With substantial focus on residential solar technology advances, the use of wind turbines for residential purposes has been somewhat overlooked. The technology in this area continues to improve rapidly and is becoming a legitimate alternative for those considering solar systems or in locations where solar is less optimal and wind more prevalent. It will also appeal to home owners looking for redundancy in their electricity generation who want to install both types of systems to subsidize a greater amount of electricity needs from both methods of energy production.
The new Honeywell Wind Turbine from EarthTronics is an example of the newer turbines fitting this mold. At 6ft across and only 165lbs, this roof-mounted system removes some of the original obstacles of having a turbine placed on a large mast on your property. Operating on lower resistance internals, this turbine will start generating power at a lowly 2mph, a quarter of the speed most traditional models need to start supplying energy. Delivering an annual 2,000 kwh, most Americans will find that it only subsidizes up to about 20% of their annual energy use, and with a price that is expected to retail at $4,500 it will take some time to break even on the initial investment. Some help can be found, however, with state and federal incentives (click here to find out about your area) that may be available to help reduce this further. In addition, the fact that these units will be available on main street, starting at Ace Hardware stores, leads us to believe that as popularity increases we will likely see a progression similar to flat panel TV prices. In short, costs could come down considerably, and quickly.
An alternative to the Honeywell is the Energy Ball from Swedish based Home Energy. A unique spherical design utilizes the venturi effect to produce increased kinetic energy. As far as appearances go, this system also provides a much more attractive home design, looking more like a weather vane than an renewable energy device. While the current V100 model delivers enough energy to offset only small amounts of residential use, the newer V200 is estimated to get close to reducing 30-50% of home energy electricity consumption. The silent design, light-weight structure and aesthetic appearance make this a design we are sure to see more of in the future.
Another unusual and promising design comes from Helix Wind. Helix produces a number of turbines for multiple use purposes including 
commercial, residential, government, agricultural and industrial. The Savonius Vawt turbines provide near silent operation and energy production starting at 1,962 kwh per year based on wind speeds of 7m/s. The unusual shape of the turbine makes it more neighbor and zoning friendly than some of the other models on the market, and the rotor is bird and bat safe. The rotor turns at a slower speed than other models while being able to generate electricity under any wind conditions. Base prices start at approximately $6,500.
For more information on some of the most important new designs in wind turbine technology be sure to visit this article by John Konrad on the 11 most interesting wind turbine designs.
Click on this wind source map to view the wind ‘quality’ in your area.
People reading this article may also be interested in our residential wind turbine project. The Thinair 102 has been designed from the ground up to be a home wind appliance with an emphasis on quiet operation, good energy capture from turbulent wind, reliability, complete automation and elegant minimal design. It is rated at 2 kW at 10 m/s (19.8 knots) wind speed and weighs 70 kg (154 lbs). See the web site http://www.powerhousewind.co.nz for more details.
Bill,
Thanks for posting the link to your informative site and the great work you are doing with wind turbine design and production. Please let us know if there are any plans to bring it to US shores.
Thanks,
David
Hello David,
Thank you for your positive comments, we are very keen to bring the Thinair to the US, and have already had some encouraging early interest from people interested in representing the product from several states.
We still have some development work to complete, and plan to establish the product commercially first close to home, but we believe the US is the most advanced jurisdiction in the world as far as recognizing and utilizing small wind goes, so it would be great to be there and part of that development.
We would be very interested in staying touch.
Thanks,
Bill.
My all-out support is for the wind turbine technology. It greatly helps in the preservation of the goodness of mother nature. What better way to save on electric bills than to take advantage of the natural powers of the sun and wind. In deed, the best things in life are free. However, I gotta save up for that wind turbine technology. The Helix Wind is pretty to look at.
You bring up a good point that addresses the aesthetics of wind turbine design. With many designs starting to resemble works of art, it will make residential installations as acceptable as satellite dishes are now on the sides of homes.
Here is a great link from our friends at Mettaefficent on how solar lighting and solar ‘trees’ have bridged this gap.
http://www.metaefficient.com/leds/solar-trees-may-light-up-europe.html
I actually work for a oil and gas company and we try to be environmentally friendly as much as possible, but like anything dealing with fossil fuels we are contributing to the problem. I have recently decided to talk out about it and am in the process of converting my home into using solar power. Even if i only cut my useage in half i am helping and am working with others in my area to do the same. It’s time we showed everyone that changes only takes one person to start it and then for them to help the next person to start and on and on……
Just my 2 cents.
David
Blog on Solar Power
Great comment David and I wholeheartedly agree with you. Thanks for posting the blog link on Solar Power as there is some great information here for people wanting to learn more about installing and upgrading their homes to a more sustainable way of energy production.