The Pros and Cons of Wind Power
Wind Power is a very good Alternative Energy Source but it does have somewhat limited applications. Mechanical windmills have been around since the late 1800s. Since the 1860s there have been over 8 million Wind Turbines setup in the US alone. Many of these throughout the mid west where farm families used small Windmills to power their homes. Many of these in the 1920s and 1930s. The AWEA defines Small Wind as any turbines producing 100 kilowatts or less. An average home uses between 800-2,000 kilowatt hours (KWH) of electricity per month. Compared to Solar when you get up to 4-10 KW of wind generation the cost per kWh installed becomes more attractive. The Pros of Wind Energy are in it's many uses. It can be used to power homes, whether you are tied to the grid or choose to be off grid. Wind Turbines can be used for remote water pumping for irrigation and to water livestock. It is renewable and non polluting. Today's Wind Generator can operate for up to 5 years with no maintenance and 5 year warranties are available. The Cons of Wind Generation are the relatively high cost on smaller systems. Lack of sustained wind and or inappropriate site (low areas and obstructions) can spell doom to plans for a Wind Turbine. You should install a wind generator at least 30 feet above any obstacles and sometimes this is not possible.
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