Green Power Easy Review

Powering Your Home With Wind Turbines

Before you ever think about converting to wind power for your electrical needs you must consider  where you live. A working windmill  needs wind, obvious I know but be aware how much. To be specific you will need wind speeds  that average greater than 8mph and preferably around 12mph.

You can check the wind speeds in your particular geography using one of the following links

For USA see http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/wndspd.txt
For Australia see http://www.wunderground.com/global/Region/AU/WindSpeed.html
For Europe (Inc. UK) see: http://www.xcweather.co.uk
For Canada see http://www.wunderground.com/global/Region/CN/WindSpeed.html

If you have checked and your average wind speed in your area is NOT  above 8mph then you should forget wind power and look at solar power instead.
If you are happy that your average wind speed IS over 8mph there are still further considerations to be addressed.

Wind Turbine Considerations

Assuming that the wind speeds make wind power is suitable for your area there are some other things to consider.  You need to ask a few questions and answer them honestly. Taking a little time to do this will ensure you choose the correct wind power system. If you are planning to live 'off grid' (i.e.) using 100% of your own power) you need to takle some serious time answer the following questions.

How Much Power Do You Need?

Number one thing to consider is how much power you actually need. Do you simply want to reduce your electricity bill, perhaps with one small windmill? Or are you looking to power your entire home?
If you want to generate enough electricity for your entire home you need to work out how much power you currently consume. If you take the time to download Green Power easy you will also get a complete guide to calculating your electricity requirements. As this system is our first choice from our review it is recommended you do this.

How Do You Store Your Wind Turbine Power?

Once you've calculated your power requirements you then need to consider the electrical storage system for your wind turbine.  In simple terms this primarily an array of batteries that are charged up buy the turbine and allows you to use the electricity when you need it. For a small wind power system this is not a major concern as you will always have your normal electricity supply to fall back on.

Of course if you plan to live off grid then you will need a robust and appropriately sized  storage solution. Your earlier power calculation should be used as the basis for the design of the electricity storage system. How much power will you need stored and how long will you need to store it?
If your area has slower winds for periods of weeks then you will need  more storage batteries to store more electricity

What If It All fails?

As in all major workings, not just home power systems, you must have back up plan. Most people need a consistent and continuous supply of electricity simply to run day to day so if you plan to live off grid you must have a fail-safe system. I.e. If something happens to cause a failure in your DIT electricity supply you will need an emergency backup. Generally a small petrol generator will suffice to power lights and essentials. Possibly an agreement with a neighbour to 'borrow' their power in an emergency.

Whatever your decisions make sure they are well thought out and informed. I would strongly recommend getting one of the top three guides in our review as going it alone is a serious challenge that most people will not be able to step up to. To get you started you should download the FREE goog Green report here.

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