Wind Turbines and Eco Living

The Reality of Living with Wind Turbines

Whilst there is a definite and steadily growing interest in eco builds and in eco living in general, there is sometimes a little hesitance on the part of the average home homeowner to really invest in eco living in a practical sense. Without having experience of living with new innovations in energy, it can be a bit of leap in the dark to make changes such as installing wind turbines and similar energy saving devices in the home. The fact is though, that with the government behind homeowners who do want to make these changes, it is getting easier every day to improve both your carbon footprint and your financial situation. Wind turbines are a great way to begin in the quest for a greener way of life; they are relatively simple to buy as well as to install and they need very little maintenance. Turbines should be maintained and checked every two or three years and if this is done then a wind turbine should for last twenty years.

Wind Turbines and Location

The amount of wind which you receive around your home is paramount when looking at whether wind turbines could be an effective energy solution for you. If your home is situated in an extremely built up area, then there may be many obstacles which conspire to interrupt the flow of the wind and thus a wind turbine will not work as efficiently as it could. If you are unsure of how nearby buildings or landscapes may affect your wind turbine then it is possibly worth conducting an experiment with a device designed to measure the wind in the area where you live. The devices, known as Anemometer’s usually include a data logger which collects information on wind speed and direction; they are battery powered and connected to an LCD display and it is recommended that data is recorded for around year; after this time it is possible to deduce whether or not a wind turbine is a god solution for you home.

Portable Wind Turbines

Of course it is not only within our homes that we can benefit from the power of the weather. Portable wind turbines are a cost effective way of saving money when camping or caravanning and can also be used in out-buildings. Often able to supply around 50kw of power per month in conditions of around 12m/s of wind per day these are a great solution not only for camping trips but also for exhibitions and shows. The typical rotor size of a small portable turbine is around 1.5 metres in diameter and supporting towers are usually in the region of 4.5 metres tall and supplied separately but are not generally too costly an investment when one considers the benefits. In general portable wind turbines are excellent for certain applications such as outdoor public or domestic conveniences and other seldom used outbuildings. Unused power can be stored within a battery enabling you to make the most of the innate power of the weather as and when it is required.