Has your wind turbine worked well for you?

October 28, 2008 9:27 AM

We are considering buying a Skystream wind turbine for a new home we're building in Northern New Hampshire (in the U.S.) Does anyone have any first-hand experience with this brand of turbine? Has it performed as well as expected and held up over time?
posted by soulbarn to Home & Garden (2 answers total)

It's quite a new machine - it was tentatively announced at AWEA 2006 (then hastily taken down), so it hasn't got years of operation like the Bergeys have.

Even as the most ardent advocate of wind power, I'd recommend doing all you can for insulation and energy efficiency for your new home before installing small wind. Wind flow near a house is usually turbulent and is often marginal.
posted by scruss at 10:19 AM on October 28, 2008

There is a reason utilities have been investing in larger and larger wind turbines. The taller they are, the more constant the wind, and power goes up as something like a square of rotor size. A small wind turbine might be appropriate for some applications, but they are, for the most part, an expensive garden ornament.

What do you plan on using it for? Are you planning to be off the grid? Is it to provide emergency power for battery powered devices during power outages?
posted by Good Brain at 4:30 PM on October 28, 2008