Wind mill for powering farm electric

[Robert_in_NY]

My new house is right next to my parents house (500 feet apart as our farms border each other). Anyway, we started looking at what it cost us for electric and it is roughly $4k a year if we combine our electric bills. So we started wondering about putting up a private windmill for our farms electric.

So, do any of you guys have any insight on this topic? I have no idea about this and hopefully someone on here has something similar that can give me some advice. The windmill would power both houses, two walk in coolers (only for a few months each year) and two barns (one is the main shop where we will do all the welding as well as wood working (different sections of the shop so don't worry)). This is something I have such little experience with I have no idea where to even start but we do have good wind coming off Lake Erie. So any help or any direction you guys can point me in would be great.

 

[CharlieTR]

My friend looked in the windmill thing once a few years ago.
It was a $40,000 + investment for his single family home.
The electric co has to buy from you what you do not use, but I am not sure if that is much $$ or not.

You should also price the cost of insurance for something like that.

 

[ToadHill]

Robert: See if your library can get a copy of Countryside Mag. They have had several very well done articles on wind power. The publisher is in the "Boonies" and they run the place with wind and photovoltic power.

If you have no success, let me know and I can bring you a copy if the Western New York crew ever has another breakfast meeting.

 

[hazmat]

Here is a good place to start NYSERDA

NY will help subsidize the system (see funding opportunities in the above link). You can also write off on your federal income tax.

I imagine a "combined" project would be difficult, probably have to do 2 seperate systems. Perhaps a discounted rate from the installer (generally not a DIY project to qualify for the subsidies).

More web sites

DSIREUSA

EERE

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I am trying to get in touch with the program manager with NYSERDA. I am hoping they have someone that I can sit down with and discuss this with and lay out my options and what ever programs they have to help would be great.

The income tax break is a nice added feature also

Thanks for the links.

 

[tommu56]

Robert_in_NY

check out HOME POWER mag

Home Power Magazine: Solar | Wind | Hydro | Design | Build

there the best info on home based power ect.

tom

 

[HappyCPE]

My friend looked in the windmill thing once a few years ago.
It was a $40,000 + investment for his single family home.
The electric co has to buy from you what you do not use, but I am not sure if that is much $$ or not.

You should also price the cost of insurance for something like that.

For NJ, they will pay half of the initial cost for solar panels. Not many wind installations here.
What torpedoed the deal for me was [1] the insurance on the equipment, [2] they raise your property taxes after completion and [3] the power company has to buy the surplus electricity BUT they only have to pay you wholesale, which is about 6 cents or half what we pay.
Like everything in this state there are strings attached. This is an opportunity for research!

 

[charlz]

Be interesting to see how the numbers work out. Generally you would want to look at a grid-tie system where you are putting power into the grid when producing more than you need and getting power from the grid when you are using more than you are producing. No batteries etc. to have to worry about. Your electric meter essentially 'runs backwards' when you are producing more than you are using.

I looked into a solar version of this when I lived in Vegas but Nevada did not offer any subsidies or tax breaks at the time. Essentially the equipment would have been paid off about the time the warranty ran out on the panels (I think it was 15 years).

There was some mention that the inverter needed for the dc->ac conversion was pretty loud. Probably not an issue on a farm but I was in town so there would have been a need for a sound proof enclosure.

 

[willywildes]

A 1 yr wind survey is the first thing i would do. placed at the same spot and elevation you want the windmill, that will tell you how big, how much, and the rate of return. I think you will find the power co is a good deal. or everyone would have one!

p.s. according to the book of world records i live in the place with the most sustained wind. my survey netted 16.5 MPH av good luck!

 

[Robert_in_NY]

The winds average 12.5-13.? here. NYS did a wind survey of the entire state recently as they are pushing for more wind mills. Right now they are trying to start up a couple large wind farms 15 miles from me in two different directions. Up near Buffalo they just finished putting up 8 large towers and my uncle is installing a large farm an hour away.

New York wants the green energy and hopefully the numbers will work out so that we might save a few dollars.

 

[schmism]

check out Welcome to OTHERPOWER.COM

the forums have lots of good info such as this thread
the Otherpower.com Discussion Board || can you grid tie a homemade hugh piggott's wind mill ?


Im planning a no battery system, grid tied version. should help cut some cost out as the large batery banks are expensive.

By the time you round up all the electronics required to manage the system, 99% of them handle solar also, so I think you'd be craisy not to include a couple of pannels to start to supliment your available power.

 

[mwechtal]

My new house is right next to my parents house (500 feet apart as our farms border each other). Anyway, we started looking at what it cost us for electric and it is roughly $4k a year if we combine our electric bills. So we started wondering about putting up a private windmill for our farms electric.

You might want to get a rough estimate of the size and then check out zoning problems in your area. I know it's on a different scale, but they're trying to get permission for a commercial wind farm a bit to the west of us, I think it's in Prattsburg. Half the people are up at arms because of the noise, and potential bird kills.

OK, so I gotta ask, WHAT NOISE? Is swish swish too much for you? It's not like the sound is going to travel for miles.

The bird kills are apparently only a problem if you floodlight the windmill, but you know how some people are. Geez, I heard that one of these killed some birds once. My great nephew's wifes cousins hairdresser said so.

NY is starting to get as bad as California.

Mike

 

[rosietheriviter]

The bird kills are apparently only a problem if you floodlight the windmill, but you know how some people are. Geez, I heard that one of these killed some birds once. My great nephew's wifes cousins hairdresser said so.
NY is starting to get as bad as California.
Mike

Mike,
Hey, I resemble your altitude!
Has anyone compared the number of birds killed by motor vehicles or other human activities?
My brother lives in California and I visit him regularly and no state can be as bad, politicly, as California.

Rose is Rose

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Actually, New York is kind of good about the wind power. The neighboring town spent the last two years developing zoning laws to be able to dictate terms to the wind companies that wanted to build there. When all was said and done, New York State came in and said their laws superceeded the town laws when it came to energy like the wind towers. New York wants wind towers which is why they have grants to help put them up.

As for the solar panels, that is something I was considering also. Kind of a combination of the two for when we get the real sunny days with no wind I can still produce some power.

I am at the very beginning of all this and there is a lot of work to be done before I start worrying about building if I build. So please everyone keep the replys coming as it gives me other things to consider.

 

[willywildes]

another thing is in CA [dont know about NY} the power Co only has to zero out your bill, if you make more than you use they dont have to buy it!

 

[Cacinok]

robert, one thing you need to do, that has not been mentioned, is to get a good idea of how much power your house uses. your electric bill will break this down for you, obviously. this will give you an idea as to how much power you will need to generate, so that you can build your power generation system accordingly. next thing you'll want to do is to try to reduce your energy demands. lots of ways to do this, some include fluorescent bulbs, propane powered refrigerator, propane water heater, possibly switching to geothermal heat and air, etc.

i've looked into wind power myself, but am no expert. what i've found is that i will need numerous windmills to generate sufficient power to be off of the grid. for example, during the winter we were using, on average, 350kwh/day. some of the largest residential generators (10 kwh models) produce about 35 kw/day in a sustained wind speed of 31 mph. these larger windmills, including towers go for about $30k including tower. you're lucky that NY will give you tax breaks. OK does not, yet.

take home message. first, the more you can reduce your energy usage the better b/c you need a smaller generating setup. second, wind alone is not the best way to do it. a combination of solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, mice on treadmills, etc. is the best way to go. third, your pay back time, even after tax credits will be over a long period of time.