Home Uses for a Wind Turbine

• Wind turbines are alternative engery sources that can be used in residences and businesses. wind turbine image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com

  Wind power is becoming an increasingly popular phenomenon. According to a May 2010 article in USA Today, even in an oil-rich state like Texas, an energy-conscious family in Fort Worth built a home with wind turbines as its primary source of electrical power. The family became the first of many in a trend of homeowners looking for "zero energy" homes. Moreover, wind turbines are diverse. They can be used in a residence or farm for more than simply powering a generator and are less expensive than solar energy.

Electricity

• The mechanics of a wind turbine are actually quite simple. The wind spins the blade and the rotor captures the energy. At that point, the energy can be stored in a power grid attached to a residence, or an off-grid solution, such as a generator that can be used during a power failure. The energy is essentially limitless and has fewer restrictions and downtime than solar energy products, as the Earth is only allotted a set amount of hours per sunlight per day, wind power holds no such restriction. When the wind blows, it creates power.

  Once the power is stored, it can be disbursed throughout the home to heat, cool and provide electricity to everyday used items, such as washers, dryers, coffee makers and televisions. Essentially everything that a family might make use of when hooked up to traditional power sources can be powered by the energy stored in a wind turbine grid.

  A basic wind turbine for a residence will cost as little as $200 and is much more "plug and play" than a solar panel or solar energy solution might be.

Water

• Just as a wind turbine can be used to power electrical devices, it also can be used to power water. Wind turbines can be affixed to local water pumps to pump water out of a private well for drinking needs and force water into a septic or sewage system for waste, literally negating the need to rely on city or county resources. The only downside of using a wind pump for plumbing is that the property must rest on at least an acre of land and should be tested for its viability and feasibility of using a turbine to power both the electrical and plumbing needs of a household.

Recycling

• On farms, wind turbines can be used to aid in recycling efforts. The blades from the turbine can grind grain that the farmer can sell and ship to market, as well as assist in grinding locally grown crops and ease hours of labor without having to resort to fossil fuel-powered alternatives. Essentially, a wind turbine can be used as a modern-day windmill. As wind technology continues to advance, the potential is speculated to be limitless.