4/30/2024 0 Comments Making a wind turbine at home![]() ![]() A professional installer should help you determine the tower height you will need but be aware of by laws governing building height restrictions.Ĭombining wind and solar power into a hybrid system – AC/DC Residential wind turbines can be ground mounted or installed on your roof. The height of a wind turbine’s tower also affects how much electricity the turbine will generate. Typically your existing electricity bills will be analysed for a 12 month period because consumption may differ from season to season. A 1.5-kilowatt wind turbine will meet the needs of a home requiring 300 kilowatt-hours per month in a location with a 14 mile-per-hour (6.26 meters-per-second) annual average wind speed.Ĭhecking the historical data of the average wind speed in your area HEREĪ professional installer will help you determine what size turbine you’ll need plus an accurate pay back period, based on your existing electricity use. Depending on the average wind speed in the area, a wind turbine rated in the range of 5–15 kilowatts would be required to make a significant contribution to this demand. The average price for a 3.5 kilowatt wind turbine in South Africa is R150,000.00 excl VAT.Īn everage 3 bed home uses around 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year (thats about 850 kilowatt-hours per month). ![]() Small wind turbines used in residential applications typically range in size from 400 watts to around 20 kilowatts. Though they’re typically heavier than their vertical-axis siblings, horizontal-axis wind turbines are better engineered for higher energy generation. They typically feature three propeller blades that oscillate upwind, forcing the blades into the wind to maximize capture capacity. Horizontal-axis turbines: Horizontal-axis wind turbines are the most common type of small wind turbines. But if the conditions are right, then wind energy can cover or offset your homes energy requirements. There are also other hinderances like high cost, noise and building height restrictions if you mount a turbine on your roof. Wind turbines rely on wind speed (at least 6m/s) and wind consistency for optimal performance. This opinion piece is written for the South African context but can be applied to other countries in Africa using historical wind speed data.īuilt up areas with trees tend break wind strength and consistency.The average wind speed in your area determines how much wind energy can be converted into electricity.Residential wind turbines are not common in South Africa because the historical wind data in the towns and cities in SA shows low wind speeds and wind consistency.
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