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<br />How Are They Used? <br /> <br />Tens of thousands of homes, farms, small <br />businesses, schools, and other institutions <br />throughout the country use small wind <br />. turbines to lower or eliminate their <br />electricity bills. Uses are diverse and quite <br />similar to those of solar photovoltaic <br />panels~ The two technologies are in fact <br />natural complements (wind resources <br />are strongest in the winter and spring <br />while solar resources are strongest in <br />the summer) and are often used together <br />in hybrid systems. <br /> <br />Some small wind systems connect to the <br /> <br />Common Applications <br /> <br />utility grid while others charge batteries <br />for backup power for remote, stand-alone <br />applications like cabins or even sailboats. <br />Connecting to the electric grid allows a <br />turbine owner to use electricity from the <br />local utility when the wind does not blow, <br />but also allows any surplus electricity - <br />energy produced in excess of consumption, <br />such as when winds are strong and usage <br />is low - to be sent back into the grid and <br />used by a neighbor. But unlike large <br />turbines that power entire cities, small. <br />wind systems are used to prbduce power <br />primarily on-site for a single user, <br /> <br />On- or Off-Grid... <br />· Single-Family Homes <br />· Businesses <br />· Farms <br />· Institutions <br />. Schools <br />· Government BUildings <br />· Industrial Sites <br />· Military <br />. Communications <br />Systems <br /> <br /> <br />What Can. Neighbors and the Community Expect? <br /> <br />After installation, which takes about <br />two to 10 days to complete, life with <br />a turbine in the neighborhood is largely <br />uneventful. Visual assimilation of the <br />new turbine is similar to neighbors <br />becoming accustomed to a new building <br />addition, landscaping project, or the <br />removal of a prominent tree. The best <br /> <br />way to assess the impact is to visit an <br />actual installation. With approximately <br />10,000 turbines sold in the U,S. every <br />year, and in all 50 states, they are <br />relatively easy to locate. Contact <br />a manufacturer or local installer to <br />see an installation first-hand. (See <br />www.awea.orgjsmallwindjsmsyslst.html) <br /> <br />0.4 kW turbine <br />on a sailboat <br /> <br />Responsibilities of Turbine Owners <br /> <br />The small wind industry is indeed small, . <br />and every installation potentially affects <br />public perception of not only small wind <br />turbines, but of renewable energy as a <br />whole. Each installation is, in essence, <br />an ambassador of the industry. It is in . <br />the long-term, self interest of the industry <br />and consumers alike that owners exercise <br />good judgment and courtesy toward their <br />neighbors and community. Doing so <br />o~en includes informing neighbors, in <br />writing, of a proposed installation and <br />educating them about potential impacts - <br />both real and perceived - of a small wind <br />turbine (see www.awea.org/smallwind/ <br />toolbox2/INSTALL/bu i1ding~permits. htm I <br />. for a sample letter to neighbors), <br /> <br />For fundamental reasons though, <br />topography and the wind itself largely <br />determine precisely where and how <br />high a turbine must be installed. <br />Sometimes there is no way to avoid <br />these physical constraints other than <br />to place or elevate the turbine into a <br />more aesthetically sensitive place on <br />a property. But a turbine owner should <br />make a deliberate effort to take all <br />reasonable measures to minimize <br />impacts on neighboring areas. <br /> <br />"Everybody knows the <br />good things about using <br />. renewable energy. I <br />wanted to set an example <br />down here and perhaps <br />encourage others to do <br />the same thing. 11 <br />- Small-turbine owner <br />Chuck Heide, <br />Somers, WI <br /> <br />