Wind Power for the Home
Bergey and your home.
The Bergey turbine systems connect to your household wiring, just like a large appliance. The system works cooperatively with your utility power. Often you will be getting some power from both the wind turbine and the power company. If there is no wind at during a time period, the power company supplies all the power.
As the wind turbines begins to work the power you draw from the power company is reduced. Causing your power meter to slow down. This reduces your utility bills!
If the wind turbine is putting out exactly the amount of power your home needs, the power company’s meter will stop turning. At this point you are not buying any power from the utility company.
If the wind turbine produces more power than you need, it is sold to the power company. In California your utility meter will actually turn backwards and the excess energy is effectively “banked” for your use later in the year.
Most efficient systems.
The most cost-effective systems do not have batteries and they can not supply power during utility power outages (Bergey PowerSync II). Systems that can supply back-up power during outages are available, but at a higher cost. For information on them click here (Bergey VCS II). We recommend the PowerSync II battery-less system in most situations where your home already has utility service.
Cost of a bergey system.
A typical 10 kW Bergey PowerSync II home wind energy system will cost $40,000 – $60,000 to install, depending on the tower option and various installation factors. Depending on the wind resource they will produce between 8,000 – 18,000 kWh per year.
What is the optimal site?
A home sized wind turbine is big: 21 foot blade diameter and a 80-120 foot tall tower. We recommend a minimum property size of 1 acre.
Some areas do not have a sufficient wind resource. In general, we recommend a minimum wind resource of DOE Class 2.