Wind energy turbine for roof

[scooterbug44]

Chicago Audubon Society: Aerotecture's Bil Becker Gives Presentation on Urban Wind Power

Very cool! It seems to have solved many wind power issues - small rooftop units in cities vs. giant turbines in the middle of nowhere.

Unfortunately they won't sell you one if you are more than 50 miles from a dealer/servicer and the only 2 (currently) are in SanFran and Chicago.

Hopefully that will change once they get their smaller residential model in production!

 

[30abob]

This looks like a major DIY project!

There are actually lots of new products and "breakthrough" innovations in Small Wind right now. One of my favorites is the Helix Wind product. Unfortunately most of the wind in our area, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, is out in the Gulf. That doesn't mean some well positioned homes in isolated areas couldn't harvest enough wind to offset some of their electricity usage; it just means that utility scale projects aren't feasible here with current technology. This map shows where it does work in the U.S.

 

[scooterbug44]

That's Howard! Where did you find his picture?

The turbine Susan posted only needs to have 10 mph winds and be mounted min. of 40' off the ground. The map you linked measures wind at 150' and wants 15 mph +.

 

[Lynnie]

I would implement alternative energy sources in a skinny minute! Wind and solar! Good research!!

 

[30abob]

That's Howard! Where did you find his picture?

The turbine Susan posted only needs to have 10 mph winds and be mounted min. of 40' off the ground. The map you linked measures wind at 150' and wants 15 mph +.

We have an office in Janesville, WI (it used to be in Beloit a few miles to the South) and I've seen the paper's website before. I searched the site for the article and his picture was attached to the article.

The map is put out by the DOE and is primarily used for utility scale project decisions. Our branch in Janesville just installed a utility scale wind farm in Indiana (in the orange part of the map).

The Helix Wind product I linked is the best looking residential product I've seen in the market... if a wind turbine can look good. It can be mounted as low as 15' above the ground and works with 14 mph wind speeds. Here's a video... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9flSPAdOLk"]YouTube - Helix Wind Turbine[/ame]

 

[Gidget]

It's so wonderful to see these things being discussed here. I would add passive solar design to the list (part of good design IMHO) as an approach that costs nothing but saves energy and enhances comfort for the lifetime of a building. It's about appropriate sizing and placement of windows, overhangs, thermal mass and landscape elements to maximize solar heat gain in cold months and minimize it in hot months, while allowing for cross ventilation in spring and fall. My dream house has a built-in solar oven in the kitchen, on the south wall...

About wind turbines--I remember reading something a coupe of years ago about someone in Chicago who was developing rooftop wind turbines that were horizontal, must poke around and see how that's coming. Will post if it's anything new and exciting.

Excellent point about passive solar. We have been going over where to place windows for that very reason. I think the ICF THICK walls are going to be amazing. Also, we simply LOVE our tankless water heater, solar shower, Mr. Slim for a/c, and of course, energy efficient windows. The solar panels are awesome and there are all kinds of tax breaks for installing them..We've been on phone with electric co and are excited that they are so enthusiastic.

Thanks for links on turbines.

I have googled and can not find anyone in FL with wind turbine. Have you guys seen anyone? Also, is there anyone around SoWal with solar panels? Not just the water heating kind but the ones that generate electricity.

Thx

G

 

[Susan Horn]

Excellent point about passive solar. We have been going over where to place windows for that very reason. I think the ICF THICK walls are going to be amazing. Also, we simply LOVE our tankless water heater, solar shower, Mr. Slim for a/c, and of course, energy efficient windows. The solar panels are awesome and there are all kinds of tax breaks for installing them..We've been on phone with electric co and are excited that they are so enthusiastic.

Thanks for links on turbines.

I have googled and can not find anyone in FL with wind turbine. Have you guys seen anyone? Also, is there anyone around SoWal with solar panels? Not just the water heating kind but the ones that generate electricity.

Thx

G

Tankless water heaters are da bomb. And superthick /insulated walls too (we used to live an a house built of AAC, AMAZING stuff)! Chandra Hartman is the go-to person on solar, thermal and PV, in this area. She might also know about wiind turbines, not sure. www.cfhdesignstudio.com

Do you know about Amory Lovins' house in Colorado? I think you can see it at the Rocky Mountain Institute's website. He has super-duper insulated windows and grows bananas at 8,000 feet in the Rockies, is almost off the grid and stays warm in ridiculous cold. Has terrific grasp of cost-benefit of spending more to build super efficient and reducing operating and maintenance costs to near nothing.

 

[30abob]

I have googled and can not find anyone in FL with wind turbine. Have you guys seen anyone? Also, is there anyone around SoWal with solar panels? Not just the water heating kind but the ones that generate electricity.

Thx

G

I'm not sure of any local residential wind turbine installations. There's a small wind turbine on a billboard in Pensacola; Gulf Power is testing the concept.

There was a recent article in the Walton Sun about a couple of Photovoltaic (Solar) installations.

I recently attended the Florida Solar Energy Center's week long "Installing Photovoltaic Systems" and passed the NABCEP entry level certification. I only need two installations to qualify to take the full PV certification test; there are currently only a handful of "certified" installers in Florida, none are in the panhandle. We have a couple of people with this certification in our branches in the Midwest markets and it really differentiates the installer's qualifications in a business that currently has it's fair share of "snake oil" salesmen.