Generating electricity from kinetic energy via the wind could well be the next frontier for home electricity generation.
The PV cells on the garage roof have been performing very well the house is using about six more kilowatt hours per day than we produce so the next thing we want to look at is wind power.
The house is about eight hundred meters off the coast so coastal winds will help but is there enough wind to drive a turbine.
We've measured the wind speed here it a ver ajiz five point seven meters per second which means we're a viable site for the installation of a real wind turbine.
The small turbine we're looking at is from Swan energy they've jointly developed it and it's the first of its kind to be released here until now the inverters that allow us to put the power back into the grid have been a challenge for turbine manufacturers.
Before we install the wind turbine we need approvals from local authorities and our energy provider.
In the past one of the problems with wind turbines in residential areas is noise.
Well I'm going to go and check out an installation and find out just how much noise they actually make.
Well here we are and there's the first installation of the Zephyr and it's turning very well the wind is quite strong here but it's not making any noise so whatever the wind noise problems are with the larger turbines this one doesn't have them.
They seem to have corrected it or fixed it with the design it's it's virtually silent.
The turbine is compact and relatively light but it has the potential to generate more electricity than the PV cells on our roof.
It is precision manufactured from ultralight materials and is perfectly balanced.
Swan Energy's engineers have designed a mast and mounting system that is fixed to the brick section of the front of the house.
The fixings are set deep into the wall providing solid support and prevent any movement or vibration even in the strongest winds the mast will position the turbine three metres above the roof to take advantage of the wind here.
The Zephyr is the first of this kind of turbine in Australia.
Swan energy expects sales to ramp up over the next 12 months as energy conscious homeowners and government organizations look for new solutions in renewable energy.
Like photovoltaic cells electricity generated by the Zephyr is passed through an inverter and then directly into the grid.
Even in light winds the blades have the ability to self start to overcome startup inertia and optimize energy production.
Because the Zephyr is so compact and quiet it's suitable for any residential area.
We believe it will soon become a common sight throughout the suburbs.
