Vertical Axis Wind Turbines
By Pat Herron

People have been harnessing the wind's power for centuries to pump water and perform other mechanical tasks. But it's only been in the last few decades that the expertise for converting the wind's energy into electricity has made the necessary strides to become an alternative source for energy production. Most of this technology has been applied to large scale operations and some smaller units for home use.

For the home owner interested in producing their own electricity, choices have been limited primarily to investing in a horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). These units can carry a hefty price including the installation of a large tower, maintenance, plus the regulation in some areas regarding tower height, noise concerns and environmental issues.

For city dwellers with no place to erect a HAWT, wind power has not been an option at all. The vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) provides a more economical alternative for the small scale user. Some of the most recent designs have overcome the problems of early models such as their inability to self-start in light winds plus issues of noise and vibration levels. Most of the new technology works well in an urban or suburban environment where some wind turbulence is inevitable unless the turbine is sited well above any surrounding buildings.

A HAWT has to physically rotate to face into the wind every time the direction changes, requiring a large tower to place the rotors above all obstructions. The VAWT doesn't require such clearances and can keep producing power in these turbulent areas.

Most vertical axis wind turbines are very silent, emitting only a slight humming sound near the equipment. The turbines turn at a lower speed unlike the larger tower turbines where the blade tips can travel at supersonic speeds becoming a threat to bats and birds traveling thru them. For these reasons they are safe to use in population centers, public spaces, parks, wildlife parks and on buildings. Some of the more adventurous designs have the look of sculpture adding another dimension to your installation.

The VAWT systems have a larger wind speed range and are able to self start in light winds, sometimes 2-3 meters per second, and continue producing electricity at much higher wind levels than the traditional HAWT units.

If you are considering alternative energy sources to lower your utility bills or to minimize your impact on the environment, vertical axis wind turbines offer new technology that can help you achieve your goals.

Pat Herron is an environmental activist concerned with our energy choices and the effects they have on our world. More information can be found at http://small-scale-wind-energy.blogspot.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Herron

Texas Wind Energy
By Richard Chapo

If every there was a state associated with oil, it is Texas. Given this association, many people are surprised to learn wind energy is popular in the state. Here is a guide to Texas wind energy.

Texas Wind Energy

Wind energy is a growing industry in the United States. In the year 2004 alone, the quantity of energy that was generated by wind energy plants (wind farms) amounted to 6,720 megawatts (MW). Additionally, the US has spent about $7 billion dollars on the installation of these wind turbines and wind farms, meaning that wind energy has become a big industry. Fortune 500 companies as well as other big financial and energy companies have become major players in the wind energy arena. There are many different states throughout the country that are involved in wind energy and energy, but Texas wind energy is some of the most abundant.

Texas wind energy was long considered to be a perfect solution for the state's energy needs, as well as the US's total energy needs. Texas is currently the largest wind energy producer in the United States, providing enough energy to energy 600,000 average size homes a year. Texas is also home to the US's first off-shore wind farms, along the Gulf Coast, as well as the largest wind turbines in the country. There are currently about 1,600 wind farms that are located in West Texas alone, with additional wind farms located in the wind-rich areas of the High Plains and along the Gulf Coast.

The United States Department of Energy recently completed a study that found that the high wind energy states of Texas, North Dakota and Kansas could feasibly create enough energy through wind farms to satisfy the entire country's electricity needs. Wind energy as an energy source has increased more than four times in the years between 1999 and 2005, and it is now on a par with both coal- powered and natural gas-fired energy plants.

One huge beneficiary from the profits that wind farms can generate are the schools of the state of Texas. Each year, these schools earn millions of dollars from wind energy that's generated on state land – the amount of money depending on how many megawatts of energy are produced as well as the current price of electricity. This money, as it is earned, is placed in the Texas Permanent School Fund, and this fund is expected to earn $300 million over the next 20 years.

Texas wind energy is not only a great source of ecologically friendly, renewable energy – it's also a great economic boost to the state. Besides being cheaper to use, the revenue created from selling the energy harnessed on state land goes directly to the school system in the state.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - providing wind farm information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Chapo

Working With The Power Of Wind
By James Copper

Wind power is growing in popularity as an alternative to fossil fuel and one of the best of the renewable energy sources. The use of wind power requires wind turbines. Wind turbine generators do little to harm the environment and are far preferable in this regard to fossil fuel. The only disadvantage is that they cannot be used everywhere. In order to effectively use turbines to generate wind power you would need an average wind speed of at least 13 miles per hour. Obviously, that is not found everywhere.

Palm Springs California is ideal for wind turbines that generate power and as you pass through there along highway 10 you will see these wind turbines in various sizes. Called a wind farm, This San Bernadino Mountain area has over 4000 windmills in its San Gorgonio Mountain Pass. These turbines provide enough wind power to provide electricity to all of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley area as a whole. Most of the current wind power generation in the U.S. resides in California.

The largest of the wind power windmills is 150 feet in height with blades that stretch halfway across a football field. There are compartments at the windmills top that house its generators, its hub and its gearbox. These weigh at least 30,000 and as much as 45,000 pounds. At this size the turbine for wind power may cost more than 300,000 but will provide 300 kilowatts each hour. This amount of wind power is enough to keep one typical household in electrical power for an entire month.

The American Wind Energy Association AWEA is a U.S. - wide non-profit organization promoting wind power as a clean electrical source for consumers the world over. AWEA represents developers of wind power projects, those who are in the business of supplying wind power equipment, wind power service providers, manufacturers of wind power parts, utilities that provide wind power for electrical power, scientists researching green energy resources that include the use of wind power and others involved in any way in the wind power industry. Hundreds of advocates of wind power are also members of AWEA.

The American Wind Energy Association provides the latest information on the operation of current or potential wind power projects, the ongoing development of new wind power projects, companies who work in the burgeoning industry, the development of new wind energy technology, and government legislation and policies that pertain to the use, production and funding of wind power and other renewable energies.

AWEA acts as a clearing house for the wind power industry, and as such communicates the pertinent statistics, facts and news. From AWEA consumers and others can find out the latest legislative decisions and efforts, including the best information on grants and loans to aid in the implementation of residential, commercial and governmental wind power projects.

AWEA publishes and disseminates the only weekly wind power newsletter that exists anywhere. It also hosts an annual wind power conference, with presentations on the latest technological developments and trends as well as access to businesses offering help in its implementation.

James Copper is a writer for http://www.newcareerskills.co.uk/domestic-energy-assessor-training.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Copper

Is A Wind Turbine Right For You?

By James Bratley

You may have seen the many different small home wind
turbines you are able to purchase in the shops, yet you
may be undecided whether one of these small scale wind
turbines is for you. Before purchasing a turbine, you
should do some research regarding; can your environment
make a turbine efficient enough, what alternative energy
sources can you harness, and which technology is the
best value for money.

Below we shall discuss each of the three points
explained above in more detail, outlining the factors
relating to each.

Wind turbines only generally work to their full
potential in very few areas. To gain an efficient use of
a turbine, you should do some in depth research and a
site survey into how sustainable your environment is to
support a wind turbine. For efficient placement of a
wind turbine, you need to look into the average annual
wind speed and direction. There are many references
available to explain what speed the wind must be for
different sized turbines. Wind direction is only a
factor which relates to which position your place your
turbine in, yet many modern small home turbines are very
mobile and you can usually twist them to face the
direction you prefer.

It will be well worth your time to browse the market
looking for alternative renewable energy sources. This
mainly depends on your budget, but solar panels are a
very popular choice as either an addition, or a total
replacement for a wind turbine. Solar panels generally
offer you a greater pound per watt, and are also
generally more efficient for home power production.
Deciding which technology is the best value for money,
also ties in with the environment factor. You need to do
research and decide which of the renewable energy
sources is most in abundant in your region, for example
if you live on a small island off the coast of northern
Scotland, then you would more than likely choose a home
wind turbine as you are exposed to strong winds, but if
you live in the center of England (where wind speeds are
usually quite low), you may opt for a solar panel.

So, as we can see here, many factors will decide on the
right natural energy source for you. If you can afford
to integrate renewable energy production methods into
your home, it is strongly suggested, considering the
current situation with global warming, that you make an
attempt to install these more environmentally friendly
appliances.

http://www.clean-energy-ideas.com/wind_turbines.html

Improve Your Home With A Residential Wind Turbine

By Richard Chapo

What if I said you could cut your electric bill by 50
to 90 percent? Well, you can by installing a small,
residential wind turbine on your property.

Improve Your Home With A Residential Wind Turbine

When you combine the cost of fossil fuels with the
pollution and climate problems they create, it can all
get a bit overwhelming. It is easy to find oneself
wondering where to start when dealing with these
problems. Given the state of fear attitude portrayed in
most media, this is hardly a surprise. Surprisingly, the
answers are fairly simple if you wade through the hype.
Wind power is a renewable energy source with a lot going
for it. It produces electricity by converting the
inherent energy in wind through a generator in a wind
turbine. It produces no pollutants of any sort and will
be available to us for as long as wind exists, to wit, a
very long time. Given this fact, you are probably
wondering if you are supposed to build a bunch of
turbines in your yard. Nope!

As a conscientious person, you can do your part for the
environment while saving some serious money on your
utility bill. Residential wind turbines are the answer.
Often given the nickname “small wind”, these turbines
are designed to work on a per home basis. Given the
right conditions, a residential turbine can produce all
of the electricity you need and more. In fact, the
generator will be hooked up to the utility grid and you
can actually sell power to the utility if you produce
more than you need.

Now, the word turbine can be a bit intimidating. When I
think of a turbine, I picture something large and loud.
In the case of small wind, this is not the case. The
machinery makes a bit of noisy, but nothing substantial.
Although sizes vary, your little power producer will be
roughly three to five feet wide from the tip of one
propeller to the other.

The one area where residential wind power may be a
problem involves height. To make electricity, your
turbine needs to get 10 miles an hour of wind. This may
sound like a lot, but it often is not if you go 20 or 30
feet up in the air. To this end, you can do a search for
small wind information to find out the statistics for
your area.

Assuming wind power makes sense for your home, you
should be able to greatly reduce or outright eliminate
your electricity bill.


Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com Visit us to read
more articles on wind power.

Wind Energy – USA

By Richard Chapo


One of the world's fastest growing types of renewable
energy sources is wind energy. While most of the Earth
is still reliant on different types of fossil fuels
(such as oil, natural gas and coal) for their energy
supply, many countries are trying to come up with
alternative methods of obtaining energy. Much of Europe
has begun to build and use wind farms, which are
groupings of wind turbines that harness the energy of
the wind in order to create energy and electricity.
Also involved in using wind energy, USA has started to build their own wind farms.

Wind turbines are the individual components of wind
farms, and they are machinery composed of several main
parts. The first part is the rotor, also known as the
blades or the propeller, and this is the part of the
turbine that actually collects the wind energy and
converts it into drive energy, which then turns a shaft.
This shaft actually creates the energy that is then
stored or converted into electricity. Wind farms are
groupings of many of these turbines, usually 10 or more.
The wind energy USA had capacity for in the year 2004
was 6,740 MW, with a prediction that the wind energy
capabilities of the United States will be increased by
5,000 MW in the next five years. The US Department of
Energy has a goal of obtaining 6 percent of the
country's electricity needs from wind energy by the year
2020, which is a fair goal judging by the current rate
of growth seen in the wind energy industry. California
is the state in the US that produces the most wind
energy, with 2,096 MW of wind generating capacity per
year.

As one MW is enough energy to supply energy to 240 to
300 average US homes, the amount of wind energy USA
currently produces is enough to energy 500,000 to
620,000 homes per year. The United States is currently
ranked as the third highest wind energy producing
country in the world, behind Germany and Spain. The
business of wind energy in the US is also monetarily
significant – it costs about $1,000 per kilowatt (KW) of
installed wind energy capacity. When multiplied by the
US's capacity of 6,740 KW, this makes wind energy a $7
billion industry.

Wind energy is a growing energy source in the United
States for many reasons. Wind energy is cleaner, cheaper
and more renewable than many of the current sources of
energy used in this country. Additionally, the capacity
for expansion of wind farms and ways to harness wind
energy means that as the US's energy needs grow, there
will continue to be enough energy to provide for all of
our energy needs.


Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - providing
information on wind power as an alternative energy
platform.

Wind Turbines - How to Harvest the Wind

By Hans Dekker

Wind is produced from the uneven heating of the
atmosphere and irregularities in the earth’s surface.
The air movement between these areas is what we refer to
as wind. Just as we can use flowing water to turn
turbines, we can harness the power of the wind with wind
turbines to create electricity.

Wind turbines have been in use since the 1920s. Their
earliest use was to provide electricity in remote areas
that didn’t have access to a large utility company.
Today there are fewer areas that are "off the grid" but
wind power can now be used to supplement traditional
power sources.

Wind turbines can be used individually to provide power
for a household, or they can be used in arrays to
provide electricity on a large scale. These arrays of
industrial sized turbines are called "wind farms" and
are usually situated in areas that receive consistent
strong winds. Coastal areas, hilltops, and mountain
passes are common areas for wind farms.

Thanks to advances in wind turbine technology we are now
able to use the wind as an affordable alternative to
fossil fuel for producing power. New technologies make
turbines more efficient and modern production techniques
bring the cost of turbines down.

When used as a supplement for residential electricity,
wind turbines are connected to the breaker box provided
by the power company. The power produced is available
for immediate consumption, and if the wind turbine
produces more electricity than is needed the excess is
fed back into the utility grid for a credit on the
homeowners power bill.

For those interested in living "off the grid" wind power
can be used in conjunction with other alternative energy
sources such as solar power. These two methods of
producing electricity complement each other, when the
sun is strong, the wind may be low, and the wind may be
stronger on cloudy days.

Also, since solar power is not produced at night, a wind
turbine can provide the electricity at this time.

Our site provides more in depth information wind energy
and the other sustainable energy sources, howto's and
downloadable building plans.


Hans is author of
http://www.alternative-energy-guide.com/ find more
information at the our wind power section