Has any one had any experience with home windmills,or anyone knows someone that does? Just down at the end of the street from me is about 30 windmills,wind blows about 20mph almost everyday here.was wondering if these really pay off and you can sell extra back to the electric company.
Private windmill,for providing electricity.
our E TX property is served by Navasota Valley Electric Co-op and when we asked about selling back, they said no. That was the reason we did not do windmills. Worth asking your provider but if what you sell back is minimal, may not be worth their time/effort to account for it.
This message was edited Feb 5, 2015 6:16 PM
I'm waiting for a powerful enough battery base to make solar worthwhile on my roof because if the grid goes down and you are selling back you have to shut down too, to make the wiring safe for them to work on. Battery offgrid, I would still have power during blackouts.
Salt storage batteries are probably going to do the job eventually
Gypsi, direct current stored in batteries or generated from solar cells is not compatible with alternating systems of utility companies. You need inverter to tie without wire switching.
Windmills are alternating current generators and are made with synchronization equipment, so Tropicman wouldn't need a backup system as in your case.
I suspect main issue is most utilities don't want to buy back power on such small scale. Additionally, power generated by windmills is generally unpredictable (weather) and utilities don't want the additional task of scrambling for power on the open market, if windmills don't deliver scheduled amounts.
I would love to hear from somebody in TX or elsewhere that can sell back at the present time. That is the way of the future in rural areas. With some peer pressure, we should we able to sell back.
I intend to go to DC appliances if I go solar. I have already tried it out, the inverter steals most of the power. A 15 watt panel plus a full truck battery will not run 11.5 watts of air pumps past 12 hours
Well if I can get one to handle about half the electric use load,I'd brother pay for the cost of setting up a windmill power source then paying such high electric bill.Seems every year they ask to raise rates here,and they get it,and there is those big windmills every where around here,which I thought were put in to lower the rates to the consumer.
when they started putting windmills in they discovered that the windmills are dirtier than burning coal. they are unstable sources actually of electrical as well- and the chemicals in the batteries and the maintenance of storage is kind of on the dangerous side. they're also getting the environmentalsts all up in arms because they kill the birds in those areas. windmills are an extremely high maintenance source of electricity
Well ever time I turn around they just keep putting a lot more up around my area,haven't heard about killing birds,or any problems with the batteries,been watching the tv programs about building log cabins in the mountains and the home owners turning to solar and wind turbines for there source of energy,seems like every time there is a big construction going on in the city,they want to raise my electric rates,and 99% of the time,the buildings or what ever there building in town,I'll never visit or use.
It is WAY windy in TX compared to other places I've visited....wind seems like a no-brainer. I hope they figure out how to fix the problems kittriana is alluding to. People have windmlls back here (and solar panels too) and they don't even know what windy or sunny is like!
http://wind-power-problems.org/ heres one
I work near some windmills part time. They do have an annoying whine, but there are a newer style that look better. Me< I want solar.
Listed under human health problems,I have all of these and don't even have a windmill yet! lol