California Wind Power: The 5 Basic Requirements

The State of California leads the way in renewable energy initiatives and offers generous rebates of 50% for select wind power systems.

The wind power systems described in this article are connected to the utility company, or grid tied, and don’t incorporate storage batteries. In California excess power generated by a wind power system can be sold back to the utilitiy (net metering).

There are the 5 basic requirements for a wind power system:

1. You own your own home.

2. Your property is at least one half acre.

3. Your homeowners association or city/county does not restrict towers.

4. The average wind speed in your area exceeds 9 mph.

5. Your utility allows net metering.

Wind Speed Requirements

Most wind turbines have a start up speed of 8 MPH but require a minimum average wind speed of 12 MPH to generate an appreciable amount of electricity for your home. You can research the wind speeds in your area by consulting this wind map: http://www.awstruewind.com/inner/windmaps/California.htm

Not surprisingly, the highest average wind speeds in California are registered within 25 miles of the Pacific Coast.

The lowest height at which wind speed is measured on these maps is 30 meters, or 100 feet. Since most residential wind turbine towers are 40-80 feet in height, your actual wind speed will be less than what is shown on the maps. As tower heights increase, the wind becomes faster and less turbulent. A 20 foot increase in tower height, from 60 to 80 feet, can increase the output of your wind turbine by as much as 36%.

Lot Size Requirements

A wind turbine needs at least half an acre of land to ensure it can be located away from obstructions such as trees and your house. The tower must also extend 20 feet above these obstructions. Generally speaking, the higher the tower, the more land is required by local zoning laws.

Wind Power Tax Incentives and Rebates

Currently the Federal government doesn’t offer a wind power tax credit. As I mentioned at the top of this article, California offers rebates for selected wind turbines at the rate of $2.50 a watt for the first 7.5kW and $1.50 per watt thereafter up to 50kW. The complete list of qualified equipment is available at:

http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/cgi-bin/eligible_smallwind.cgi

For instance, Southwest Windpower’s Whisper 200, 1,000 watt wind turbine would qualify for a $2,500 rebate. This is 50% of the total $5,000 cost for the turbine, inverter and 80′ tower.

Wind Turbine Output

The Whisper 200, turbine will produce 158kW per month at 12 MPH. The higher the average wind speed, the more power it will generate. For most homes, 158kW represents only 20-25% of monthly usage. On the other hand, your electric bill will immediately shrink by the same amount and the cost for 25% of your home’s electrical needs won’t go up for years to come.

At the other end of the residential wind power spectrum is the Bergey BWC 10,000 watt wind turbine. A 10Kw system is capable of providing all the necessary power for most homes. The initial cash outlay for a system of this size is around $40,000 including installation. This is before the $22,000 rebate from the State of California.

Wind System Towers

Three types of towers are most commonly used for residential wind turbines. The most expensive is the monopole tower. These are a scaled down version of wind farm towers.

The second type is the tilt up tower. This is raised with the help of an attached gin pole and is stabilized with guy-wires.

The third is a guyed lattice tower. A much taller version of this tower is used by television stations.

Advantages of Wind Power

The cost/benefit of a wind power system makes them relatively inexpensive to own. With the rebate factored in, a 10Kw system can pay for itself in as little as 6 or 7 years. Mechanically, the simple design is easy to install and requires little if any maintenance. Although you’ll have your share of calm days, you’ll also have plenty of windy California nights when you’re wind turbine is spinning away while your neighbor’s solar array is literally collecting dust.

Get more residential wind power facts at Alternative-Heating-Info.com