That can be an option for some, but turbines may not work in urban situations. Mind you, there are some designs that are quieter and less obtrusive. We need to exploit all the available options.
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That can be an option for some, but turbines may not work in urban situations. Mind you, there are some designs that are quieter and less obtrusive. We need to exploit all the available options.
The Department of Energy states, "Your turbine needs to be sited upwind of any buildings and trees, and it needs to be 30 feet above anything within 300 feet." The height considerations could be challenging in urban areas.
Article for reference:
https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/installing-and-maintaining-small-wind-electric-system
The article also states:
We have an area lower down the property where wind blows into a sort of channel. At times it is almost like a wind highway. Especially during the wintertime. I'm not sure how much wind we get on average. 9 miles per hour doesn't seem like a lot, but then again maybe it is. I guess I would need to put some sort of weather device down there to begin tracking what the average wind speed is to see if it meets the minimum wind requirements. Hmmm....
I would think in the US that living off grid would be more attractive as getting power to a remote property would be expensive. Get a few old Tesla batteries and charge them with wind/solar. There are various types of wind turbine and some may work with lower wind speeds. It is not something I have looked too deeply at.
Someone in our village has a small turbine in their garden, but I don't know what they use it for.
Wind turbines are pretty useless at small sizes and always end up making a noise. On boats they're a distant second best to solar for sure.
I've seen them on boats, so I guess they do something. I've also seen a lot of solar on narrowboats. It has to be better than running a generator and should be low maintenance. Wind for homes will depend on location. For those who are off-grid it could help them get through winter. I've visited CAT in Wales a few times and they are pioneers of this. For us solar was the best option.