Today’s wind systems are dependable, economical, and environmentally friendly. Harnessing the power of the wind to generate electricity allows us to gain some sense of responsibility for meeting our own needs and for reducing our impact on the environment. Modern wind turbines have come a long way from the clunky metal turbines seen on so many farms in the Midwest during the 1940’s, and incorporate many of the aerodynamic features of modern aircraft. Advancements in blade construction and generator design allow today’s wind turbines to operate quietly and reliably in a wide variety of environmental conditions. Prudent Living is pleased to offer many different types and sizes of wind machines ensuring complete customer satisfaction. Whether your needs are large or small, grid connected, battery charging, or water pumping, rest assured. Our professional staff of wind experts will be able design a system to meet your needs.
Is Wind Energy Right for Me?
Before deciding on a specific type of wind system, it is important to know the potential of your site. Ample wind is a prerequisite for successfully siting a wind turbine, and generally speaking, the more the better. There are many factors which affect the performance of a wind turbine such as wind speed and density, obstructions, and tower height. The power that can be generated form a wind turbine is directly related to the force of the wind and the size of the portion of the turbine that interacts with the wind, usually a blade of some sort. Properly siting a wind turbine is essential to the performance of the wind system. Prudent Living will perform a reliminary evaluation of your site at no charge.
How Much Power Can I Make From The Wind?
This is the most frequent question we are asked, and one of the most difficult to answer. As indicated above, the amount of power available in the wind is affected by several factors. The two most important of these factors are the speed of the wind and the wind swept area of the turbine’s blades. Simply stated, the larger the blades and the stronger the wind, the more power the turbine can generate. But other factors come into play which can affect the power available in the wind. Air density is one of the critical aspects affecting the power available in the wind. While air density is affected by temperature and altitude, turbulence is by far the biggest factor in reducing the available power and must be reduced or eliminated for a wind turbine to function efficiently.
Reducing turbulence means siting the turbine at least forty feet above any obstruction within 400 feet of the turbine. Understanding the characteristics of the wind at a particular site is also of great importance in properly siting a wind turbine. The low air density associated with swirling wind and wind that constantly changes direction will rob up to 90% of the available power of the wind. A wind turbine that continually hunts in an attempt to stay “in the wind” will invariably lead to disappointing performance. The wind professionals at Prudent Living can evaluate your site and provide advice, guidance, and accurate performance estimates to help you make an informed decision about whether utilizing Wind Energy is right for you.
How Does A Wind System Work?
Prudent Living offers wind systems that fall into three basic categories: Grid-connected electrical power generation, stand-alone battery charging systems, and water pumping systems. The simplest and most cost effective system is the grid-connected wind system. In the grid-connected illustration below, the wind generator sends electricity to an inverter which conditions the power to match the electrical grid power. Some of the turbines we offer incorporate the inverter right into the turbine housing making the connection as simple as running a wire to the existing electrical panel in your house.
The grid-connected wind system is linked to your local power company, by agreement, and the energy is net-metered. In the net-metered energy system, your electric meter will spin backward whenever you are generating more power than you are using and forward when you are using more power than you are generating. The result is that your electrical usage is billed at the net difference between what you make and what you use.
Battery charging applications are normally used by our customers living in remote areas with no electrical grid connection available. Prudent Living can install a wind turbine to supplement your existing off-grid powering your home system as well as design a complete turn-key, stand alone, off-grid electrical system powered with wind, solar, micro-hydro, or a combination of these power generating systems.
One of the oldest uses for wind machines is water pumping. With over a million wind pumping systems installed world wide, water pumping remains an important application of wind energy in both the developed and developing worlds. Typically, these machines are designed to pump low volumes of water from shallow wells for use in irrigation systems or remote stock tanks.
