By Richard Chapo
TAG_H2The fastest growing alternative energy platform in the United States is the wind. No, I'm not blowing hot air.
Cheap and Productive
Manipulating the wind to generate electricity for your home is cheap, easy and very misunderstood. First, you don't have to live in the middle of tornado alley to generate electricity from the wind. Second, you don't need tulips and windmill like you've seen in pictures of Holland. Third, smaller wind systems are so simply, you can do it yourself.
Okay, let's generate some enthusiasm on your part for improving your home with wind power.
- Small wind platforms can cut your utility bill by more than half.
- Wind systems can work with barely any wind at all.
- Most wind systems are so small, nobody will even notice them.
- You can install a small wind system yourself.
- A small wind system will run you around $1,000 and pay for itself in a year depending on your current utility bill.
- Wind power is the fastest growing energy producer in the world.
- You can get financial incentives for improving your home with wind power.
When talking about wind power, understand that technological advances have dramatically changed the systems. Forget windmills, turbines and large structures. Unless you own a city, you will not be dealing with those. Instead, modern residential wind systems essentially look like weathervanes on top of 30 foot poles. They are no bigger than a couple of feet long, have three blades and are very thin. It is no different than having a flag pole in your backyard, except this one saves you a ton of money.
The wind system works in a very compact an efficient manner. The wind hits the blades and turns them. Directly behind the blades is a small generator, which converts the turning blades into power. The power is then transferred to the ground through basic wiring where you can either store it in a battery or feed it directly back into the utility grid if allowed. If the utility option is available, I recommend you take it since batteries can be the most expensive part of the system.
That's it. The world's simplest energy producing system is wind. As long as it exists, you will always be able to tap it for power.
Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies. Visit us to read more articles on renewable energy and wind power.
