As wind turbines become more and more popular on farmlands in Iowa, there is an increasing demand for people to have their own wind power home turbine. And this is what the Skadow family of Polk County successfully did.
Since the beginning of last year, the Skadow’s decided to go green and turn some head in the process by starting the installation of their first professional wind power home turbine.
“It’s really kind of a symbolic gesture to show and hopefully publicize renewable energy. To get it going and hopefully bring people along,” said Kim Hagemann.
According to Todd Hammen of Iowa Energy Alternatives, there are about 48 home wind turbines being put up around Iowa and his company has orders for dozens more.
It was the first time the company experienced problems with demand exceeding supply, which has led to longer lead times. So much so, that customers can expect to wait up to six months for full installation. But, the Skadow’s knew it was worth the wait, since they would have “free” power once the turbine was up and running.
Their wind power home turbine is set to stand 50 feet high, and will be tied to the grid, where any excess power will be sold back to their utility company
MidAmerican.
With a total construction cost of between $15,000 to $17,000, the Skadow’s will only recoup their investment by 2023, but they know it is money well spent.
“We waited a while for it and it’s paid off,“ said Tom Skadow.
“I suggest that a privately owned wind generator will become as normal as a microwave has become in the home,” said Hammen.
Most Iowa cities restrict the construction of poles or towers above a particular height within the city, so the family had to endure a petition process for zoning with Polk County before installation could begin.
Upon completion of their wind power home turbine, Tom Skadow and his family get a $2,500 federal tax credit, and enjoy net metering from their utility company.
And when the wind isn’t blowing, they can rely on the grid for uninterrupted power.
While the Skadows had the wisdom to invest in their future and the future of our planet by forking out $15,000 for a professional wind power home turbine, there are other ways to enjoy free wind power at home.
It is possible to make your own wind power home turbine for a tenth of the price, and still enjoy tax credits and net metering. All it takes is the right information and guidance and a little ingenuity.
So are you ready to make your own wind power home turbine?
Originally posted 2009-01-05 15:55:51.
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I have recently been doing research on wind turbines. I joined your forum and left a post,Wind or Sun ? I like your site, I would like to link to you though my site. I would also like some more info. on the build your own turbine. Look forward to hearing from you. Great blog –Bob–
Wind or sun huh?
Well, the ideal is to have a hybrid of both a wind turbine and solar power system. This keeps the energy flow constant and increases your chances of always producing renewable energy.
The funny thing that we have found is the sun and wind tend to occur at opposite times
When it’s sunny, there is little wind, and when it’s windy, it is either overcast or night time.
So, yes, go for a hybrid to be safe.
But if you want to get really technical, then your choice depends on 2 obvious factors:
1) The wind conditions in your area – a constant medium (12mph) wind is sufficient
- heavy gusts or stormy winds could ruin a diy turbine.
- and slow winds won’t spin it fast enough to produce sufficient power.
2) The sunlight hrs in your area – the more the better.
- look at our article on Calculating Basic Solar Panel Watt Requirements and Costs to see a sunlight hrs map of the US.
We’ll post this response in the BlogCatalog forum too.
-> see the discussion