The Self-Sufficiency Handbook. Alan Bridgewater

      Off-Grid Wind Power

      A stand-alone, off-grid, wind-powered system consists of a wind generator or turbine mounted on a tower/pole, a bank of deep-cycle gel or carbon-fiber-type batteries, and an inverter. The wind blows over the blades, causing them to rotate; the prop spins on a horizontal axis, turning a shaft; the shaft turns inside the generator; and the generator converts the turning motion into electricity. The resultant electricity is stored in the batteries and then passes through an inverter and into the house as standard AC power. This is the perfect option—perhaps the only option—when you want to provide electric lighting for an isolated property. Another option is to leave out the batteries and use the electricity directly to power an immersion water-heating system (but, of course, this will not give you lighting).

      

      Grid-Tie-In Wind Power

      A grid-tie-in system consists of the wind generator mounted on a mast/pole, a utility tie-in inverter, a bank of batteries for a backup system, a utility switch box, and a battery system switch box. The wind blows over the blades, causing them to rotate; the prop spins on a horizontal axis, turning a shaft inside the generator; the generator converts the turning motion into electricity; and so on as with the off-grid system. The only difference this time—and the detail depends upon your choice of system—is that the electricity is either used first by the house, with the excess being fed back into the grid, or it is fed directly into the grid, and the house takes power from the grid. Either way, you will be cutting down on your total costs, using a renewable source rather than a fossil fuel, reducing harmful emissions, and generally achieving a measure of independence.