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Wind Power
Frequently
Asked Questions
1. How do wind turbines work?
2. Will a wind turbine help the environment?
3. How much money will a wind turbine save?
4. Are wind turbines safe?
5.
Do wind turbines kill birds?
6. Do wind turbines make noise or interfere
with electronic devices?
1. How do wind turbines work?
A
wind turbine, which is installed on top of a tower, collects
kinetic energy from the wind and converts it to electricity
that is compatible with a building's electrical system.
In a normal small-scale application, a building is served simultaneously by the wind turbine and a local utility. Generally, if the wind speeds are below 7 mph there will be no output from the turbine and all of the needed power is purchased from the utility. As wind speeds increase, turbine output increases and the amount of power purchased from the utility is proportionately decreased. When the turbine produces more power than the facility needs, the extra electricity is sold to the utility. All of this is done automatically. There are no batteries in a modern wind system.
2. Will a wind turbine help the environment?
Yes.
Wind turbines produce no pollution. Wind power offsets pollution
that would have been generated by a utility company. Over
the course of a year, a 100 kw wind turbine can offset approximately
76 tons of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and other gases
which cause global warming).
3. How much money will a wind turbine save?
A
wind turbine can reduce energy costs by 50% to 90% for an
average household 10-30% for larger buildings. The exact
amount of money a small wind turbine saves in the long run
will depend upon its cost, the amount of electricity used,
the average wind speed at the site, and other factors.
A wind system will usually recoup its investment through utility savings within 6 to 15 years and after that the electricity it produces will be virtually free. Over the long term, a wind turbine is a good investment because it insulates property owners against unpredictable rising energy costs.
4. Are wind turbines safe?
Falling
tower: Over 2000 wind turbines are installed in
the U.S., and their safety track record is excellent. Trees
are much more likely to fall than a properly installed wind
turbine, but no setbacks or minimum property sizes are required
for trees.
Safety
of utility repair personnel during a power outage:
Small wind systems shut down automatically in the event
of a power outage, and will not energize a dead power line.
Ice
throw from rotor blades: Ice buildup makes wind
turbine blades less aerodynamic, so that they turn more
slowly, making only a few revolutions per minute. Ice will
melt and drop to the base of the turbine tower so there
is no risk of the ice being thrown.
More
reading: http://www.awea.org/smallwind/toolbox/TOOLS/fs_safety.asp
5.
Do wind turbines kill birds?
While
no studies have been done of this question, anecdotal evidence
indicates that birds occasionally collide with small wind
turbines, as they do with any other type of structure. However,
such events are rare and very unlikely to have any impact
on bird populations. House cats in the U.S., by contrast,
are estimated to kill roughly one billion birds each year.
Statistically, a single house cat is a much greater threat
to birds than a small wind turbine.
6.
Do wind turbines make noise or interfere with electronic devices?
Small
wind turbines are usually barely audible above other ambient
noise. A 100 kw small wind system registers about 56 decibels
140 feet away - about the noise level of a quiet restaurant
interior.
Most
modern windmill blades are made of fiberglass or other composite
materials which do not interfere with electronic devices.
More
reading: http://www.awea.org/smallwind/toolbox/TOOLS/fs_noise.asp
Source:
American Wind Energy Association, www.awea.org
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