The Small Wind Market

Although the public is generally familiar with large, utility-scale wind turbines, small-scale wind turbines – those producing 100kW of power or less – are more versatile. This is because:

• their capital acquisition costs are less,
• they can easily be transported to a wider variety of locations,
• they install faster with less logistical support,
• they require less wind to generate power,
• and there is no need for costly transmission lines.

The U.S. small wind market grew 78 percent in 2008, outpacing the general turbine market’s 50 percent 2007 growth, according to a study released by the American Wind Energy Association.

Links
Year long UK wide study proves rural locations are best (July 2009)
Results show performance of small-scale wind turbines highly dependent upon location and proper installation. Pole mounted wind-turbines located in the most open rural areas delivered the greatest results while no urban or suburban building-mounted turbine sites generated significant electricity.