Anyone know anything about setting up a wind turbine?

[Jon D. Speer]

Does anyone know anything about setting up a wind turbine for electricity? How much land is needed? What are the costs? Will electric providers help fund this? I've been thinking about putting a wind turbine on my property. How many residences can this power?

[Chris Hardie]

Jon,

You might contact the Cope Environmental Center here in Richmond, IN. They've got a 104-foot, 1KW turbine up as an educational tool to help others in the area learn about wind power. They also paved the way in having conversations with a lot of the regional power utilities about what's possible. I created a YouTube video about the process, which might give you a sense of the land involved - I think the recommendation is that you have a clearing with a radius twice the height of the tower.

I hope that helps!
Chris

[Jon D. Speer]

Thanks, Chris! I'll look into this.
Cheers,
j

[Noah Coffey]

Check out http://www.skystreamenergy.com/. Just one of many resources online. Will give you some info on what to expect power-wise.

I heard on NPR last month that a Swiss company was almost finished with a small residential wind turbine that would be available for purchase later this year--but I can't remember the name or find any info.

If I had the land and the money, I would totally throw a few of these up. :)

[Jon D. Speer]

Noah,
Thanks for the link and comments. I'll investigate.
Cheers,
j

[Bruce LaDuke]

Jon,

The standard propeller-based solution for wind power is popular, but it is a very inefficient approach and they have to be very large to be efficient. There are lots of other designs that are more efficient and are 'urban-friendly' and would even work well in a suburban home.

Here are a few interesting links along these lines:

http://thefraserdomain.typepad.com/energy/2007/09/mariah-powers-w.html
http://www.avinc.com/media_gallery2.asp?id=305
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrT4X113imk

The other problem with the larger propeller wind turbines is that they are killing bats because the pressure differential they create explodes the bat's lungs. Bees and bats pollenate almost all plants on earth, so if that part of the ecosystem is disrupted we're in big trouble.

One of the coolest solutions I've seen was done by a town in Europe (couldn't find the link). What they did was use wind power to pump water into a resevoir. Energy was then drawn from the water flow out of the reservoir. In effect, the water was the 'battery.' This allowed for a level energy supply and didn't require constant wind. I've thought a lot about how one might use this approach on a personal level instead of using batteries. E.g., using a small lake or a water tower. Not sure if this is feasible.

There are a lot of places doing power buy-back programs where energy is scarce, e.g., in California, but I don't think Indiana is there yet. Not sure though.

[Jon D. Speer]

Bruce,
I had no idea about the issue with bats. Thanks for the info!
j

[A Brewster Smythe]

This is a great questions and I am following the flow of answers closely. As the founder of the Waynedale Green Alliance part of our manifesto is seeking out answers about renewable energy sources. Thanks for bringing this question to fore for residents of Indiana.

[Jon D. Speer]

Brewster,
I've been pleasantly surprised by the insights and comments. I have a couple of acres that I don't really use for anything now. I've thought about doing some farming, an orchard, possible livestock, and now a windmill.
Cheers,
j

[Linda Broadfoot]

Jon~

KIB's wind turbines came from a company called Mariah Power. Drive by and check them out on the corner of Fletcher & Shelby. See attached.

[Jon D. Speer]

Linda,
Thanks for the information!
Cheers,
j