Cheap Wind Power

Small Wind Power is becoming more affordable.

Low end wind turbines are cheap wind power options for individuals or small businesses.  With the increasing need to find remedies to higher foreign energy prices, the United States is pressuring manufacturers and offering tax grants and credits for expansion of alternative energy markets.  Cheap Wind Power is at the top of the list, along with solar, as an environmentally safe, yet affordable option.

Harnessing the wind is something that farmers and ranchers have done for years to pump water and provide energy where needed, in areas that are too remote for conventional utilities.  Now, wind power and solar power have become options for individuals wanting to become more independent of high utility costs and power blackouts.

While some inventive individuals have made DIY wind turbines, using things like PVC pipe and generators, batteries and other controllers, there are now kits available that have become more affordable and are simpler in design for the average user.

The more comprehensive kits, such as Skystream by Southwest Windpower, normally run in the area of $8000 to $10,000 including the generator, and an additional $1000-$3000 for the tower depending on the height needed at the location.  Most of them are simpler in design than previous models that needed inverters, generators, controllers and other peripheral to operate.  

They have now become affordable with a quicker payback through utility savings and tax credits and can generate enough power for a household.  The Skystream system delivers power around 9 cents per kilowatt hour, with a life span of 20 years.

There are some prototypes from different sources that have made wind turbines from junkyard parts and produced 350 watts of power for less than a dollar per watt, at a cost of under $300; one of these is Blue Max.  Some of the DIY ideas are on the Internet, and can be made from parts that are easily found.  In fact, there are some that are having a contest for the best developed, for the least amount of money.  

Air Breeze Land Wind Turbine - $ 604.00
From: GoGreenSolar.com

A small wind turbine from Sunforce is readily available in the United States for $800 with free shipping, that has two moving parts and installation is fairly simple.  It is capable of generating 400 watts or 27 amps.  It is ideal for powering small cottages, with 12 volt battery charging, remote power, back-up power and carbon fiber blades that are quiet during operation.

The Windbelt is a taut membrane fitted with a pair of magnets the oscillate between two coils and can generate 40 milliwatts in 10 mpg winds, which is 10 to 30 times more efficient than micro turbines.  It is expected to cost a few dollars and the target market is families in Haiti and other third world countries, to light homes, versus kerosene lamps.  It uses technology that harnesses the wind through different principles than wind turbines, but is used as an example of how cheap wind power can revolutionize the world, including third world countries.

Clearly, affordable wind power is part of the answer to energy independence, on a large and small scale basis.  It has been used by ranchers and farmers since 1870 to pump water through windmills, and is a clean and affordable way to move us into alternative energy sources.

As technology has advanced and wind power options have become affordable for the average person, cheap wind power is something that can be easily attained whether on an individual basis or a large scale basis, with the new kits available in a number of price ranges and output options.

Some of the leading manufacturers offer affordable options in varying design, from Mariah Power that has a $4000 vertical wind turbine that produces 1kW of power and stands only 30 feet tall, the Skystream system over $10,000, or a system like Blue Max or Sunforce that costs a few hundred dollars and is consider a micro turbine.  

Affordable wind power is within reach for the average household and a great way to help the environment and save on your utility bills.

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