Industrial sized wind turbines are designed to be used in wind farm applications and by utilities planning to sell to the public. The interesting part here is that they often need to work with land owners and farmers to position the turbines close to users. Pricing for this type of turbine is usually set for complete systems and includes delivery. The turbine pictured below cost 2.8 million dollars and included the turbine, tower and blades. Turbines like this are estimated to generate 1.3 megawatts of electricity. This is much larger than would be needed for a single home and the power is usually sent through high grade lines to residential areas where it can be distributed and used effectively.
Wind power is one of the most affordable renewable energy sources and with production and interest expanding, the price per unit of turbines is going down. Most wind farms include contracts for dozens or even hundreds of units and are rarely sold on a one off basis. With public interest in renewable energy growing, some farm and land owners have become interested in installing their own systems or even having developers to work with on a land lease.
The biggest factor keeping industrial strength wind turbines out of the hands of individual land owners is economies of scale, the old manufacturing adage that 10 X = 1/2. That is, if you produce 10 times as many of something the cost per unit will drop to half. The pocket calculator is a great example of this. Originally this handy contraption went for up to $129 per unit but has recently dropped to less than a dollar in some cases, all due to economies of scale (and a bit of technology enhancements). Both of these factors are at work in the renewable energy wind space and it is much more cost effective for manufacturer and developer to work with many turbines at once vs. one offs. Truth be told, most individuals couldn’t afford a single turbine and wouldn’t be able to manage the installation process themselves.
Both solar cells and windmills have been hovering near the break even point for many years. That is, their price per unit of produced electricity is getting closer and closer to that of conventional “dirty” energy sources. Also, warranties for such devices are reaching the point of return on investment. A ten year wind turbine warranty or parts warranty that matches up with how long the unit will take to actually pay for itself in savings is a great thing. With thousands of windmills going up, the per unit cost has now reached the point where investors can put up a windmill and expect to get a return on their investment selling electricity at the going rates. In some locations, as user tastes and preferences for clean energy form, there are actually waiting lists to buy wind power at rates higher than coal power!
Check out the article we did for farmers and land owners interested in learning how to work with wind developers and consider putting up a smaller wind turbine on your home or business to help offset your use of non renewable electricity. For individuals this is the best options but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t still work in the wind development or maintenance space. Keep your eye out for jobs in the wind energy as it is a growing space.
