Wind Energy Basics for the Green Home
Why Wind Energy Power?
Wind turbines, generating free electricity from the blowing breeze, can be a very effective power source for the green home. You've probably seen banks of spinning turbines on wind farms, or the large. single turbines that have begun springing up in all sorts of places; that's because even a slight breeze can cause these generators to produce cheap electricity without the need to burn fossil fuel and the greenhouse gases that wreak havoc on our environment and personal health.
Wind Energy Components for the Green Home
There are 3 main components to any wind system. They are
Affordable wind turbines generate green electricity for the home
Wind Power Generation ~ The wind turbine
The wind turbine generates the electrical current. As the wind turns the fan blades, they spin a special generator which produces the flow of electrons necessary to power most of our appliances and equipment.
The most important considerations when considering a wind turbine for your green powered home are your energy needs and whether or not you can actually install a turbine on your property.
Obviously, the turbine needs to be located so that a wind can reach it and this typically means that it must be well above any surrounding structures such as nearby buildings.
Many municipalities will not allow a turbine, perched atop the required tower, within a certain distance of your (or your neighbors) dwelling. Check your local building codes to ascertain whether a wind turbine installation is actually practical for you.
(If not, check out our posts on solar home energy for other green power options!)
Wind Power Conditioning ~ power inverter
The electrical power converts the electrical current generated from DC(direct current) electricity to AC (alternating current) electricity, necessary to power our home, office and most industrial equipment/appliances.
Wind energy inverter for conditioning electricity in the green home.
The Grid Tie Inverter is used in applications where you'll want to have access to your local utility grid, either for using utility-produced electricity or, better yet, if you plan to produce enough wind derived electricity to sell back to the utility company!
The Off Grid Inverter is for those green power applications where one may not want to tie into the utility companies electrical grid or may be in a remote location and the utilities electrical grid is not available.
Again, the function of each of these power inverters is to alter the DC electrical current produced by your wind turbine (or drawn from battery storage) into AC electricity for use in the home or other facility and the inverter is a necessary component of the wind energy system.
Wind Power Storage ~ Deep Cycle & AGM Batteries
Deep cycle battery for storing home wind energy.
There is a wide variety of battery types available and we'll go more in-depth into battery technology at a later date. For the time being we'll give you a quick overview of the main battery types most appropriate, and effective, for use in your green power home. For the solar home power application what you'll want is a deep cycle battery.
You may have heard of these, often referred to as golf cart batteries and marine batteries but not all deep cycle batteries were created equal.
Basically, deep cycle batteries can withstand being drawn down to near-empty and provide a lower level of electricity than a "starting" battery, the type that's found in your automobile for instance.
A starting battery provides a bust of battery, such as when you turn the key to start your car, then produces little more. It can only withstand being drained down so many times and then the chemicals that store the electricity are rendered useless.
The deep cycle battery provides a steady stream of current and has a much longer lifespan while being recharged over & over.
The 2 types of deep cycle batteries we recommend you consider for your green energy home electrical storage needs are:
1) The industrial deep cycle battery. Often referred to as golf cart batteries, fork lift or floor sweeper batteries, they are usually made of the traditional and familiar materials; sulfuric acid/water with Lead-Antimony plates. The plates are much thicker than the typical automotive battery, to protect from damage due to shock or vibration, and as we mentioned previously, they can be drained down to as low as 20% of their capacity and then recharged without killing them. This is necessary feature for the home wind energy system as you may want to use your stored alternative energy when the wind isn't driving your turbine.
2)The AGM battery
The AGM (absorbed glass mat) battery is a newer technology and designed for use in the green-powered home. Like true deep cycle batteries, the AGM battery can be repeatedly drained down and recharged without significant loss of storage capacity.
AGM batteries are typically more expensive than industrial deep cycle batteries as their construction differs significantly, giving AGM batteries numerous advantages to their counterparts.
Because of the construction of the Absorbed Glass Mat battery(the electrical generating chemicals are "absorbed" in the glass mat inside the battery), the possibility of an acid spill has been removed, even if the battery case breaks.
AGM batteries are also impervious to freezing (though their electrical output will diminish and even temporarily cease if frozen).
One huge advantage is that, with their sealed construction, there is no danger of hydrogen gas leakage with AGM batteries.
So above are the 3 main components of, really, any wind energy system installation whether for the green home, a commercial or industrial environment. Any system will need at least one wind turbine, power conditioning and battery storage for the wind-driven alternative energy generated. We'll be back with more in-depth posts covering these green power components, later. In the meantime, we'll close with some recommended how-to readings that will help you determine if wind power is an appropriate alternative energy for your green home and how to properly apply wind energy systems to your green living.
