subject: Residential Wind Power: Where Will We Be In 20 Years? [print this page] Residential wind power is coming on strong now. In recent years, even utilities have even started to buy these devices and make some power out of them.
The fact that utilities use them is a huge legitimizing force for residential consumers. Since your utility is getting in on the act, maybe you should too?
These are the trends I see and where I think we will be in 20 years...
Low cut-in speed wind turbines will be everywhere - This is where there is the most promise in the wind turbine area. By spending time on R&D that focuses on wind turbine blade aerodynamics, companies are radically changing the performance of these blades. Although it is a bit of a trade-off because the lighter the material and the better the aerodynamics, of course the easier the blades are to get turning. However the problem is that if they are to light they will not perform well at the upper end of the spectrum and you will lose a lot of energy when when gusts are over 30 mph, let's say.
Wind turbines will be a lot more aesthetically pleasing and blend in better with their surroundings - As time goes on we are going to see wind turbine devices that don't like wind turbine devices. They're going to look a lot more aesthetically pleasing and will blend in with their surroundings a lot better than the ones on the market do today. There are some out there now that look almost like a piece of the roof already.
Government subsidies will be ramped up significantly - The more the governments around the world support wind energy, the quicker prices will come down. The quicker these devices will get out in the field and the quicker the prices will come down for everyone. It would be nice if we could rely on the free market to drive these costs down but there is just no way we have time to do that anymore.
Energy created through wind turbine kits will be cheaper than electricity made in a central power plant - Right now, wind energy is more expensive than the power that is created in a central utility processing plant that uses fossil fuels as raw material. However as this technology improves and becomes more and more plug-and-play, we will see prices come down and subsequently, the energy produced by wind turbine devices will be less than that that is produced in a central processing plant by a utility.
In conclusion, the future is very bright for residential wind power.
