subject: Wind Turbine Prices: How Much And Why Do They Vary? [print this page] Wind turbine prices have come down a lot in recent years, but there is still a lot of variability in those prices. What I mean by that is you can have 2 products side by side, seeming to produce the same amount of power that will cost drastically different amounts of money.
What distinguishes one wind turbine from another are the following components
Electricity output - This is largely a factor of cut-in speed and the generator.
Aesthetics/Design considerations - Depending on where the wind turbine will be located, this can make a huge difference in your final cost but brings very little to the table in terms of performance. For example, residential wind turbine systems can be located on roofs or they can be located on towers in your backyard. If you choose to locate your home wind turbine on a tower though, you are probably not as concerned about aesthetics and looks as the people that are locating devices on their roofs. The wind turbines that are located on roofs are designed to blend in more with their environments. That is necessary because there is a lot of negative press out there about wind turbines and the damage they cause to migrating bird populations, as well as the annoyance that they tend to cause for people that live in the communities where they're located.
Materials they are made out of - The newer and more light-weight the various components are, the more they will drive the cost. If a wind turbine housing is fashioned out of composite materials for example, that will typically cause them to cost the most. If the device is made out of aluminum, however it will cost a lot less. However, the components that are made out of composites are going to be what carries the day and what most devices will eventually be made out of. This is where all of manufacturing is eventually going-super lightweight materials that have tremendous rigidity. Almost the same strength as a metal, but not nearly as heavy.
In summary, home wind turbine prices can vary quite a lot based on the power output you should expect and the look of the device. The most expensive home wind turbines are often the least efficient. That is because there are sacrifices that must be made in the design process in order to make the wind turbines look a certain way that blends in with the environment that they happen to be placed in. The pure functionality of the horizontal wind turbine cannot be topped, but they also are magnets for criticism by local communities in many cases.
