to 50 kW for larger systems that can be 15 metres in diameter, mounted on a 25 metre hub and used for large buildings, by industry or for communities. Homes and business would usually use turbines ranging from 0.6 kW to 20 kW, with models marketed as potentially suitable for rooftops varying from 0.5 kW to 2.5 kW in size.
Southwest wind power produce the Sky stream wind turbine seen below, which has a rated capacity of 1.8 KW with a rotor diameter of 3.72 m (12 feet). The estimated energy production is 400 KWh (kilo watt hours) per month at a wind speed of 12 MPH (5.4 metres per second). Skystream is available in North American grid (220V/60HZ), marine and battery charging versions, and an international configuration (50HZ) will be available in the near future.
The smaller Ampair has a power rating pf 300 watts at 12.6 metres a second (m/s) and a rotor diameter of 1.2 m (3.9 feet). A unit such as this could supply limited power to an energy efficient household, although it simply would not run high energy consuming items like; electric cookers, space heating, hot water and refrigerative air conditioning. A larger system, or other forms of energy would be needed to power the large energy suckers.
If you are seriously considering renewable energy (RE) such as a home sized wind generator for your business or home, check your local yellow pages for someone who designs RE systems. Systems can be tailored so both wind and solar are integrated to provide sufficient power for the largest of homes. Or perhaps you would like to try and build your own?