Wind-powered electric systems sized for homes, farms, and small businesses have experienced major growth in the past decade. These turbines, which are defined as 100 kilowatts in capacity and below, have seen their market grow significantly and the industry has set ambitious growth targets continuing at 18-20% through 2020. These machines are used by individuals to lower their electric bills, to become independent of their electric grid, and to avoid the unpredictability of traditional energy prices. Sunflower Wind is among those companies who manufacture within the U.S., and we hope that we will begin assembling small turbines as early as mid 2008.
As a general rule of thumb, a turbine owner should have at least a 10-mph average wind speed, which is considered a slight breeze here in Kansas. Kansas and the surrounding areas have some the highest and steadiest wind speeds in the United States. Sunflower Wind is headquartered within 700 miles of 90% of the wind energy market in the United States.
It is only a matter of when, not if, wind energy is produced in great quantities in Kansas and throughout the world, and with electricity and fuel rates climbing every year, now is the best time to utilize one of our most abundant renewable energy sources. In fact, residential wind turbines have been installed in 50 states, but the majority have been installed in the Midwest, where good wind resources are part of daily life.
But the biggest incentive to having a small wind system on your home or farm is the guaranteed rate of electricity, which Sunflower Wind will lock in for 25 years. With electricity and fuel costs rising, it will be a great peace of mind to know that your utility rates will not increase for the next quarter of a century.
A wind turbine typically lowers a household electricity bill by 15% to 20%. It is not uncommon for wind turbine systems with total-electric homes to generate monthly utility bills of only $8 to $15 for nine months of the year. Depending on the turbine size and the installation site, a turbine could supply more than 100% of a home's energy needs, sometimes resulting in a "negative'" electric utility bill.
Small wind turbines only have a few moving parts and require minimal maintenance to be performed by Sunflower Wind LLC. They are designed for a long life (20 - 30 years) and operate completely automatically.
A wind turbine can easily be installed at virtually any existing home or farm without the need to change any wiring or appliances. Sunflower Wind will provide all needed electrical switching devices.
Sunflower Wind will monitor and maintain these turbines at no cost to the consumer. With thousands of small wind turbines installed today in the U.S., there is evidence to show that property values tend to increase by having a small wind system, and Sunflower Wind will do all in its power to protect the land during installation.
Small wind systems are not just limited to home use. Our systems can be used to power electric irrigation pumps for agriculture uses.
One study of an Arctic community with annual average wind speeds of 15 mph compared the cost of a 5OO-kW diesel system to that of a 200-kW diesel generator and four mid-sized wind turbines. It found that the wind/diesel combination cost considerably more to install ($378,000 versus $125,000), but would deliver fuel savings of $90,000 per year, paying for itself in less than three years. Sunflower Wind will offer two devices, a 30 kW model for single phase applications and a 100 kW model for three phase applications.
SMALL WIND INFORMATION FORM