Wind Energy: A Modern Solution To Supplementing Electricity

Wind turbines are more effective, affordable and reliable today than they have ever been. In the past, wind generators were used primarily in large scale commercial wind farms, but all of that is beginning to change. With a renewed interest in alternative energy sweeping across the United States and the rest of the world, technologies which focus on harvesting renewable energy have gained considerable momentum. Already solar water heaters and photo-voltaic cells are beginning to crowd on the roofs of countless homes across America, and small-scale residential wind farms are not far behind.

A wind turbine transforms naturally abundant wind into usable electrical energy. When wind presses against the blades of a wind turbine, the blades rotate an axle which in turn operates an electrical generator. The resulting direct current can then be used to power home electrical devices, can be stored for later use, or can even be sold to a home owner's local power grid in return for credits against their monthly energy bill.

There are several varieties of wind generators available on today's market, but the most prevalent, especially in the residential sector, are horizontal axis wind turbines (HAWT). A horizontal axis wind turbine houses a small generator in a casing directly behind the turbine's rotary blades. Placing the generator in line with the turbine's axle considerably simplifies the gearing required for its operation, reducing or eliminating the need for regular maintenance. Most small scale HAWT generators are pointed into the wind using a wind vane instead of the servo motors common on larger generators. Wind vanes further simplify a wind turbine's operation and improve its reliability.

In most cases, residential wind turbines do not generate sufficient electricity to power an entire home throughout the year. Instead they're more commonly used to provide supplemental energy which considerably reduces a home's reliance on less clean sources of electricity such as that created by coal or nuclear powered plants. Many homeowners invest in wind energy to reduce their carbon footprint, to invest in the future of the technology, to qualify for clean energy tax credits, or to improve the value of their home. Purchasing and assembling home wind turbines also helps to socialize energy production by diversifying a community's electrical power sources and reducing its reliance on a central state owned facility.

While modern residential wind turbines do not produce enough electricity to take homeowners completely "off the grid," they do constitute a noteworthy investment in the future and substantially reduce dependence on government owned power plants.

Author writes about a variety of topics. If you would like to learn more about renewable energy, visit http://www.windturbineplanet.com/.