Recently I’ve found there is a lot of buzz about wind for homes.  In fact, on a trip recently I met a hotel owner who swears by it (stay tuned for a post on that – complete with pictures!).  Well, before everyone jumps on the wind bandwagon, a study commissioned by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and produced by the Cadmus Group  finds you better make sure you’ve got consistent wind in your location before you make an investment. 

The study also finds that the higher you place the turbine, the better.  That may make it tough for urban locations to utilize this technology.  My experience is that if you’re by a coastline, or in the mountains, you’re going to get a lot of wind, and that is often the perfect option for homes that can not use photovoltaics.

So, just like with photovoltaics, location is key. If you’re on the beach and get a cloudy marine layer half of the year, but get a steady wind, it’s a no-brainer to go with wind.  If you’re in a city and surrounded by buildings, think twice.  Likewise, municipalities need to consider these shortcomings when providing tax incentives for residential wind installations.  Let’s not spend precious municipal dollars on green technology that doesn’t work.  It may help the green economy, but it will undermine public support if tax dollars are spent on inefficient technology.

To see if your location is good for wind, click here to look at the Cadmus wind calculator commissioned by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust

Read a full article on the study at CNET by clicking here

Find pdf slides summarizing the study commissioned by the Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust and produced by the Cadmus Group  by clicking here

Find the Progress Report by clicking here