| When building a homemade power solution that | | | | various merits of each design (and they have!) |
| includes a domestic wind turbine there are basically | | | | fundamentally the advantages of VAWT's are the |
| two major area's of essential knowledge required. | | | | same regardless of design. |
| The first is understanding energy yield and energy | | | | Advantages: They can be built on the ground making |
| consumption of your preferred domestic wind turbine. | | | | installation and maintenance easier, they generate |
| The second is choosing which type of turbine wind | | | | power at a lower RPM rate than HAWT's , they |
| generator best suites your needs and situation. | | | | integrate better into an urban environment and some |
| Understanding Energy Yield and Energy Consumption | | | | claim they are quieter and easier for birds to avoid. |
| A simple way of putting things is | | | | Disadvantages: They generally produce power at |
| - An average modern homes requires 4,500kWh. per | | | | 50% of the efficiency of HAWT's. A great deal more |
| year. | | | | stress is placed on the tower structure reducing |
| - A domestic wind turbine with a 5 meter rotor | | | | reliability and maintenance costs can be high. This is |
| diameter provides 4000 - 4,500 kWh, per year in | | | | due to the whole structure being under it's own |
| good wind conditions. | | | | weight, so to change a component at the bottom of |
| - A domestic wind turbine with a 2 meter rotor | | | | the structure may require you to dismantle almost all |
| diameter provides 500 kWh, per year in good wind | | | | of it. |
| conditions. | | | | Large vs Small Turbine Wind Generators |
| Which type of Turbine Wind Generator? Lets begin | | | | Both HAWT's and VAWT's com in large |
| with a quick overview of the different types of | | | | configurations. A very simple way of understanding |
| turbine wind generators available and some of the | | | | the whole argument regarding large and small turbine |
| pros and cons with each. | | | | wind generators is to simple say "The larger they are |
| Horizontal-axis wind turbines (HAWT) | | | | the more efficiently they generate electricity but the |
| These are far and away the most common type of | | | | less flexible they are to manage.". Almost all of |
| domestic wind turbines. HAWT's also have a long | | | | advantages and disadvantages related to the size of |
| history, being the principle behind the famous Dutch | | | | a wind turbine fall into this area. Since we have |
| Windmills. | | | | already summed up our view on them, here are a |
| - Advantages: An obvious key advantage is that | | | | few advantages and disadvantages that don't fall |
| they are easily available. In addition the blades of | | | | under the above mentioned umbrella. |
| HAWT's can be changed in pitch so as to more fully | | | | Advantages & Disadvantages: Large wind turbines |
| catch the wind. Secondly they are easily mounted on | | | | have been blames for bird deaths, they cost much |
| high towers which maximizes their access to wind | | | | more to build and require much more approval than |
| shear. Lastly HAWT's have had the most research | | | | micro-wind. They are also much more noticeable in |
| and development backing and use in the field. In | | | | the immediate environment. Small turbines are have |
| simple terms at the low end they are easy to build | | | | more moving parts and are less efficient. However |
| and at the high end there is some pretty complex | | | | they are easy and cost effective to build at home |
| wind turbine management systems build in. | | | | and are more flexible. They will also generate |
| - Disadvantages: HAWT's don't operate well at | | | | electriciy at much lower wind speeds which is vital in |
| ground level. All other disadvantage relate to large | | | | urban area's. |
| installation HAWT's - such as difficulty with installation | | | | Building Integrated Wind Turbines. |
| of the towers, signal clutter if installed near radar | | | | Lastly a word on a recent innovation on integrating |
| installations, and cost of shipping and the tower | | | | wind turbines. New plans are underway for the |
| system. We recommend micro-HAWT for domestic | | | | Bahrain World Trade Center to include wind turbines |
| wind turbines installations. The micro-HAWT is easy | | | | in its superstructure. These turbines will provide |
| to build and install. You can find more information on | | | | 11-15% of the buildings needs. |
| how easy it is to install these turbine wind generators | | | | So if you build a new home in future, considering |
| here. | | | | engaging an architect who can offer integrated wind |
| Vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWT) | | | | turbines. Like with all alternative energy solutions, look |
| There are a few subcategories of (VAWT)'s. | | | | into the return on investment (ROI). Will these |
| They are: | | | | integrated wind turbines pay for themselves in |
| - Darrieus (or eggbeater) wind turbine | | | | energy savings...? Will it take 2 years or 10? |
| - Giromill | | | | However for advice on how easy it is to get started |
| - Savonius wind turbine | | | | bulding your own domestic wind turbines you can find |
| - "H" vertical wind turbine | | | | a homemade power solution here. |
| Although many would argue long and hard about the | | | | |