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SandyR
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 05:45pm
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Does anyone use wind power to provide energy to their cabins? We have a lot of wind, and it would be better than solar power for us.
Which one have you used, and do you have a site for me to look at?
Pros and cons too please.
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 08:09pm
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My neighbor has a small wind turbine which he uses to supplement his solar panels for charging his batteries for off-grid. Though we are in a low wind area, his particular location on a mountain ridge on the corner of the mountain has enough wind to make it feasible.
Do you have high trees? Turbines operate far better if well above the tree tops, away from turbulence caused by the wind hitting the trees. Have you had a wind power consultant do an analysis for you? It's expensive to buy and instal, I'd want to have hard numbers on how many years it would take to pay back the expense before I'd take the leap. Turbines need repair in 8-10 years, so ten years from now, has it made enough electricity to justify the original instal cost plus the 10 year rebuild costs? A lot of numbers to juggle.
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PatrickH
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 09:50pm
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These people have everything you will ever want to know very smart guy URL
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 09:52pm
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bldginsp, are you near Mariposa?
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ShabinNo5
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 10:03pm
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Disclaimer... We have not worked with Wind systems. However we did investigate and discuss options with a couple who have lived Off-Grid since 1988. They have used both wind and solar for their farm. During our visit in 2008 they advise us to focus on Solar. As mentioned by "bldginsp", the turbines work best if positioned high enough to be un-effected by the local terrain. The wind turbine on this farm was on top of a 230 foot tower. Again the advise we received matches comments from "bldginsp", with repairs required in 8-10 years. By the time we visited, they had decided to discontinue maintaining the wind turbine. Dave was no longer interested in the climb up the tower to effect repairs and were fine with not having to listen to the whirl of the blades.
After our visit, we chose to focus on Solar.
Steve
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bldginsp
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 10:58pm
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Don- no, Mariposa is central Sierra, I'm up around Lassen Narional Park, an area that shows on all wind maps as being a very low wind area. But my property, and my neighbors, are up the hill from a large valley area and on a peninsula of mountain (if you will) that seems to catch air masses as they move through the valley and pass around our ridge/hip. My neighbor thinks that's why his turbine produces enough to be worth the expense of maintaining it, along with the fact that his particular geography lets him place the turbine above the trees in his area without an extremely tall tower. Works for him, so I guess the point is that there are 'microclimates' for wind usage even in areas of low wind.
By the same token, in an area with relatively high or sustained winds it may be difficult to do well with wind because you need such a tall tower such as Shabin described, or the specific geography of your property may make a 'negative microclimate' where the winds are reduced rather than amplified as in the example of my neighbor.
Long and short of it is to hire an expert who can analyze your specific factors for a realistic assessment, IMHO
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 11:14pm
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the setup sounded like a match for someone I know
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2014 11:24pm
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I believe the Mariposa area shows on wind maps as a higher wind area, as is most of the Sierra foothills in Calif. The temperature differences between the Central Valley and immediately adjacent mountains makes for significant air movement. Or, so I hear.
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SandyR
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2014 09:50am
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We are up on the top of a hill with no trees at all. It is always windy there. I was thinking more of a roof top turbine.
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Wilbour
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2014 01:24pm
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My newly aquired property is in an area of 80 or so huge wind turbines ..... hmmmm.... I know what I'm investing in next year.
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bldginsp
Member
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# Posted: 24 Apr 2014 02:05pm - Edited by: bldginsp
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Not sure I'd want a turbine on my roof. They make noise and you would probably hear a constant low level vibration, or worse. On a hill top with no trees and steady wind sounds ideal. Even though no trees, you want the turbine off the ground because the higher you go the faster the wind. You might do well with only 20-30 foot tall towers.
You want the turbines as far away from where you spend time cause many people complain about the sound of the turbine props in the wind
Keep us informed, and post pics please
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SandyR
Member
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# Posted: 26 Apr 2014 10:46am
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I will post pics for sure. Driveway is going in first in the next few weeks. It is more than we thought it would be, so that may back us up with the cabin build. Now I need to save more money.....again.
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desertratt
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# Posted: 27 Jul 2014 08:39pm
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i too have no direct experience but have done research, missouri wind and solar seem to have the best product for the price. im planning to back my system up with a wind machine. btw. i found a easy tower system for turbines, if you have any equipment rental companies nearby, visit one and ask when theyre selling off their light towers. easy setup and a small diesel gen inside (most go for about $2500 around here for a decent one)
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780
Member
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# Posted: 11 Aug 2014 02:15am - Edited by: 780
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Old thread I stumbled on but if your back looking for info on a windmill that works try otherpower.com, they have a complete kit for roughly 2000.00. It has a 10 foot rotor, and is conservitavly rated at 800 watts, I notice there online store is down at the moment I think due to flooding or some such thing, so it might be a bit before they sell them again.
First rate units, mine has been up since 2007, and I had to do my first repair last winter when the bearings finally packed it in, cost me 37.00 dollars for 2 and that included the outer race that I didnt bother putting in, and 1.5 hours of my time. And the bearings only failed because I did not do any maintenance to it.
I wanted to see how long it would run to get a idea of a worst case. Now I no, so every fall I will tip it down and grease the bearings and now I will get to find out how long they last being given a little attention.
You couldnt give me anything from that site link above unless I want useless kinetic yard art...I have other mills but they just arnt needed so I havent bothered putting them up., and my tower is only 38 feet, still gives me the power I need. When it comes to wind power I suggest you dont believe 95 % of whats advertised out there.
Just adding the Cedar blades were great, I just stained them with linsead, and they make no noise to speak of, when driven hard its just a gental wa..wa...wa sound with the mill 75 80 feet from the house nothing at all can be heard inside even in a blowing storm
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