Wind Power Systems
What It Is
Usually, when people think about wind power, they envision large scale wind farms with multiple
turbines spread over acres of land. Wind farms are used by electrical utilities to provide large
amounts of electricity to the power grid.
Comparatively, small scale wind power installations consist of smaller turbines installed by
property/business owners for the purpose of generating electricity for their own use. Decisions
on installing your own wind power system vary and can include: storing excess generation by
way of batteries or grid feed-in, balancing the use with time of day wind profiles, instability in utility prices,
interest in having an independent power source, or corporate social responsibility as it pertains to mitigating GHG emissions.
How It Works
Wind turbines have horizontal axis turbines that look like a normal house fan, having a rotational
axis parallel to the ground. These systems are the most common, being both mechanically
simple and having a small footprint when installed.
The turbines act to capture the kinetic energy of the wind with a rotor and convert it to rotational
mechanical energy. Each turbine requires at least two rotors which can be made from
fiberglass, reinforced plastic or lightweight metals. The rotors spin a shaft which spins
(mechanical energy) a generator or alternator, creating electricity. The generator produces DC
current which can be used to charge batteries. If the system includes an inverter, AC current can
be produced which can be fed into the electrical supply of a building through a series of controllers
and storage banks, or sold to the grid should net metering be allowed in your specific jurisdiction.
The structure of a turbine is a “nacelle” storage module located on the top of a metal pole
(averaging 2’ in diameter). Often extra guy wires are employed to stabilize the pole.
Wind turbines must face the wind, and most nacelles have either a tailfin (similar to a vertical fin
on an airplane), or castering support, to automatically keep the rotors facing the wind. Most
turbines in this class also come equipped with a charge controller and braking mechanism to
prevent over speed of the rotors in high winds.
Benefits
• Free renewable electricity
• Mitigates Greenhouse Gas Production by offsetting coal or other fossil fuel created
electricity
• Great for Remote or Large Users of Electricity where time of day building use matches
local wind profile
