Wind turbines come in a few different configurations. The most popular being horizontal-axis and the vertical-axis. Horizontal-axis wind turbines are the most common you will find for small personal use in homes. Single small turbines, below 100 kilowatts, are used for homes, telecommunications dishes, or water pumping. Small turbines are sometimes used in connection with diesel generators, batteries, and photovoltaic systems. These systems are called hybrid wind systems and are typically used in remote, off-grid locations, where a connection to the utility grid is not available. In some instances you can tie in these systems to your local power company which will actually send power to the grid adding credits to your account which you will use when consuming more power then you are generating.

Although most parts are interchangeable between horizontal and vertical axis wind turbines, here is a breakdown of a horizontal-axis wind turbine for reference: Read the rest of this entry

There is a lot of talk lately about wind energy for both personal and public generation. The US alone is set to increase its wind farm capacity 45% in 2008. This trend will continue into personal wind energy generation. Wind turbines are dropping in price and becoming more efficient in design to capture all the energy it can from the wind.

Wind energy converts kinetic energy that is present in the wind into more useful forms of energy such as mechanical energy or electricity. Wind energy is a pollution-free, infinitely sustainable form of energy. It doesn’t use fuel; it doesn’t produce greenhouse gass's, and it doesn’t produce toxic or radioactive waste.

Wind energy is one renewable resource we are able to capture to generate clean, sustainable energy systems that can be relied on for the long-term future. Modern aerodynamics and engineering have improved wind turbines. They now provide reliable, cost-effective, pollution-free energy for individual, community, and national applications.

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