Wind power is useful, has many bene (volts) fits, real electricity? yep
The promise of wind power generation, someday becoming a serious part of private homes, industrial and eventually the national power grid - is real. That is, when those huge propeller wind turbine gismos, scattered across the country side, generate enough power - economically; then they’ll become an essential part of the national power grid, but not until.
The national electrical power transmission infrastructure is rickety and getting old. Wind power generation will provide a way to supply electricity to customers close to the wind farms. As for current wind turbine technology, the up side is that the potential for home owners to install these wind mills on their property, is becoming more attractive. Unfortunately, urban homes situated on small lots are not well suited for the larger bladed turbines. However, smaller system wind power generators may be adapted to supplement grid power. Currently, suburban homes on larger properties are more suitable for larger systems, and the potential for total grid independence. The main determining factor is wind speed. Wind speeds of at least 10 mph are recommended. Therefore, it would be wise to determine this before any investment is made.
System size may vary from 10 to 15 kw and higher, depending upon the sites demand. These wind turbines may cost anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 depending upon size, application and manufacture service plans. The savings can be substantial, but it may take from 5 to 15 years to makeup for the initial outlay. In practice, the initial cost is thus recouped through utility savings, because the electricity that the wind produces is free. The home is served by the local electric utility, The Grid and also receives electricity from wind power and possibly solar. Should the wind fall below an interrupt speed – say 10 mph, no power will be produced by the home's generator. However, when the wind climbs above that point, the electricity purchased from the utility falls off.
When the wind blows, and you generate more power, the utility supplies less. This continues until that instant when you're generating more power than your home needs. From here on your system feeds the surplus back to the utility.
Sounds great doesn't it, except for one little detail. If the power you generate costs, say .45 cents/kWh, and the utility sells power to you, say at 10 cents/kWh; guess what, hummmmmm! When you sell your surplus to them, bear in mind, they're not gonna pay you your cost. If you can live with this – fine. Be patient, but just remember, 35 cents here and 25 cents there... adds up. When system costs come down to where your initial outlay would be closer to the 10 to 15 cents on sell back, your loss may be easier to swallow. Again, be patient, it'll likely even out. When utility power costs rise, and home energy system costs fall, at some point the prices will converge. It’s at this point that home wind power and solar power systems will become a real alternative and economical. And with political edicts of eliminating coal as a fuel source and coal power plants, or making their utility costs sky high, this may be nearer than we think. There is another way, for those brave enough - DIY.
Wind power can be useful

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