8/15/2015

TribalEnergyProgram:WindTurbines
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WindTurbines
Windturbinescapturethekineticenergyinthewindusingpropellerlikebladesmountedonashaft.Whenthewindmakesthebladesturn,the
shaftspinsageneratortoproduceelectricity.Smallwindturbinescanbeusedtopumpwaterorprovidepowertoahome,forexample,while
largerturbinescanbeusedtoapoweranentirecommunityortoprovidepowertotheelectricitygrid.
Today'swindturbinesaremuchmoreefficientthanthewindmillsofthepast.Theyhavefewerblades,usuallytwoorthree,thatare
aerodynamicallydesignedtocapturethemostenergyfromthewind.Aswindspeedsincrease,theamountofelectricitygeneratedincreases
proportionaltothecubeofthewindspeed,sosmallincreasesinwindspeedyieldlargeincreasesinavailablepower.Becausefaster,less
turbulentwindsarefoundhigherofftheground,newutilityscalewindturbinesarenormallyplacedontowersatleastahundredfeettall.
Windgeneratedelectricityistheleastexpensiveformofrenewablepower,andisbecomingoneofthe
cheapestformsofelectricityfromanysource.Insomelocations,thecostofelectricityfromwindis
comparabletothatfromconventionalfossilfueledpowerplants.Windturbinesgenerateelectricity
whereverthewindblows,andtheyaddvaluetolandwithoutinterferingwithotherusessuchascattle
grazingorfarming.Installingasmall,standalonewindturbineisoftenfarlessexpensivethanextending
apowerlinetoaremotearea,whichcaneasilycost$10,000permile.

SolarPhotovoltaics
WindTurbines
FossilFuels
CombinedHeatandPower
ElectricityGridBasics
Costs
ProjectImplementation
Issues
CaseStudies
Glossary

Unliketraditionalpowersources,however,thewindisintermittent.Standalonewindturbines(i.e.,
thosenotconnectedtotheelectricitygrid)mustuseanonsite,backuppowersystemforwhenthewind
stopsblowing.Thiscouldbeassimpleasabankofbatteriesthatarechargedbytheturbine,oramore
complicated(andexpensive)hybridpowersystemincorporatingsolarpanelsandabackupgeneratorto
provideadditionalbatterychargingcapacityandauxiliarypower.

Windturbineseasilycoexistwithfarming
activities.

Seethefollowinglinksformoreinformation:
GeneralWindInformation
WindResourceMaps
ProjectDevelopment
LargeScaleWindTurbines
SmallScaleWindTurbines

GeneralWindInformation
AmericanWindEnergyAssociation(AWEA)Providesawealthofinformationaboutbothsmallwindsystemsandutilityscalewind
plants.
QuickLinks
Funding
Opportunities
UpcomingTrainings
EmailUpdates
HelpDesk

WindPoweringAmericaProvidesstatewindmaps,smallwindconsumer'sguides,informationonwindworkshops,andasectioncalled
WindPowerforNativeAmericansthatincludesananemometerloanprogram,newsletter,andotherhelpfulinformation.
DOEWindProgramProvidesinformationoncurrentwindenergyresearchandtechnologydevelopment.
WindEnergyGuideforCountyCommissioners(PDF1.1MB

)DownloadAdobeReader.

Howwindturbineswork

WindResourceMaps
EstimatesofthewindresourceareexpressedinwindpowerclassesrangingfromClass1(thelowest)toClass7(thehighest).Eachclass
representsarangeofmeanwindpowerdensityorequivalentmeanwindspeedatspecifiedheightsabovetheground.Modernutilityscalewind
turbinestypicallyrequireClass4orstrongerwinds,whilesomesmallerturbines(belowabout100kWincapacity)canoperateeconomicallyin
areaswithClass23windresources,allowingthemtoprovidepowertomoreremotesiteswherethecostofelectricityishigher.Areas
designatedasClass1aregenerallyunsuitableforwindenergydevelopment.
Thewindresourcemapswillgiveyouageneralideaaboutmeanwindspeedsandpowerinyourarea.Ifyouwanttoobtainamoreprecise
pictureofyourwindresource,youcanmeasurewindspeedsatyourlocationusingarecordinganemometer.Themostaccuratereadingsare
takenat"hubheight"(theelevationatthetopofthewindturbinetower).Thisrequiresplacingtheanemometerhighenoughtoavoidturbulence
createdbytrees,buildings,andotherobstructions.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/guide/wind_turbines.html

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Note:Ifyoucannotaccessthecontentofthismapduetoadisability,pleasecontactthewebmaster.
WindEnergyResourceAtlasoftheUnitedStatesRelativelylowresolutionmapsareavailablefortheentirecountry,preparedin1986.
U.S.statemapsofwindresourcesThesehighresolutionmapsareavailableformoststatessomearestillindevelopment.
TribespecificmapsDetailedtribalmapsbasedonthehighresolutionstatemaps.

ProjectDevelopment
Windenergyisoneofthemostcostcompetitiverenewableenergytechnologies.New,utilityscalewindprojectsarebeingbuiltintheUnited
Statestodaywithenergycostsaslowas4cents/kWhatbetterwindsites,suchasClass6.WindenergyatClass4sitesiscurrentlymarketed
atpricesinthe5cents/kWhto7cents/kWhrange.ElectricitygeneratedbysmallscalewindturbinesissignificantlymoreexpensivewithClass
5winds,thecostofelectricityfromthesesystemsisgenerallyintherangeof10cents/kWhto15cents/kWh.
Thefollowingresourcescanhelpyoudeterminethelikelycostofelectricityfromyourproposedwindprojectandtoevaluatetheotherfinancial
andenvironmentalaspectsofwindpowerinstallations.
Evaluatingyourwindresourceandsitingyourturbine
Sizingyourwindsystem
ProjecteconomicsToolstohelpyouanalyzetheeconomicsofsmallwindelectricsystems.
WindenergyfinancecalculatorAnonlinelevelizedcostofenergycalculatorforwindprojects.
Environmentalandsocialissues
CashCropontheWindFarm:ANewMexicoCaseStudyoftheCost,Price,andValueofWindGenerated
ElectricityThisarticleassesseshowwindspeedforecasts,andwind'sameliorationofnaturalgasprice
volatilityandcarbondioxideemissions,enhancethevalueofwindenergy.

LargeScaleWindTurbines
UtilityscalewindIncludesalistofutilityscalewindturbinemanufacturers,existingwindprojectsinthe
UnitedStates.ProvidedbyAWEA.

This3.6megawattwind
turbineisoneofthelargest
prototypeserectedtodate.
Unitslargerthan4
megawattsincapacityare
nowunderdevelopment.

DOEWindProgram

SmallScaleWindTurbines
SmallwindelectricsystemsThisDOEWebsiteprovidessomeexcellentinformation.
SmallwindsystemsIncludesalistofsmallwindmanufacturers,informationonpermitting,anintroduction
toissuesaffectingresidentialinstallations,andstatespecificguidestobuyingandinstallingasmallwind
turbine.ProvidedbyAWEA.
Smallwindforhomeowners,ranchers,andsmallbusinessesPartoftheWindPoweringAmericasite,this
Webpageprovidesavarietyofinformationaboutsmallscalewindpowerinstallations,includingSmallWind
ElectricSystems:AU.S.Consumer'sGuide(PDF1.2MB
).DownloadAdobeReader.
EvaluatingStateMarketsforResidentialWindSystems(PDF812KB
)This102pagereportexamines
thebreakevencostsandsimplepaybacktimesforsmallwindturbinesineachstate,fordifferentwind
resourceclassesandaccountingforavarietyofincentives.Itcanbeausefulresourceforevaluatingthe
economicsofsmallwindturbineinstallations.DownloadAdobeReader.

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/guide/wind_turbines.html

Navajoutilityworkers
installinga400wattwind
turbinenexttoan880watt
solararray.(Photo:Larry
Ahasteen)

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Contacts|WebSitePolicies|U.S.DepartmentofEnergy|USA.gov
ContentLastUpdated:08/26/2013

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/tribalenergy/guide/wind_turbines.html

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