subject: What Wind Power Information Helps You Make A Decision? [print this page] What wind power information is essential for making a good decision on the right wind turbine to buy and how do you get access to it? With all the tsunami of data out there, you need to know how to filter what you really need from all the other junk that is piled on your plate.
The wind power information you really need is...
The size of your wind budget - You need to know more than anything else how much electricity you really can end up drawing out of the wind at your house. While that would seem relatively straightforward on another level, it is a very specific requirement that you must get down to the basics on. In order to do it right you have to take a lot of data about the specific location which you're trying to analyze.
The only way to do it take wind data is over long periods time and it usually involves a wind anemometer. The problem with using generalized data to draw conclusions about something like this is that it may or may not apply to your house. The wind that you get around various locations on your property is more due to the buildings and trees surrounding it than anything else. You can have a very strong wind higher up and it almost totally defuses down low because the trees and buildings blocking its progression.
What you are trying to accomplish with the electricity you make - You also really have to understand what reason is for doing this is. Are you trying to charge and discharge a set of batteries and use them as backup in case of a power failure or are you trying to supply power for some mission-critical thing like a refrigerator or freezer? All these things are doable with the home wind turbine but you need to drill down to this level of specification in order to accurately size the device and buy the right thing.
The rebates and credits are available for the type of turbine kit you want to buy - Depending on what you are going to be buying, there are a number of rebates and credits available for you if you buy a home wind device. For example, there is a terrific 30% federal tax credit out there that will give you 30% of the amount of money you paid to install your wind turbine off of the amount you would have paid the federal government, just for installing a wind turbine or other renewable device.
In summary, the wind power information you need is not that voluminous and is really not that hard to acquire. You do have to be careful though about getting the essential information before you move forward.
