Wind Turbine Power systems for home and business in Massachusetts and New Hampshire

Wind provides an alternative source to produce electricity as part of our renewable energy program. Most of the time a wind study should be completed before a system is installed. Although wind data maps are available, they may not be as accurate as needed. Adros energy can conduct a wind study program which can take 30 to 90 days to complete.

Wind Power for Electricity Generation

Capture the power of the wind to generate your own electricity!

• Cut your electric bill by 50-100%
  

• Great Rebates and Tax Incentives
  

• Power output triples when wind speeds double

Why use Wind Power

Electricity produced by wind generation can be used directly, as in water irrigation applications. It can be stored in batteries for household use when needed, or can be grid- tied to the utility for net-metering. Wind Turbines can be part of a hybrid system that uses both wind and photovoltaic to produce electricity. In this case, when the sun is shining and the wind is calm, the PV system is producing electric, and when the clouds come out and the wind picks up the wind system takes over producing your electric, so you are always producing power.

Feasibility and Power of Wind

The most important decision when considering wind power is determining whether or not your property has enough wind to generate the power for your needs. Wind quality should be measured to determine if it is consistently available, at a constant speed, the amount of turbulence and if it is available during each season of the year.

The power available from wind varies and is calculated by taking the cube of wind speed. If the wind speed doubles, the power of the wind increases 8 times. The ability to produce a lot of energy at higher wind speeds is very attractive. For example, a 10 mile per hour wind is 10 x 10 x 10 =1000, and a 20 mile per hour wind is 20 x 20 x 20 =8000.

One of the effects of the cube rule is that a site which has an average wind speed reflecting wide swings from very low to a very high velocity, may have twice or more the energy potential of a site with the same average wind speed which experiences little variation. This is because the occasional high wind packs a lot of power into a short period of time. If you are trying to provide smaller amounts of power consistently, you should use a wind generator that operates effectively at slower wind velocities.

How Wind Systems Work - Components

The basic components of a wind system are the anchor pad, the tower, the wind turbine, an inverter and the wiring to the home and the electrical grid. The installation of a wind system is very similar to that of a photovoltaic system with the major difference being the generator of electricity. The power generated from the wind system is sent from the turbine, down the tower to a DC disconnect switch, through an inverter, into an AC disconnect switch, then to the home’s electrical panel. Some of the newer wind turbines have an inverter in the turbine and produce AC power within the turbine.

Towers

Towers vary in height and design. The basic types are lattice and monopole. The lattice type requires climbing to do maintenance or repairs. Monopole towers are hinged into place with the use of a gin pole, and can be lowered to make repairs and to perform maintenance. Lattice towers take up less room because monopole towers need to be guyed to anchors on the ground.

The height of the tower will vary depending on the land terrain and the needs of the user. Towers usually range from 30 to 185 feet. The wind turbine should be 30 feet above any wind obstructions (trees, houses, etc.) and in a cleared area of at least 300 feet around the tower.

Turbines