What size wind turbine would I need to purchase to supply approximately 1600 kWh monthly?

Question

I have not been able to find the consistancy of the wind, yet, but the average speed is 12-14 mph..

Answer 1

2.2 KW. hope the wind blows constantly for you.

Answer 2

there are 730 hours in a month, so 1600 kWh/mo is a steady rate of about 2 kW. So if the wind were blowing all the time, and your power usage did not vary, a 2 kW unit would do.

But wind doesn't blow continuously, and power usage is not steady, and so I suspect you will need something more on the order of 5-6 kW.

Storage is always a difficult problem. See if you can arrange with your utility company that they buy excess power from you so you can buy it back when the wind is low. Some allow this, some don't.

If you opt for batteries, you need to decide the length of time you want to have power when there is no wind. And at what power level, hopefully lower than the 2kW.

A large lead acid battery will hold about 1 kW-hr, so if you need to deliver 2 kW for 20 hours from the battery bank, that is 40 batteries. Expensive and space consuming. And high maintenance.

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Answer 3

What's the wind speed where you are?

How constant is it?