Is it possible to power a home using wind energy? In theory it is possible to become energy self-sufficient relying on purely wind energy to power your home, but in practise the situation is somewhat different. You may find that unless you have a small house, a large patch of land and forgiving neighbors it is very unlikely that you will become self sufficient off the back of wind energy alone. Most houses would take up to a dozen wind turbines to power their house but by combining wind energy with solar power you are greatly increasing your chances of becoming energy self sufficient. Theres no avoiding the fact that as a whole, people are depleting the already limited stock of fossil fuels that are available to us and we have to act now before things get much worse. By combining two wind turbines and full PV tiles on your roof (its really not that much more expensive than having your roof tiled normally) you will undoubtedly be able to create enough energy to power your home and maybe have a little bit left over. Grid tie systems. Grid tie systems are a vital part of any energy self sufficient home; as well as having all the right equipment to produce, generate and convert your power you should also ensure that you get a grid tie system. This enables you to sell back surplus power to the grid. A grid tie system means that during those times of year when you produce more energy that you need you can sell it back but it also means for the wintry times of year when you may not be producing enough solar power you can buy power back from the grid. This means you are no longer a burden on the stock of fossil fuels. Make a lot, use a little, make a little. If youre really lucky and live in an area with get high wind and bright sunshine it might be the case that you will provide more energy over the space of a year than you actually use. In this case the energy you sell back to the grid will provide you with a small profit. After the space of a few years you could find that your wind turbines and your solar panels have already paid for themselves. Neighbors. Wind turbines can make quite a noise and anything but the very smallest will become an eye sore. You need to make sure that your neighbors dont mind the noise or the view and you may bee best trying to get them to do the same kind of thing. |
