Techotic Gadgets

Wind turbines can presently only have viable uses as part of a major project, such as a factory or big office block. But now it may be possible to add a turbine to your house.

Back in the early days, off-grid electrical generation was pursued mostly by hippies and rednecks, usually in isolated, rural areas,” said Joe Schwartz, editor of Home Power magazine. “Now, it’s a lot more mainstream.”

“The big shift happened in the last three years,” Mr. Schwartz said, because of technology that makes it possible to feed electricity back to the grid, the commercial power system fed by large utilities. “These new systems use the utility for back up power, removing the need for big, expensive battery backup systems.”

Some of the “plug and play” systems can be plugged directly into a circuit in the home electrical panel. Homeowners can use energy from the wind turbine or the power company without taking action.

A company going by the name Skystream is producing small turbines aimed at reducing or possibly eliminating you domestic power bill, while also providing “quiet, clean electricity in very low winds.” Unfortunately, although practical, it may take as long as twenty years to pay for it self in power savings.

[via nytimes]