Wind Energy System: Take Advantage of Wind
Small Wind Energy System
When viewing the North Sea from the sandy beaches of Holland, the sea looks deserted apart from the odd seaship. No Wind Energy system in sight.
As a matter of fact the North Sea is the busiest sea on earth. It is a busy industrial area: under the surface many pipes and cables dating back to the nineteenth century to the newest internet cables.
The sea is no more than 30 to 50 meters deep in most places, which is ideal for constructing platforms. In the ‘Doggersbank’ the depth is only 15 meters.
Above the surface, but luckily often out of sight, hundreds of oil and gas platforms have been built since the 1970s. The North Sea is ideal for building a wind energy system.
In the meantime ten wind turbine parks have been constructed that turn the fierce sea winds into energy. In total they are responsible for 1.941 Megawatt energy which is sufficient to supply 1,8 million households with energy. These turbines can be as tall as 20-story buildings and usually have three 200-foot-long (60-meters-long) blades. The wind spins the blades, and these blades turn a shaft that is connected to a generator producing electricity.
If all plans that have been scheduled for the next years will get carried out, the North Sea will deliver 40 times as much wind energy in ten years time. An area as large as 25.000 square kilometres will be occupied by wind turbines. But what about a wind energy system for us, consumers??!
Wind energy system for consumers?
Now, what can we as consumers do if we live in a windy area? Can we build a small wind energy system near our house, or even on top of our homes? What are our options to make use of wind? It seems such an easy option to producing energy and to saving energy. Wind is a very clean source of green energy or renewable energy, producing no pollution of the air or water.
And since wind energy is entirely free, operational costs are almost nihil as soon as a wind energy system is erected. But, wind is unpredictable at the same time. If it’s not blowing, no electricity is generated.
Small wind energy systems are indeed one of the most cost-effective renewable energy systems, and non-polluting at the same time. A small wind energy system could lower your electricity bills with 50% to 90%. A great method of saving energy!
Secondly, it can also help avoiding the high costs of having utility power lines extended to a remote location. Once you have a small wind energy system, it can be utilized for other applications such as water pumping on a farm or ranch.
Wind energy system: stand-alone or connected?
A small wind energy system can be connected to another electric system, or can stand alone. If you are living in a remote location, a stand-alone wind energy system can be more cost-effective. The alternative is to extend a power line to another electricity grid. These costs could well range from $15,000 to $50,000 per mile! A small wind energy system erected in a backyard can produce enough electricity for a single home or small business.
A successful stand-alone green wind energy system generally takes advantage of a combination of technologies. Setting up a stand-alone wind energy system is not an easy business to do, but can be very rewarding if successful! If you are not very technical yourself, you can always ask a local system supplier or installer, a local renewable energy organization to help you. Often there are specific requirements in your area. A very useful site for those of you who are American, is the website of the United States Department of Energy.
If you want to know more about a small Wind Energy System, and may want to look into constructing one yourself, just have a look at this Solar, Wind Energy DIY guide
Click here for more information on constructing a small wind energy system!
