The Toledo Zoo in Ohio has entered the world of windpower.  Green by Design installed a Skystream 3.7 on a 60′ monopole tower as part of the parking lot expansion project.  

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“This wind powered Greenbird will attempt to break the world land speed record in Australia.”
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Are you talking about the commercial wind turbines?

The model G.E. makes costs 1.5 million dollars, 2 million installed.

Commercial wind turbines consistantly in almost every company that makes them, cost 1 million dollars per mega watt the turbine can produce. So if you have a 3 mega watt
wind turbine it will cost roughly 3 million dollars, with another 1/2 a million or so for instalation.

If you are talking about the homeowner grade ones, you can get one for $200 that MIGHT light a single lightbulb (if you're lucky), or about $15,000-$25,000 for a homeowner grade turbine which will actually generate power your home needs.

~Garnet
Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

I want to make a wind turbine and connect it to a bunch of car battery’s. I would charge it with some sort of motor. I would also need to convert the power of the battery’s to usable for household things
- any subjection’s?
also
Would the battery’s explode from over charge,
would I have to build a system that shuts the charge off after the battery’s are fully charged?
What do the professionals use?
My idea is that its cheaper to do it your self. Thanks a lot.

Your best bet might be to just buy one. That is well beyond the scope of most people. Even professionals have a tough time with wind turbines.

i have some school homework for science and it’s really hard can anyone tell me…..
how to build a candle operated steam turbine from simple materials

Build a simple wind powered generator

and build a working model for a solar water heating system using every day materials

all that you need to know is in the bible

Does anyone know what companies are responsible for manufacturing the parts to build giant wind turbines on wind farms and whatnot?

If your question is who are the major utility scale wind turbine manufacturers ,they are: Vestas, GE, Siemens, Gamesa, Enercon, Suzlon, Clipper, Mitsubishi etc (there were some other companies like Bonus, Enron, Repower, NEG Micon etc - but they have been absorbed into one of the above mentioned).

Some of the above companies are more vertically integrated than others (i.e make major components on their own)

As far as major component suppliers go:
Generators - Hitachi, VEM, Winergy
Gearbox - Flender (part of Suzlon), Winergy (part of Siemens)
Blades - LM , Tecsis
Towers - Marmon, Dongkuk
Electrical panels - ABB
Controls & Converters - typically owned by the WT manufacturer, Xantrex is independent

How much energy could a simple small windmill in my backyard create and how much energy could that save America per year.
I like Matts answer. So 10 million small windmills could take care of the energy needs of almost 2.5 million people?

Residential windmills are often rated in watts, not kilowatts. They are limited in many areas by building height codes as towers ranging from 25 to 50 feet are required to capture wind of sufficient velocity. A basic 3000W windmill would cost $8000 and allow you to run a hair dryer and a fridge while the wind was blowing. Installing such a windmill in 10 million homes ($80 billion) would provide 30 gigawatts of power out of 3.23 terawatts of national consumption or 0.9% of the total.

I am looking into purchasing a power generating wind turbine for my house, but I'm after a bit of advice. What are the qualities that i should be looking for when i begin looking into the purchase?

staples.
plain and simple.

Yes

Wind turbines use a propeller to catch the wind. They work better the higher off the ground they are because the wind is more steady and greater. The propeller turns a gear and a shaft and generates electrical power. The method of storing this power also will determine cost and overall efficiency.

Solar Panels work by converting the energy from photons in sunlight into electrical current. Again, the method of storage is key to efficiency.

Don't forget passive Solar design. Just by creating a water panel and plumbing, you can save most of your hot water energy demands which is the number one use of electricity in most homes.

ideally id like to have a idea, based on prices in portugal near santana da serra, just above the algarve.

ive been quoted £1200 for a conductor
and £2000to repair the turbine thats been hit by lighting.

it a very specific question so if there is not answer than im not surprised, but if you have any experience of this id be gratefull of your knowledge.

cheers

olly

avr is correct, and you should check the quote you have, to be sure it does include a sharp point well above the highest point the blades can reach.