Skyrocketing energy prices, power blackouts and growing environmental consciousness have reignited our fascination with home-based renewable energy systems in recent years. Wind and solar power are the two clear favourites. But which technology is better – wind turbines or solar panels?
Choosing a suitable renewable energy system for your particular needs, both now and in the future, is important if you want to see a return on your investment. Doing some homework upfront will help you manage expectations, save money and avoid years of frustration and headaches. After all, you are about to install a miniature power plant in your home.
To help you, we explain the differences between wind and solar power and explore why a wind turbine is just as worthy of consideration for your home as its sibling, the solar panel.
What is Wind Power?
At its simplest, wind is the movement of air caused by the Sun’s uneven heating of the Earth’s atmosphere. The wind’s motion (kinetic energy) is captured using the aerodynamic blades of a wind turbine which spin a generator to create electricity.
Benefits of Wind Power
Wind power is currently the fastest growing renewable energy source in the world. The two biggest drivers behind this meteoric rise are down to the wind turbine – it can operate day and night to generate electricity and its energy production is far more efficient than a solar panel. What this means is that because a turbine can transform wind into electricity much better than a solar panel converts sunlight into electricity, you need many, many solar panels to give you the same power output as a single wind turbine.
So how could a wind turbine possibly benefit me I hear you ask? Well, think about when you and your family use the most electricity. Not during the day – you are at work and the kids are at school. More likely, your family is using the most electricity between 5pm and 8pm when you are all at home. Solar panels won’t do you any good at these times. But if there is wind, your turbine will spin away and produce energy to help reduce your consumption from the grid or top up your batteries for the following day.
Drawbacks of Wind Power
Wind is a fickle natural resource and turbines don’t like anything that interrupts their airflow. Little or no wind, trees, hills and tall buildings all conspire to interfere with a wind turbine’s ability to produce electricity. That’s why it is a good idea to mount the turbine on a tall pole to get clear of these obstructions and tap into the stronger air currents above 10m (33ft).
You do need to find a prime spot on your property to catch the best wind for generating electricity. And when you do find that perfect spot, be ready to face some paperwork from the local authorities on raised structures in your backyard.
4 Myths about Wind Turbines Busted
Despite renewable energy sources becoming more mainstream, some opposition to wind turbines remains. Here are four common misconceptions about wind turbines that often stand in the way of homeowners using wind power at home:
- High maintenance costs. A wind turbine has moving parts. And like a car engine, it requires maintenance. Most domestic wind turbines these days are virtually maintenance-free and the routine upkeep required – checking or replacing blades, bolts, electrical connections and tower guy wires for example – is likely to cost tens or hundreds of dollars at most, not the thousands of dollars that some would have you believe.
- Noise. Compared to solar panels which are silent in operation, wind turbines make some noise. For small wind turbines used in the home, noise levels range from 40 – 65dB (decibels). To put that into perspective, it is equivalent to the sound level found in a library or polite conversation at a restaurant. With the average washing machine producing about 70dB, your laundry will cause more of a hullabaloo than a wind turbine ever will.
- Visual pollution. Whilst there is no accounting for taste, there are some people who flat-out object to residential wind turbines because of the perceived impact on the local landscape and skyline. This is an unjustified criticism because the first question any rational person would ask is – “What are you comparing the wind turbines to?” Fossil-fuel burning chimney stacks, oil refineries or suburban powerlines? Not likely. Given that choice for the backyard, wind turbines would become an instant winner.
- Bird cemetery. Bird deaths are often cited as a reason for opposition to wind turbines. Yes, wind turbines have been known to kill birds and bats, but nowhere near as many as buildings, cell and radio towers, power lines, oil fields, cars and of course, cats.
What is Solar Power?
Solar power is the conversion of sunlight into electricity using a grid-like collection of semi-conducting receptors called photovoltaic cells, or solar panels.
Benefits of Solar Power
The major advantages of solar panels are that they are easy to install, silent in operation, take up less room (if installed on the roof of your home) and require little maintenance.
Drawbacks of Solar Power
Solar panels aren’t without their issues. There a few downsides to solar power – some obvious, others not so much:
- Night. A very common problem with solar power is that it doesn’t work at night. Solar panels only capture energy from the Sun for about 6 – 8 hours on a good day and for the remainder of the day, sit there and do nothing. That’s a lot of downtime and lost electricity production.
- Shade. Buildings, chimneys, and trees can cast shadows on your roof and reduce the efficiency of the solar panels. Modern solar power systems can still function with a small amount of shade but for best results, you want your roof to be free of shade all day long.
- Snow and ice impairment. If you live in an area that snows or ices up during the winter months, this can impair a solar panel’s ability to access direct sunlight and generate electricity. Sometimes the snow will slide off the panels because of the angle they are mounted on; if it doesn’t, you will have to remove that snow and ice yourself if you want the solar panels to generate any electricity.
- Roof orientation. You want at least one side of your pitched roof to be facing the south if you live in the Northern Hemisphere and to the north if you live in the Southern Hemisphere. Why? Because this is the best orientation for exposing the solar panels to sunlight for as long as possible while the sun tracks along the in the sky from east to west each day. An east-west roof orientation is not an automatic fail for solar power, but you may have to consider putting panels on both the eastern and western faces of your roof, which increases the installation costs, or you use a ground-based panel mount that follows the sun across the sky to maximise panel output. Again, this increases installation costs and ongoing maintenance costs because you have now introduced a moving part to your solar power system.
- Roof strength and integrity. This is an issue you rarely hear solar enthusiasts talking about, but it can be a big and expensive headache. Solar panels are heavy, and your typical home installation can be 200 – 300kgs (kilograms) in weight when complete. You will want to ensure your roof has the strength to take the additional load. And while you’re checking your rafters for sturdiness, make sure you don’t have any leaks or other maintenance issues with the roof. If you need to repair your roof, do so before you install a solar power system. Because if you don’t, it will cost you big time – when you remove the panels from the roof, when you fix the roof, and then again when you reinstall the panels. And in the meantime, you have also lost all that clean, free electricity from the sun.
Take the Pain out of Installation Costs
Direct cost comparisons between wind and solar power systems are never simple. Many variables can impact on the cost of a renewable energy system and are often specific to the installation site.
The average US household consumes just under 11,000kWh of electricity each year, so if you are looking to use wind or solar as your main source of electricity, you would need to install 5kW of wind capacity or a 7kW solar system.
According to the American Wind Energy Association, the indicative average cost of installing small wind turbines (<10kW rated power) is about $5,000 per kW of rated power. In comparison, solar panels are cheaper to install with an average cost of about $3,400 per kW of rated power but you need more panels to get the same electricity production (kWh) as a wind turbine. These costs do not include any tax credits or other incentives for renewable energy.
So, for the average American home, wind and solar systems have very similar establishment costs.
Before investing in any renewable energy system at home, we always recommend homeowners take steps to improve the energy efficiency of their home first. Think about replacing incandescent lightbulbs with LED bulbs, buying new appliances with high energy efficiency ratings, insulating floors and ceilings and investing in double-glazed windows. Fixing areas of energy wastage in your home now will reduce the size of renewable energy system required and make your investment in a wind turbine or solar panels a much more affordable and enjoyable experience.
The Cheat Sheet: Wind Turbines vs Solar Panels
Wind and solar power are both clean, sustainable and affordable alternatives to the traditional energy sources. Which one you use in your home will depend on your energy needs and the natural resources available at your place. And using wind or solar power does not mean you have to give up the grid. Both renewable energy sources can be tied to your existing electricity setup and used as a supplementary power supply.
For homeowners looking to live off-grid and generate 100% of their home’s electricity needs themselves, then a combination of a wind turbine and solar panels is perfect for clean, green renewable energy all year round, day and night.
Whilst solar power would appear to be the straightforward choice in most urban communities, if you live in a region that has better wind speeds than sunshine hours, it makes sense to look at installing a wind turbine in preference to solar panels. To do otherwise would mean missing out on a lot of free, easily accessible energy.
If wind power sounds like an appealing possibility at your place, check out our essential checklist for the five most important factors you need to consider before using wind power in your home.