Introduction
There are hundreds of turbines available on the market today and used all over the world. Turbines can vary from 40ft off the ground up to 650ft to the tip of the blade. These can vary in energy production from a mere 40-kW machine to a newly introduced 7.5 MW machine. As turbines become more common, people are becoming less afraid of their presence and are opening up to their contributions as a renewable resource. I am sure if you are visiting this site you are concerned with the idea of a turbine going up near your house or business. This site will give you the tools you need to understand any problems you are concerned with
as well as give you the ability to research it further by following the links spread throughout our website.
What is megawatt or megawatt-hour?
Large scale wind turbines are rated in a unit of energy called Megawatts (MW). One megawatt is equal to one million watts. A machine producing one megawatt consistantly over a period of one hour has produced one megawatt-hour (MWh) of energy. Smaller turbines are rated in the unit of Kilowatts. A kilowatt is equal to one thousand watts. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration the average household uses 920 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month. If the capcity of a wind turbine was one megawatt it could power over a month of a households needs in elecricity if it were producing at full capacity for one hour.
In a 31 day month there are 744 hours available for production meaning over 808 houses would be off the grid (supplied by renewable energy). This of course is taking into account that the capacity factor of the turbine was at 100% for the duration. Capacity factors can vary depending on the siting of the turbine between 25% and 50%. Even with a one megawatt rated turbine producing at a 25% capacity factor over 200 houses would be off the grid.
Lets take into account some of the larger turbines available on the market today. Enercon has just introduced the Enercon E-126 7.5MW machine. Even with the 25% capacity factor we are looking at one turbine providing electricity for over 2,000 houses. Of course the size of turbine depends on many factors. First a large amount of wind and proper siting to avoid shadow flicker or noise issues. Go under the Frequent Questions tab to research those further.
What is a Fall Zone?
The Fall Zone of a turbine is defined as the total height of the structure, meaning hub height plus one half of the rotor diameter (radius). This is typacallyused in the siting of a turbine where the fall zone, in regulation with most bylaws, cannot exceed the property lines of the designated site. Of course bylaws vary with each town and some even require a 2x hub height distance from the property lines.
What should I do if a turbine is proposed near me?
If you hear a turbine has been proposed near you don't jump to any conclusions with the first article you find online badgering wind energy. Many people who are predisposed against wind turbines sometimes move beyond rationality to steer others away from wind turbines. This site is intended to make you think logically before deciding where you stand. I suggest you be involved in any town meetings and be familiar with the size and placement of the turbine near you. I have provided much information on the common problems people have as well as included methods by which companies attempt to resolve each.
Will this affect me directly?
With respect to shadow flicker and other issues concerned with a wind turbine, the effect varies from person to person. As I have stated before if a turbine is sited properly any experienced issues associated with a turbine can be minimal. With the use of complex programs, explained in the common concerns section above, companies know who experiences what in terms of noise, shadow flicker, and visibility. There are also free online flicker calculators that can give you some idea of where you stand, although most fail to incuded elevations and contours, sun probabilities, or wind directions.
The answer for this question regarding energy cost is no. Think of it as any other 'green' action you would do throughout your day. When you recycle a plastic bottle instead of throwing it out or crush your cardboard boxes sunday night before the trash gets picked ups are you directly affected then? Supporting renewable energy is a way of helping the world as a whole, slowly reducing our GHG emissions, and converting to renewable resources that one day may provide a large portion of our country's needs. Think globally act locally.
