subject: Windmills For Home Energy - Lifecycle Price Concepts [print this page] What are the costs associated with windmills for home power? I will guarantee you one thing - it is not just the cost of the turbine itself.
When you are looking at the pricing of any large item it is wise to consider the "lifecycle cost" of the item. What that means is its cost over a long period of time, not just the cost to get it up and running.
The lifecycle cost of a piece of equipment considers not only the "first cost", or amount of money it takes to get up and running, but also the ongoing maintenance and parts replacement costs over time.
Here is a shopping list of items that need to be part of your total lifecycle cost analysis:
Upfront installed cost of the wind turbine - this includes the turbine, tower, and power conversion equipment.
Replacement parts cost - some items wear out on quasi-regular intervals. For example, the blades need to be replaced periodically depending on what they are made of and the conditions they are exposed to.
Maintenance costs - there is certainly annual maintenance to be factored in. There is also the occasional gearbox replacement which can set you back a good bit if you don't plan for it. The wind turbine itself is usually not all you need. When you look at the list of what a windmill comes with notice the fine print. Often you will need to buy more, such as a tower if you really need one and a way to export the power you make with the electricity grid, if that's what you are going to be doing.
Replacement parts will play a big role in the long term cost of the unit as well. Blades can be bought in a variety of materials and strengths. Whether you choose polycarbonate blades or metal blades that last a long time or wood that don't, you need to gauge how much the blade life adds to the overall cost as well.
Maintenance expenses are an ongoing cost that needs to be included. If experience indicates that a lesser priced unit ends up requiring more maintenance than a more expensive unit, then it may not really be less expensive in the long run.
Planning a windmill for home power is a great way to cut electricity costs. There are so many options out there - you just have to be careful and make sure you are comparing apples to apples.
