Rooftop Wind Turbine and Energy Generator
There are increasing calls for development of an efficient rooftop wind turbine and energy generator. A rooftop wind turbine is not a new product. Prior to the use of ridge vents that are now commonly used for new home construction, roof turbines were commonly used to vent attic space in homes.
These roof turbines did not produce energy and were not wind drive but were powered by temperature. Installed in an open space on the roof of a home, it was the buildup of heat in an attic space that caused the turbine to rotate.
Rotation
The rotation created a fan action that pulled hot air from the attic and blew it out into the outdoor space. These turbines were most often a metal structure about 12-15 inches that were a visible machine on the rooftop.
They moved the heat energy from the attic space to prevent overheating of rooms below and to reduce the cost of cooling indoor space. However, they used the energy of hot air rather than capturing wind energy.
While big groups argue about the development and placement of wind farms with the huge towers and propellers, many homeowners are quietly pursing a rooftop wind turbine and energy generator that is much easier for them to use.
Most of the wind turbines installed in the past year or two were placed on top of huge towers in rural areas. The public has an interest in wind energy but the size of wind farms and the pro and con arguments are not practical and have little public support so far.
Rooftop
Rooftop wind turbines account for only 1% of the wind turbine market yet they have a tremendous potential in suburban areas. The rooftop wind turbine and energy generator is a small scale version of wind energy production that has quietly become a $150+ million industry. The home wind energy systems became the fast growing segment of the wind turbine industry.
Benefits are enormous. One of the drawbacks of huge wind energy turbines installed on tall towers is it can take 20 years or more for them to justify the cost to purchase and install them. This is not true of rooftop turbine and energy generator as the payback period is only about five years.
During that time, these little turbines are creating energy that reduce your reliance on commercial power grids and you are likely to find subsidies offered by government agencies or a large power company to help with purchase and installation expenses.
In spite of the name, most rooftop wind turbine and power generator units are not installed on the roof. There can be a significant amount of turbulence at rooftop levels where surround structures or the pitch of the roof causes vibration and disturbance in the wind flowing at that level.
Sounds created by the operation of the turbine can also be a bother to homeowners. For these reasons, a small rooftop wind turbine and power generator is often on a simple pole at treetop level.
New Designs
The popular of these small wind energy turbines has led engineers to modify designs to decrease vibration and improve energy production. Designs using multiple blades and different gear configurations claim to use winds as low as 2 mph to create energy. Some of these small turbines also accept wind from more than one direction which makes them adaptable to turbulent air flowing around your home.
One innovative product is a wind and solar grid for your home. The kit contains two solar panels, a tower kit, a 5-blade wind turbine, cone rotor, tail, charge controller, grid-tie inverter and all the hardware needed for installation. Priced at $7-8000 this is not cheap energy but price discounts are provided when you purchase multiple systems and potential energy savings over the years are impressive.
The rooftop turbine and energy generator could have tremendous potential for homes located in sparsely populated areas. Though we may be more familiar with use in urban areas there are wide spaces in the U.S. where homes may be miles apart.
Running power to such homes can be expensive but the greatest disadvantage is it can be unreliable. If thunderstorms or blizzards cause power lines to break those who live far away from more populated areas wait longer for repairs. A rooftop turbine and energy generator could provide power for at least some of the home's power needs. Added to the generators most such properties have on hand, a homeowner could be perfectly comfortable even when power outages occur.
Summary
There has been a tremendous growth in sales and development of rooftop turbine and energy generator systems for private properties. Though usually installed on tall post structures rather than the more expensive and tricky roof installation, these systems can significant reduce your home's reliance on the commercial power grid.
