New to Wind Power

[Jenn Roder]

I'm interested in finding out about the best wind turbines for residential/small farm use. Looking for a low noise turbine that can be tied into the electric grid we currently have. I've been searching on the internet but coming up short and pretty sure I'm not using the right search words for what I need. Hope someone can provide advice on a manufacturer that either has a kit or all the pieces/parts I need. Thanks in advance for the help.

[Ralph Day]

Hi Jenn
I have a Bergey XL1 1 kw turbine. Before that a Southwest windpower H80. In my experience no small wind turbine is low noise. This morning I have 50 gusting to 70km/hr and the Bergey is "groaning". When there's too much wind to charge or dump to heat with the blades flutter. It sounds like a helicopter landing in the yard.

We're used to it, the neighbour's too, but they're at leasst 500 feet away. The turbine will provide 650-700 kwhrs of power per year, 2.1kw of pv panels provides 2000-2200 kwhrs per year. What's your yearly power consumption? Is it worth $10,000 or more to offset that with wind if you're on grid? Spreadsheet time.

Ralph