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Tax credits for small wind turbines (like the Skystream)?

#1
Rating: 0
3/25/09 at 5:28pm
  • Joined: October 2007
  • Location: San Francisco, CA
  • Post Count: 560

Lately there's been a lot of talk about tax credits, bail outs, incentives, economic stimulus packages...

 

J.D. Stratton Electric Inc. published a nice break down of information on tax credits for small wind turbines, specifically the Skystream 3.7 turbine.

 

Quote:

Update on the tax credit for small wind turbines

Q: What does this mean to me?

A: The entire cost of a Skystream system (plus installation) is reduced by 30 percent provided you have a tax liability over the course of two years. Depending on where you live, you could save even more! States have also implemented rebates for small wind systems which can be used in addition to the Federal credit. Furthermore, in the last two months alone, more than 30 states have introduced legislation that either expands incentives for renewable energy and/or addresses market barriers.

Any one out there considering stimulating the economy with renewable energy?

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#2
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3/29/09 at 11:51pm
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Location: Izmir, Turkey
  • Post Count: 556

Hi Deej,

 

One potential problem is wind speed - each interested party needs to look up the available wind at their site. NCDC gives this data which should be quite accurate and generally is over a period of many years.

 

Skystream is one party who does not seem to misrepresent the available power though they may downplay how little power can be generated at many sites.

 

In my case with a 4.88 m/s (11 mph) wind speed it should put out less than 250 watts - forget the 2.4 kW. To achieve the 2.4 kW output you need 10.5 m/s (23.5) mph winds which are rare - outside of an occasional gust or storm.

 

It is good to be green but one does not need to waste their money when many other options such as insulation and sealing the house offer more bang for the buck.

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#3
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3/30/09 at 8:47am
  • Joined: June 2008
  • Post Count: 75

If you want to understand off-grid survival, take a look at blue water (ocean farring) sailboats. With 10 knots of wind available most of the time, their turbines can crank 200-300 watts to juice up the batteries. When there is no wind, it's typically very sunny so the solar panels take over. Sometimes you get both. Sometimes (very rarely), you get neither and then you revert to the diesel engine. As you can see, it takes a lot to be energy independent. What applies to the sailboat applies to a home as well, minus the 10 knot winds ...

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#4
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3/31/09 at 11:54am
  • Joined: March 2009
  • Location: Izmir, Turkey
  • Post Count: 556

For anyone interested here are some URL's where you can find excellent information on wind turbines/generators:

 

1.       American Wind Energy Association – many resources including #5 below

http://www.awea.org/resources/resource_library/index.html

2.       Small Wind Electric Systems

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy07osti/42005.pdf

3.       Wind Turbine Buyers Guide

http://www.homepower.com/view/?file=HP119_pg34_Sagrillo

4.       Apples & Oranges – Choosing a Home-Size Wind Generator

http://renewwisconsin.org/wind/Toolbox-Homeowners/Apples%20and%20Oranges.pdf

5.       Wind Web Tutorial

http://www.awea.org/faq/index.html

6.       Historical wind speeds across the US

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/avgwind.html 

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