| In the United States wind energy is the second biggest | | | | rooftop wind turbine or mounted on its own small |
| source of new energy outpaced only by natural gas. | | | | tower. The recommended tower height is about 30 |
| At the end of 2007 wind turbines were producing over | | | | feet. These are relatively expensive but will pay for |
| 16000 megawatts of electric power and nearly one | | | | themselves in the course of time. |
| third of that capacity was installed in 2007. In 2008 | | | | If you know how to build a wind turbine your home |
| about 1% of the united States electric power will be | | | | wind turbine will cost much less and fortunately this is |
| supplied by wind energy. Most of this of course is from | | | | fairly easy to do. Plans and instructions showing how |
| large commercial wind turbines but an ever increasing | | | | to build your own wind turbine are readily available and |
| amount is coming from small wind turbines installed by | | | | thousands of people have built their own home made |
| individuals. The home wind turbine is definitely coming | | | | wind turbine. You will often be told that strong winds |
| into its own as more and more people realise that | | | | are needed for wind power generation. This is |
| something must be done to decrease our dependence | | | | absolutely not so. Even gentle breezes will produce |
| on electric power supplied by fossil fuel burning | | | | power which is stored in batteries till needed. |
| generating stations. Gas and coal powered electric | | | | If you live far from electric power lines you either get |
| power production has increased dramatically over the | | | | by with no electric power or generate your own. |
| years and emissions from the fuels burnt in these | | | | Gasoline powered generators will do the job but they |
| facilities is a major source of atmospheric pollution. | | | | are expensive to run and heavy polluters. You may be |
| Wind power by comparision is absolutely clean and the | | | | fortunate enough to have a stream which can |
| only objectiion to it,voiced by some people,is visual | | | | generate power for you using a water power system |
| pollution from the arrays of wind turbines necessary | | | | but these are usually difficult to build and expensive. In |
| for large scale power production. However the | | | | most situations a wind turbine is the best answer. You |
| residential wind turbine poses no such problems. | | | | can in fact build your own wind turbine for much less |
| Relatively small and unobtrusive home wind turbines | | | | than the price of a commercial model. You could install |
| including vertical axis wind turbines are the key to small | | | | two or three of them and have plenty of power for all |
| scale wind power generation. A combination of home | | | | purposes. Building your own home wind turbine is a |
| solar panels-wind turbines can produce much of the | | | | fairly simple project which the average home |
| power required by the average home. Small wind | | | | workshopper can easily manage. Wind power is the |
| powered turbines are manufactured by a number of | | | | coming thing and will save you money as well as |
| companies and can be readily set up either as a | | | | reducing atmospheric pollution. Why not try it? |