Renewable energy sources can power your home while lowering your electricity bill. You help reduce the use of fossil fuels that would otherwise be used to generate electricity, while also securing your own power supply. By investing in your own home wind turbine, you’re investing in one of the most reliable ways to generate renewable energy, since the wind is always blowing, to some extent.
Is a home wind turbine right for my home?
How can you tell if a wind turbine is right for you? There are many different types of people who choose to invest in their own wind turbine. It could be an organic farm looking to both showcase and enhance its sustainable profile and brand, a summer cottage located on an island without access to the power grid, or a private individual who wants to install one on their property to ensure sustainable electricity production through wind power.
There are many factors to consider when addressing this question. The first question you should ask yourself is: Do I have room for a wind turbine at home? One of the rules regarding this is that there must be sufficient land area. So if your wind turbine is 13.5 meters tall, you must have a radius of 13.5 meters around the tower that is within your property line.
After that, you should review your electricity consumption over the course of a year—how much does your household consume in a year? Then, you should find a wind turbine that generates an amount of electricity that suits you and your household. For some, the goal of a wind turbine may be to become completely self-sufficient; for others, it may be to generate their own energy or to ensure a reliable electricity supply for the household. This may be because they want electricity where there is currently none, or because they have an unreliable electricity supply that leads to power outages. There are also those who choose to install a wind turbine that produces more than their annual consumption, allowing surplus energy to be sold back to the grid. This is, of course, always an option when production exceeds consumption, provided you haven’t installed a battery to store the energy.
Once you’ve answered these questions, it’s time to assess your situation. Since you’re considering wind power, you now need to look into the most important factor: wind conditions.
How do I know if the wind is strong enough?
Once you know how much electricity you need to generate with your own home wind turbine, it’s time to figure out what size turbine you need to install. There are many different sizes of turbines, and they all have different specifications. There may be two different turbines of the same size, but with different blade sizes. There is a rule of thumb that the larger the turbine’s radius, the more electricity it will generate. This also means that an 11 kW turbine can produce as much as a 25 kW turbine, precisely because the turbine blades have different dimensions—or, as it’s also called, a different “swept area.” This is an important factor to consider when deciding which turbine to install.
Another important factor to consider is height—specifically, the total height from the ground to the top of the turbine blades. The higher the rotor blade is positioned, the stronger the wind, which results in more energy being produced. There are also certain laws and regulations that must be considered in the process. For example, to avoid having to apply for a building permit, there are four rules: the total height must not exceed 20 meters, it must have a total height that exceeds the distance to the neighbor’s property line, it must not be installed on a roof, and it must have a turbine that exceeds 3 meters in height. If you choose to invest in and install your own wind turbine at home in a way that does not violate these rules, you only need to submit a notification to the municipality.
There are a few ways to estimate the annual energy production of a home wind turbine. The easiest way is to check the data from the nearest weather station to get an idea of the average annual wind speed. This is used as a benchmark to calculate the estimated energy production of a wind turbine. As a very general rule of thumb, you can say that in small towns and villages, forests, and agricultural areas with tall hedges, the average annual wind speed is 4.5 m/s, agricultural areas with some hedges/trees and houses have an average annual wind speed of 5.5 m/s, and open landscapes have an average annual wind speed of 6.5 m/s.
Benefits of having your own wind turbine at home
There are many advantages to having your own wind turbine at home. One of the biggest advantages of having your own wind turbine at home is that it produces energy 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as long as the wind is blowing. This means you always have a source of energy that constantly supplies you with locally produced green energy. No matter how electricity prices may change, you’ll have a reliable source of energy for many years to come. If electricity prices do rise, that’s actually a positive for you, because you can sell back the excess electricity you’ve produced at a higher price. This means that if the price per kilowatt-hour increases, you’ll be able to recoup your investment even faster and enjoy even more years of “free” electricity.
Another benefit of having your own wind turbine at home is that you set an example and may even inspire others to invest in green energy for the good of the planet. VISABILITY
One advantage of wind power over solar power is that you actually use the energy you generate; solar panels typically reach peak production during the day when no one may be home, whereas wind power generates energy around the clock, which means you actually consume more of the energy you produce yourself instead of feeding it into the grid.
How does wind power work?
A wind turbine is powered by the wind, which is captured by the turbine blades, causing them to spin. As the turbine blades spin, a generator also spins, generating electricity. This electricity leaves the turbine or the top of the wind turbine as direct current, which is then converted to alternating current in an inverter at the base of the tower. After this, you now have electricity that is ready to power your home or your car, but that can also be fed into the power grid so that you get paid.
Can anyone install a small-scale wind turbine?
Anyone can erect a wind turbine in Sweden, but a certified electrician is required to connect it to the grid. This is a legal requirement and must be followed. Before installing a private wind turbine at home, you must contact the utility company to verify that there are sufficiently large fuses capable of feeding the generated electricity into the grid. It is also required that a special new meter be installed so that the utility company can measure not only electricity consumption but also the amount of electricity fed into the grid during periods of overproduction. This is something that utility companies typically provide free of charge, as it benefits everyone involved.
Costs, savings, and financial incentives for wind turbines
When it comes to investing in your own home wind turbine, the initial investment covers the entire turbine and its installation. What’s often added to the cost—and something people usually don’t think about—is the cabling between the turbine and the grid connection point, plus the licensed electrician who connects the turbine to the grid.
The benefits of installing your own wind turbine at home include a guaranteed, sustainable source of green electricity; the higher electricity prices rise, the faster you recoup your investment, and free electricity becomes a reality sooner.
Any excess electricity you generate (that you don’t consume yourself) can be sold back to the grid. This price is usually based on Nord Pool’s hourly spot prices but is also negotiable with the grid operator or utility company, as everyone benefits when sustainably generated micro-produced electricity is fed into the grid.
Maintenance of your small-scale wind turbine
When it comes to InnoVentum wind turbines, which feature a wooden tower, the tower should be oiled every 8–10 years. The turbine requires more frequent maintenance, depending on the model you choose. As a general rule, the turbine needs to be serviced every one to two years. We are, of course, happy to assist with this if desired.
