Some manufacturers will tell you that your residential wind turbine will pay for itself in six years. Frankly, that’s probably not realistic. In real-world application, you will not completely recoup your investment for 15 to 20 years.
Maintenance of a residential wind turbine falls into two categories: preserving the efficiency of the system and ensuring its safe operation. Fortunately, modern turbines have few moving parts and are designed to operate for up to 120,000 hours or roughly 15 years. The estimated cost of annual repairs and maintenance is about 2.5 to 2 percent of the original cost of the system, or about 0.01 cents per kilowatt hour.
Except for installations in remote locations, residential wind power systems are “on-grid” systems. Under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), the electric utility is required to connect with and to purchase energy from small wind systems, defined as those with a power-generating capacity of 80 MW and below.
Costs for residential wind turbines vary greatly by equipment manufacturer, energy-producing capacity, and method of installation.
As with any project, a homeowner looking at the potential of installing a residential wind turbine should consider both the positives and negatives involved.
There are three popular energy systems that homeowners use to get off the grid or reduce their energy costs considerably: solar energy power, diesel or gas generators or residential wind turbines. Out of all three, residential wind power is becoming the most widely used.
