We have been harnessing the wind's energy for the last 80 years or so for the production of electricity. Some of the machines that were built in the 30's and 40's such as Jacobs and Winchargers are still producing electricity today.

Wind Generator Facts:

• The wind generator is what actually generates electricity in the system.
• Most modern wind generators are upwind designs (blades are on the side of the tower that faces into the wind), and couple permanent magnet alternators directly to the rotor (blades).
• Three-bladed wind generators are most common, providing a good compromise between efficiency and rotor balance.

• Small wind turbines protect themselves from high winds (governing) by tilting the rotor up or to the side, or by changing the pitch of the blades.
• Electricity is transmitted down the tower on wires, most often as three-phase wild alternating current (AC).
• Electricity is called "wild" because the voltage and frequency vary with the rotational speed of the wind turbine. The output is then rectified to direct current (DC) to charge batteries or to be inverted for grid connection.

To view animation showing how a wind turbine works click here

Towers

The tower puts the turbine up in the "fuel", the smooth strong winds that give the most energy. Wind turbines should be sited at least 30 feet (9 m) higher than anything within 500 feet (152 m).

• Three common types of towers are tilt-up, fixed-guyed, and freestanding. Towers must be specifically engineered for the lateral thrust and weight of the turbine, and should be adequately grounded to protect your equipment against lightning damage. Learn more about towers types
• A wind generator tower is very often more expensive than the turbine.

Wind turbines come in all sizes, from those with rotors measuring a few feet across to those with rotors hundreds of feet in diameter.

• Household wind systems have rotors up to perhaps 25 feet in diameter, and can be an attractive choice if you live in a windy area or have high electricity prices The economics of a home system can be substantially improved if:

• Your state has a net metering law that requires your utility to credit any excess electricity you generate and feed to the utility system against any electricity you use during times when winds are low.
• You have a farm, an all-electric home, or some other situation that makes your electricity consumption higher than normal, so that most or all of the wind turbine's output can be used on site.

Applications

Wind turbines can be used:

• As stand alone systems
• Connected to utility grid with or without a battery back-up system
• In combination with photovoltaics (solar panels) to form a hybrid system
• As distributed power generators

Wind Resource Map

Below is a Nebraska wind resource map showing average wind speed at a height of 165' (50 meters):

Good wind speeds are important!

The energy that the wind contains is a function of the cube of its speed. This means that a site with 12-mph average winds has more than 70% more energy than a site with 10-mph average winds.

To check out the wind speed in your state click here: State Wind Resource Maps