Ian Woofenden

After you decide that your home is a good candidate for wind power, you need to understand the basic parts of wind-electric systems and how they fit together. In addition, you need to evaluate how much energy your home needs and how much wind your site actually gets — a realistic wind resource assessment is key.

Analyzing your wind resource (your site's average wind speed, measured in miles per hour) is one of the hardest jobs you face when selecting a wind-electric system; no single method gives you exact numbers. To come up with a good estimate of your site's average wind speed, combine as many of the following strategies as possible: Put up a recording anemometer at the proposed wind generator height to measure your actual wind resource; you often need to do it over the course of a year or more.

Doing a usage assessment to determine how much energy you need is a vital step toward getting a successful wind-electric system that meets your power expectations. These steps help you calculate how much energy you're using: Review all energy bills so you can determine your overall energy use. List all loads (electrical appliances) with wattage and run time to see specifically where you're using energy and how much you're using.

Many wind generator inventors, manufacturers, and installers make claims about how much energy you can get from their idea or product, but how can you know whether those energy claims are realistic, ambitious, or outright scams? In all cases, you should seek real-world confirmation of estimates and check your wind power professional's numbers.

When it comes to power, a wind generator by itself will do absolutely nothing for you. You need a wind-energy system, which consists of most or all of these components: Batteries (for off-grid and backup systems) provide energy storage for periods of calm or during utility grid outages. A charge controller and/or voltage clamp take raw energy from a wind generator and condition it so it can charge batteries safely and effectively or interface with an inverter and the utility grid.