Off-Grid Wind Power
September 29, 2009 · Print This Article
Wind power is a great source of energy in some areas of the country. If you live near the coast or in the desert you will have a steady stream of wind on a regular basis. In other areas of the country the wind may not be as consistent so wind power may not be the best option.
Where I live it the winds pick up usually for two or three hours in the late afternoon, so wind energy would make a good back up source to solar energy as we get a high amount of sun in this part of the country.
There are many type of wind generators out there from extremely large to small. For a tiny house on wheels you might consider a marine type wind generator as these are small and can be rigged to fold up or down for travel. They have few moving parts so are very dependable and surprisingly affordable.
Rooftop generators are becoming a hot item and there are several versions being designed with the goal to make them affordable and available to the masses. I discovered this neat link to a website that shows several of these ideas in movie form. To learn more visit the The Rhode Island Alliance For Clean Energy and the page Residential Wind Power.
The following video proves that wind power can be built and manufactured using recycled materials and very inexpensively. How would you like to use everyday recycled products to manufacture residential wind turbines, which will give you your own energy independence!
As with any type of off-grid power you will need a way to store your energy and your power station will need the correct inverters and batteries to make your home fully independent. Below is a picture of a power station with the batteries, inverter and connections all in one unit. This one is designed to have a nice size propane container built in also.
This unit is set up to accept the wind generators power, plus connect solar panels also. With the propane setup you could also install a propane generator for back up purposes.
Hopefully, this article will inspire you to research the wind energy potential out there and you will figure out the best solution for your current and future needs. Wind is a free source of power, you just need a good way to harness it and store it.
Please add any suggestions and/or resources to the comment section below.
Nice article Kent. I am glad to see alternative energies for trailers are getting more coverage lately. It would sure be nice to get a look at the insides of that power station in your picture. Is that a set up that someone just made, or are they manufacturing it?
Keep up the good work on trailer energy needs and solutions.
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I was just thinking about setting up wind power the other day. Do you have any additional resource links? Thanks!
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Jay Shafer reply on October 7th, 2009 2:43 pm:
I’d have to google it myself.
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I’d like to ask, in looking for a trailer, exactly what do I need to ask for? And how much should I expect to pay for either a new or second hand trailer to fit a fencl? Thank you.
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Jay Shafer reply on October 20th, 2009 7:29 pm:
Ask for one that’ll accommodate no less than 6000 pounds.
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I live in CA so I have really only thought about using solar power, but wind power is also a great ideas. It’s so useful! I’m definitely going to look into it.
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Great article Kent, but the YouTube video: Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Windmill . . . from the folks at GreenPower Science has a factual error in its history section that has, no doubt, given most of us viewers in flyover country a good snicker.
She claims that windmills were used on farms in the US in the days before the R.E.C.’s were formed to grow the grid beyond the cities. I believe they’re properly called wind generators or turbines, but the point of my comment is that she pictures a WATER pump. Here are 2 links to photos of wind devices that pump water:
http://www.windmillersgazette.com/images/photo20.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Water_Pumping_Windmill.jpg
What she SHOULD have pictured is something like the very popular Jacobs wind generators that ruled the plains back in the day:
http://www.jacobswind.net/history.html
These look very similar to the generators you’ll find advertized in Mother Earth or Home Power magazines because they all make electricity out of the wind. The “windmill” she showed looks totally different because it pumps water out of a well into a stock tank. The give away is the fact that it has the many stubby vanes required to provide the greater torque required to pump water vs. spinning a generator. FYI . . . . . . . .
Again, great article otherwise. Keep’em comin’.
Wes
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where can i find this off grid wind power and is it for sell? if so where can i buy it?
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