I sooo want a wind turbine to supplement my solar, but as you say, I just can't make the economics work.
For starters, wind is a lot more mechanical. Meaning moving parts. Meaning maintainence, storm care, and so on.
For another it's more obtrusive, large, high, creates some degree of noise etc.
It's not exactly cheap. My inverter could handle it, but between the mounting and turbine, it's some real cash.
The argument for it just falls apart when I do the math. For less money and waaay less hassle, I could just extend the solar.
So I love the -idea- of wind but the economics of it just don't work at personal-scale (yet?)
Personal Hydro also looks interesting (but alas I have neither the elevation, nor river for that). For a while I researched ocean wave (especially shore wave), but I dont live by the sea.
Ultimately we use what we can get, which for me is solar. I get plenty of wind here, which is why it seems a waste to not use it, but again, economics...
There are commercially available wind turbines, rated for 1-20kW.
My partner's parents installed such a system in Oregon, they live off-grid and use it to minimize their propane generator's use. A 3kW system was around $7k in total.
It doesn't make much sense if you have a grid connection, the payback time will likely be at least 15 years or so. But it makes sense for an off-grid system.
The maintenance needs to be done about once every two years or so. It requires lowering down the mast and inspecting the bearings. Both are pretty easy to do.
It's a simple system without a gearbox, the only moving parts are the rotor and the brakes.
The turbine is supposed to last for 20 years, and it can probably exceed that.
You won't really be able to power a house consistently with wind turbines because there are long periods (many days) without enough wind. No amount of storage can compensate for that, you'll need a generator or a grid tie-in.
The average capacity factor over the last year was about 30%, and they live in a rather windy location.
For starters, wind is a lot more mechanical. Meaning moving parts. Meaning maintainence, storm care, and so on.
For another it's more obtrusive, large, high, creates some degree of noise etc.
It's not exactly cheap. My inverter could handle it, but between the mounting and turbine, it's some real cash.
The argument for it just falls apart when I do the math. For less money and waaay less hassle, I could just extend the solar.
So I love the -idea- of wind but the economics of it just don't work at personal-scale (yet?)
Personal Hydro also looks interesting (but alas I have neither the elevation, nor river for that). For a while I researched ocean wave (especially shore wave), but I dont live by the sea.
Ultimately we use what we can get, which for me is solar. I get plenty of wind here, which is why it seems a waste to not use it, but again, economics...