Build Your Own Home Wind Power System

Description

You'll be blown away by how much money you can save using wind power! Perfect for technically savvy, home- and small-business owners, this "TAB Green Guru Guide" shows you how to harness the wind to generate clean, safe, reliable, and low-cost energy. The book explains how to evaluate a site, get permits, find components, and set up and connect the entire system. "Build Your Own Home Wind Power System" includes details on costs, aesthetics, sound, property values, insurance, installation, regulations, and potential pitfalls. The book takes a look at recent developments and emerging trends in technology and policy relevant to small wind power. You'll also get information on how to make your community wind-power friendly, with real-world tips from the author who successfully led the charge in his own town in 2005.

Author description

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Table of contents

Part 1 Wind Power Basics Ch 1 How Wind Power Works Prevailing wind patterns Wind volume vs. speed Wind categories Environmental impact of wind power Myths Ch 2 Why Wind Power Is Growing Global rise of wind power Potential for local, small-scale wind The electricity grid system and ramifications on clean energy Part 2 Install Your Own Small Wind Power Ch 3 How to Evaluate Your Site for Wind Factors that determine whether your site is suitable for wind power and how the basic wind velocity and duration determine the power capacity of your wind turbine. Ch 4 How to Get the Permits to Install Small Wind Power Setback distances and height Lot size Aesthetics Sound Property values Insurance Urban and building-integrated installations Potential of structural or electrical failure Ch 5 What are major components of a small wind power system? Small scale system from the wind turbine to the tower types (free standing and guyed). Ch 6 How to Connect Your System Ramifications of grid-connected, stand-alone, or a hybrid system on the balance of the system that is not part of the turbine or tower. Part 3 Make Your Environment Small Wind Power Friendly Ch 7 How do I pay for my system? Financial incentives, including buydowns of the initial capital costs to operational incentives such as "net-metering." Ch 8 Overcoming the Zoning Hurdles Greatest challenges for small-scale renewables Ways to make the zoning permit process more affordable, streamlined, and accountable. Ch 9 Tapping into Green Power Markets Safety and interconnection requirements Insurance, indemnification and other consumer issues. Several case examples will explore the emergence of green power markets Part 4 What's Around the Corner Ch 11 New Breakthroughs and Developments in Wind Power "Best of what's new" in both technological breakthroughs, design and efficiency, innovations in policy, integrating wind power into the nation's electricity grid. Ch 12 Resources for Small Wind Power