Windterra Eco1200 Wind Turbine could give you energy self-sufficiency

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://blog.scifi.com/tech/archives/2007/11/07/windterra_eco12.html

Windterra Eco1200 Wind Turbine could give you energy self-sufficiency

We're showing you lots of green gadgets this week, and a great example is the Windterra Eco1200, a wind turbine that can reduce your energy bill by $75 per month. Sitting up on your roof top, it doesn't matter which direction the wind is blowing, because a mere 6.7-mph breeze can set this omnidirectional windmill in motion, generating 1600 kWh per year if your winds average 11.18 mph.

It's quiet, too, because it has a automatic brake that keeps it from spinning faster than 225 rpm, where it will be noisy enough to bother you and your neighbors. Compared to solar energy, this wind turbine is relatively inexpensive, costing around $7,000 installed including the turbine, mounting materials and an inverter that turns that wind energy into electric power. A couple of Eco1200 turbines like this or this Skystream 3.7 wind generator, teamed up with the solar array on your roof might let you go off-grid, not paying power companies but selling your excess energy back to them.

[msongs]

1. not cost effective at ALL!...........

if it provided 100% of my electricy it would take 77 months just to pay for itself. If it replaced 30% of my electricity it would take......almost 20 years to pay off. Not likely to replace 30% in our area.

might be ok in North Dakota though.

Msongs

[OKIsItJustMe]

3. Are you assuming your electricty rate will not rise?

As the price of oil continues to climb, you might reasonably expect the price of all other energy sources to follow.

[jpak]

4. A 6 year payback period is pretty damned cost effective

and considering there will soon be a 30% federal tax credit (and rebates in many states) on domestic wind turbines (thank you Democrats) the payback period will be much shorter than you think.

[NMDemDist2]

2. my concern is when the winds blow really hard

we have some serious wind here, often averaging over 20MPH with gusts to 40

[lapfog_1]

5. You don't need $7,000 to buy one

if you are handy with some simple tools, you can build one.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-Savonius-Wind-Turbine-or-VAWT-to-make-elec/

Read the comments on this design to see what others have researched in the past on making even more efficient models of the VAWT and/or converting mechanical power to electricity and, in particular, clean AC.

However, for a few hundred dollars you can get something very practical.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. 1200 Watts ain't getting you off the grid if...

you have a toaster oven. Or refrigerator. But, making enough other changes will net a decent reduction in the electric bill-- this thing doesn't save money as much as it assuages your "green guilt."

Gimme 5kW for under 2 grand and it's a deal, though.

To put things in persepective, check out the price of a small 1200 watt gasoline generator.

[OKIsItJustMe]

7. Now all you have to do is buy gasoline ...

Seriously. Upfront costs aren't the whole picture.

[TreasonousBastard]

8. I know, I'm just sayin' that...

electrical generation is dirt cheap-- it's the powering of the generator that costs the money. What's a 100 amp auto alternator cost?

We're at a point where a couple of blades, propellors, or whatever are costing far more than they should. We might not get down to where they cost as little as a small lawnmower motor, but they will cost a lot less than they do now.

[jpak]

9. A 18 cu. ft. Kenmore Energy Star refrigerator uses 407 kWh per year

or 1.1 kWh per day

This turbine would provide that amount of power in 1 hour at its rated capacity or in 4 hours at 28% of its rated capacity.

I've used gas generators and they are not made for continuous long term use - even when you do the routine maintenance.

...and they cost $$$ for gas. If it only used a gallon per day, it would cost $1100 a year to run it at today's gas prices...

[bad_robbie]

11. If you could average 1200 W, you'd do pretty well . . .

Even if you could average a fraction of that, you could get 5-10kWh/day. That's not too bad if you have storage for it. Your 1500 Watt toaster oven would use a few hundred Watt-hours to run it 5-15 minutes a day to make toast, Maybe another kWh to heat up dinner.

I think your best bet for saving money right now would be to locate somewhere the utilities are compelled to buy your excess power at the same rate they sell it to you. Then you use them as your battery.

OTOH, if being off-grid is your priority (or moving is not a good option), a hybrid solar-wind system with storage cells might be better suited. Much of the US has higher winds in the winter when solar radiation is lower.

You're right that a gasoline generator is cheaper in the short-run, especially if you just want to power vacation spot off and on for a few days. But you might consider a diesel generator if you're looking for it to run continuously. This solution wouldn't do anything to assuage green guilt, unless you could perhaps grow your own biodiesel feed-stock. None of these (nor the status quo) is a perfect solution, but as they say, "You pays your money and makes your choice".

Interesting historical note: I've got a friend with elderly relatives back on the farm, and they still have some 36V dc appliances from back in the days before the "grid" got to them, when they hooked a generator to the Aeromotor and charged a bank of batteries.

[Kolesar]

10. To get average winds of 11mph, I would have to locate it 200 feet in the air...

...in my locale.

However, there is still an application for such a product in other locations in America. My hunch right now is just to buy photovoltaics and generate electricity during the sunny parts of the year and buy it for the cloudy season. (Cloudy started about a week ago here and lasts until February when the lake freezes).

[One_Life_To_Give]

12. $7/Watt installed is kind of pricey

Cheaper than PV's $9/Watt installed, but still. Shouldn't wind generator systems be coming in at around $5/W installed or less? I estimate the current ROI at approx. 7.8yrs. Really needs to be not more than 3-5yrs before any such device will see widespread use.