Answering Commonly Asked Wind Questions

Can you Add a Wind Turbine to a House/Roof of a House?

Yes, you can add a wind turbine to your house to generate clean, renewable electricity. If you reside in a rural dwelling, there are no city bylaws to deal with. However, if you live in a town or city you need to consider the bylaws that may restrict the installation of a tower and turbine. You can technically add a wind turbine to a roof, but it is not recommended. There are structural concerns related to the weight of the tower and turbine on the roof as well as the tension on the guyed wire anchor point connected to the roof or walls. A very small wind turbine may be safe on a roof, but the electricity generation will be very small.

How Many Blades are Best for a Wind Turbine?

The optimal number of blades for a horizontal wind turbine on a tower is three blades according to numerous academic and industrial research published over the years.

Why are so many Wind Turbines Stopped?

The energy in the wind is a function of the wind speed. At low wind speed, defined at less than 4m/sec (14km/hr.) there is not enough energy in the wind to make a tower and turbine financially viable. Another possibility is a tall obstacle in the dominant wind direction blocks or reduces the wind speed on the blades.

Do Wind Turbines Generate AC or DC

A wind turbine generates three phase AC current. The frequency (in a house we have 60 hertz frequency) is a function of the turbine RPM. This AC current is converted to DC current before being stored in batteries. From batteries, DC appliances can be connected, or an inverter converts the DC to AC 60 hertz electricity.