Residential Wind Power

There are two types of residential wind powered systems. These are “on-grid” and “off-grid”. In an “on-grid” system, the unit is connected to the utility grid. The advantage of this is that a battery is not needed to store the power, the grid actually acts as a storage unit, giving you power whenever you need it. On windy days, the excess power created by the wind can actually run the power meter backwards, gaining you credit with the utility supplier. The added advantage of being “on-grid” is that it is quite unlikely that a residential wind turbine will provide all the power needed for a home. On average you can expect the system to supply about 25 to 75 percent of your energy requirements, depending on the size and efficiency of the turbine.

The Kestrel E1501 600W Wind Turbine is an efficient small-scale wind turbine that has a low cut-in speed, meaning that it can generate continuous energy at low wind speeds. In high winds the Kestrel E1501 is durable, and is designed to withstand speeds of up to 150km/h.
The six-blade design of the turbine has a self-regulating rotor and maintains speed control of the rotor with no moving parts. This makes the Kestrel E1501 one of the quietest wind turbines on the market.

The output voltage is DC, so to use the wind turbine in a grid-tied situation an inverter is required.
The SMA Windy Boy Inverter 5 permits direct grid-tied operation without the need for batteries. This cancels the need for charge controllers to regulate the power reaching the battery and the battery itself. Having this advanced inverter greatly reduces the cost of installation and operating cost of a grid-tied wind powered system and a five-year warranty is standard.

Most power companies are well trained in installing a two-way power meter for “grid-tied” systems. In fact with the surge in popularity of residential wind power, it is advisable to plan way in advance with your local utility company, as many are over-booked with demand for this task.

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