I have a question and I searched and could not find the info in any posts. Does anyone know what the failure rate is for the different types of wind trubines? I am asking about residential ones. All I could find on Google was about commerical ones and all of the info seemed at least 3-5 years old. I am working with a builder that only wants to do solar and I was talking to him about turbines. And he said no way, the failure rate on those things is too high. From what I can gather the ball ones seem to be better suited for residental use but I am not certain. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I'm sure there are examples of wind turbines being installed improperly or having the wrong unit for a particular location, but as far as "failure rate", I very much doubt that anyone has created a comprehensive list. Unlike solar panels, which can be pretty much install and forget, most wind turbines require some sort of periodic maintenance. As machines, they can and do shut down or go off line or even "break". That may be what he is referring to

What are the "ball ones"?

By failure rate I mean the gearboxes failing. That seams to be the main part of concern. I agree failure to maintain any piece of equipment will cause it to wear out faster and eventually fail. Whether it is a wind turbine or a car. The ball one I was referring to is like this one. http://www.home-energy.com/engels/ebv100.htm . There are several of these on a commercial building near my house. An interesting part about the install was they mounted one over an exhaust vent to capture some of that energy back. Definitely a good out of the box thought on that one.

Unless you live on a seriously wind-blasted ridge the annual output of a house-mounted tiny-turbine will be pretty pathetic compared to house mounted photovoltaics. That silly ball only puts out 100W in a steady 22mph wind and has to shut down at 37mph (peak output= 500W.). Unless it came flying apart, if it broke down, would you even notice it in the power bill? If you think of it more as a house-ornament or a piece of dynamic sculpture than a piece of power-production gear you'll get more satisfaction out of it.

By contrast, a single 180W photovoltaic panel costs considerably less (they're hitting the $2/peak-watt range these days on panels, even in onesies twosies off the shelf pricing), and puts out over 100W any time the sun is shining on it, and is VERY low maintenance.

If you're in the central-TX wind-corridor you might be able to make economic sense out of a tower-mounted bladed unit if it's tall enough and you have the wind resource.

It's far more difficult to do a wind-survey of a site than a solar survey. Unsubsidized, grid tied PV is now on the order of $5/peak-watt installed and with federal/state/local subsidy it can be a fraction of that. At the residential scale it has become very hard to make wind competitive with PV in any but the most exceptional of circumstances.

So I guess from a failure-to-make-the-grade point of view, residential scale wind has a nearly 100% annual failure rate! :-)

Excellant points. I agree that solar is probably the way to go. Thanks for the info.

now that solyndra is bankrupt. there may be a govt auction on solar panels to try and recoup some money.

Posted By rikmeister on 24 Sep 2011 11:21 PM
now that solyndra is bankrupt. there may be a govt auction on solar panels to try and recoup some money.

Solyndra's approach was pretty far removed from anything that you'd be putting on a single-family home.  Their solar panels were in glass cylinders with the electrodes out the ends for ease of installation with their propriatary mounting system, and quite different from the flat-panel standards out there.  If there's an auction or sale it would probably be for the whole system, their contracts for installation, and recently built production facilities to boot, not panels.

Please consider the noise and shadow flicker the wind turbine will produce.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHH86TV4YUo

Posted By Wader on 14 Oct 2011 01:20 PM
Please consider the noise and shadow flicker the wind turbine will produce.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHH86TV4YUo

That thing has a nice pitch. This is near my house. Fast forward to around 3 minutes to hear this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUvK7osPbgw

I can't believe Wal-Mart actually installed all this on one of their stores.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kp38wdonLnQ

I have a wind turbine at my business.  You can look for more info if you google Proven Wind Turbines.  Our website: buenavistavetclinic.com has some info as well.  Several things I have learned before and since installing the turbine.
1) Before considering a wind energy option, get as much info that you can about the local wind patterns and the average winds speeds seasonally.  You may find that it is not feasible if too low or infrequent.  This info is available on several web sites  and a competent installer should have access to that info as well.
2) Look at the terrain and heights of buildings or objects around your proposed installation.  If you are near a hill or tall building/object, then you will need to have a pole/tower that extends above at least those heights.  Higher means more $$ and often the needed height exceeds the cost of the basic turbine.
3) You may find the local codes for your city does not allow for heights over 35 feet without a variance.  Fortunately I am in the county but not in the city and county allows heights of <50 feet.  Our turbine is 49.5 feet.  If you need to apply for a variance, you will soon know how many of your neighbors object to your turbine installation.



Now about turbines:
1) Some turbines will shut down above a preset wind speed.  I find that ironic.  It is better to get a turbine that can generate energy in high wind speeds.  The Proven unit ( I am not endorsing it) has the ability to feather the blades via mechanical means to present a smaller surface area to the wind and can withstand 120 MPH winds and still generate energy.
2) Many turbines have electronics in the turbine unit that may be susceptible to wear and lightning strikes.  If electronics go awry, it necessitates lowering the tower (at potential great expense and risk) to service.  Again (I am not endorsing Proven) my turbine has only mechanical parts at the turbine with all electronic parts at ground level.  The only necessary service is to check the blades and springs and grease bearings. 

they mounted one over an exhaust vent to capture some of that energy back

Seems like a very inefficient idea if this was a fan driven exhaust. Restricted exhaust = less exhaust or more power to the fan.

With large scale installations at optimal spots, wind comes out cheaper than solar.

Are there historic wind records that we get online?

Some of those things are down right annoying.

Posted By WindowsonWashington on 07 Nov 2011 01:13 PM
Are there historic wind records that we get online?

Some of those things are down right annoying.

Nothing relevant. The wind speed at the mounted turbine height and site is the only relevant number, and that will vary a great deal with the specific local topography.  (A ridge top will have a better shot at having viable wind speeds 50' above ground level than a valley, etc.)  There are no substitutes for a site survey, but local & regional weather data can tell you if it isn't even worth doing the site survey.

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/images/windmaps/va_80m.jpg

We are on the top of a ridge and right in the 5.0-5.5 mph range but I suspect it is a bit better given our topography.