Home Wind Turbines : Best Wind Generator Kits

Before you head out on your quest for a wind turbine for your home, its imperative to make sure using a windmill for electricity is feasible at your home.

Since you are thinking about wind power generation, I will assume your location is windy enough.

But, it is best to make sure with some research that a small residential wind turbine will get enough wind at your location.

Enter the Wind Meter – it should be your best friend and it will tell you if your Wind Generator Kit is worth the investment.  Will your Windmill actually produce enough electricity.

The bad news is that a Wind Turbine will only work when your AVERAGE wind Speed is above 9 mph.

Make sure you take many readings of wind speed. Your wind meter measures instantaneous Wind Speed. You will have to take many reading and average them out to arrive at an average wind speed.

If you are seeing wind speed below 9 mph, you should  take the opinion of a Home Wind Turbine Professional. 

Or if you are like me, just go ahead and get it constructed without expecting too much power, but for sure it will be a lot of joy.

Now this is really important : Make sure you check with your Township Building Department to ensure you are allowed to install Home Wind Turbines.

Home Wind Turbines are very visible and increase ambient noise. Hence, your Township may have special restrictions on Wind Generation Kits and Small Wind Turbines.

Additionally, there may be State Restrictions and Residential Wind Turbines might require variances;

a costly time consuming process that could halt your windmill for electricity project in its tracks.

And Here are the top Small Wind Turbines available on Amazon.

Wind Power Generator : Missouri 2000 watts

Home Wind Turbine : Windmill 1500 watts

Wind Generator Kit : Automax 24 V, 1200 watts

Automax 48 V, 1200 watts

Wind Power Generator : Ecoworthy 900 watts

Best Wind Generator Kits : Top Rated on Amazon

And here are the top Wind Generator Kits available on Amazon.

Automaxx 600 watt

Wind Power Generator : Vevor 600 watt

Windmill 400 watt

Happybuy 400 watt

Passport 400 watt

Wind Generator Kit : Mophorn 400 watt

Wind Generator Kit : Vevor 300 watts

Here you will find lots of geeky stuff about Home Wind Turbines and Small Wind Turbines

Other factors to consider

High Cost of Electricity – The economics of a wind generator kit only work when your are paying 15 cents or more for utility electricity. Else, your Wind Turbine will be a costly passion.

Connectivity and Permits : Make sure the grid interconnection costs and the costs of permits are manageable and not a significant chunk of your Windmill for Electricity project cost.

Lot size of your Home : The US Department of Energy’s guidelines state that you need to have an acre or more of land.

Neighbors : Home Wind Turbines tend to raise the temperature around dinner tables of neighbors who fear the noise, disruptions etc etc. Neighbor management is a must.

Off-Grid Residential Wind Power

The case for an off grid Home Wind Turbine is exactly the same as the Grid Connected Home Wind Turbine option except for the high utility rates.

OK maybe after reading this you think a Wind Generator Kit is not for you. But, wait, Wind might still make sense if you are planning to go off the grid.

Adding Solar Panels to mix might be your best option. A Residential Wind Turbine allied with Residential Solar could lead you to your personal energy independence.

Tax Credit

The good news is that 30% of the cost your Home Wind Turbine can be claimed as a tax credit on your Income Tax Return. That’s money back in your pocket. Some states have individual incentives and you can read more about that here Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.

The payback period for a Wind Generator Kit can stretch anywhere from 3 years to 15 years depending on many factors.

These include your taxable income, the location of your project, the topography of the land, the vegetation, the height from sea level etc.  Local State Incentives and Local Permitting costs are other factors which affect the Small Wind Turbine project payback.

A professional Small Wind Turbine company is an excellent resource to take advice from. Give them a call they will be happy to talk to you.

Resources for Measuring Wind Speed

A key factor for the economics of a Wind Generator Kit is the Wind Speed. As mentioned earlier wind speed of 9 mph or more is a must. In fact, the Department of Energy’s wind guide recommends 10 mph as a minimum average wind speed Grid connected Wind Generator Kits / Small Wind Turbines.

There are Wind Resource Maps available like the one at Wind Powering America. Local airports also sometimes have wind and average wind speed data to help flyers. And if you want to spend some money, there are even independent consultants who assess site suitability for Wind Turbine Projects.

What to look for when buying your Home Wind Turbine or Wind Generator Kit?

Automatic Braking System : Does the Home Wind Turbine in the Wind Generator Kit have an integrated automatic braking system to protect the home wind turbine from sudden and high wind speed?  Manual Braking protection is also a must to protect against overcharging of the batteries.

Cut-in Wind speed:  A low cut-in-wind speed is a big advantage. Low cut-in-speed mean the Small Wind Turbine will start producing power at speeds just higher than that indicated speed.  Anything below 6 mph is a good Cut-in-Wind Speed.

Ease of Installation : Does the kit come with easy DIY installation instructions and everything you need for a successful Residential Wind Generator install?

Maximizing Power output from the Small Wind Turbine : High efficiency Wind Turbines are equipped with MPPT Maximum power point tracking built right into the wind turbine generator. Look for MPPT power tracking as an essential feature in your home wind turbine.

High Quality Build : What kind of construction materials  does your small wind turbine use?  Its always best to go for quality Polypropylene and Glass Fiber, materials that are highly weather resistant. Also look for the home wind turbine to have a coating or layer for UV protection.

Solar Integration : Does the Wind Turbine have compatibility with Solar Panels?

Tower Height. A tall tower is a must. Average wind speeds increase substantially with heigh. The formula is complex and depends on the surrounding vegetation and obstacles.

An example to help understand this in a rural Kansas farm it was found that : Wind Speed is about 25% higher at 100 feet compared to 30 feet. and approximately 43% higher at 200 feet.

Wind Speed : Electricity Generated by wind increases in a cubic proportion to wind speed. A rough indicator is that the power produced by a Wind Generator Kit at 15 mph wind speed is 3.4 times the power produced at 10 mph wind speeds.

Roof Mounting. : Never put a wind turbine on the roof period – It’s unsafe, will affect the structural integrity of your roof and home and is not at economical.

Pedigree – Wind Technology is constantly improving and new models proliferating. However, for the prudent home ownner it makes sense to stick with Wind Generator Kits that have been around and comprise of Wind Turbines with a history or reliability. Its a good practice to look at the Warranty policies of the manufacturer.

Safety.  Servicing a Wind Turbine a 100 feet in the air is a daunting and unsafe task. Its always better to go for the safer tilt-down tower models that can be maintained on the ground.

Finally add the Wind Generator Kit or Home Wind Turbine to your Homeowners Insurance Policy. An unforeseen severe storm could lead to tower or blade damage which can be covered by your Insurance.

And here is an excellent resource for the DIY Home Wind Turbine enthusiast – Installing a Home Wind Turbine and a video about installing a Home Wind Turbine.

Home Wind Turbines : How to get your own Windmill to make Electricity ?