Frequently Asked Questions

Grid Connected Small Wind FAQ

Q: Is my site windy enough to justify investing in a small wind power system?

A: To qualify for NY State Energy Research and Development Authority's (NYSERDA) small wind system incentive, your site must have an average annual wind speed of 4.5m/s (10.1mph) or greater. From our experience, we strongly recommend a minimum average annual wind speed of 5.0m/s (11.2mph) at a 30m (98ft) height.

Q: How do I find out what my average annual wind speed is?

A: To assess your annual average wind speed please follow the detailed directions found on our wind overview webpage. Scroll down to the section entitled: "Wind resource assessment and NYSERDA financing".

If you want to convert to feet, multiply meters by 3.28.
If you want to know mph, multiply m/s by 2.24.

Q: Is my property large enough to install a turbine and tower on?

A: To qualify for NYSERDA's small wind system incentive, your property must be a minimum of one acre. Moreover, the wind turbine must be centered in a circle with a radius equal to the proposed tower height + the length of the wind turbine blades, and this circle must not overlap with power lines, property boundaries, roads, offices or homes. For example, for a Fortis Montana 5.0m or Fortis Alizé 7.0m turbine on a 120ft guyed-lattice tower, this is a circle with a 131ft radius (262ft diameter) centered at the tower base.

Q: Are there zoning ordinances that may prohibit me from putting up a wind turbine?

A: Towns are rapidly adopting zoning ordinances regarding wind turbines and towers. Check with the Building Department and/or Code Enforcement officer for your Town or Municipality.

Unless you are prepared to be very patient waiting for permits and approvals for your wind turbine, don't even think about contacting an installer. It will only end up being a waste of your time and theirs. To date, our experience has been waiting periods of between 6 months to one year from signed Purchase Agreement to an installed, grid-connected, operating wind turbine.

Obtaining the necessary permits from "authorities having jurisdiction" (AJHs) will be the most time-consuming and frustrating step in the process of design, permitting, installation, commissioning and ongoing maintenance of a small wind project. AHJs include: local planning and zoning boards, local building department and code enforcement office, electric utility, NYSERDA wind incentive requirements (e.g., SEQRA) and possibly others.

Q: What type of turbine is right for my site?

A: If you plan on taking advantage of state incentives you will need to choose a "NYSERDA qualified wind generator". Here is NYSERDA's listing of qualified machines.

Now that you know what your options are, you need to consider how much of your electrical usage you would like to offset with wind power. Once you have an idea of that number, in kilowatt-hours (kWh), start comparing production claims from the turbine manufacturers. Be aware that most of the production values are based on an 11m/s - or higher - averge annual wind speed. Look at power curves and see what the turbine produces at your annual average wind speed. If the manufacturer can provide them, ask for a modeled estimate of turbine production based on your site's specific wind resource and terrain characteristics. Used and interpreted properly, these models will give you an idea of how much energy (kWh) you can expect annually from a given turbine at your site. We always suggest that you also set a goal for reducing your electrical needs when considering what size wind turbine to choose.

Q: What type of tower should I choose?

A: Most turbine manufacturers will have tower options specific to the size turbine you have selected.

The typical configurations are: tilt-up, guyed, or freestanding (each available in tubular or lattice versions). Each style has its pros and cons, and typically the turbine manufacturer will have narrowed the selection to a few choices pre-engineered for a specific turbine. Your choice may depend on how tall you need it to be or whether or not there is access for a crane at your site.

Q: How tall does the tower need to be?

A: A good rule of thumb is to size the tower so that the bottom of the turbine's blades are at least 30ft above the tallest object within 500ft (that's 0.1 mile). The 500ft rule will need to be extended to 3000ft (that's over a 1/2 mile!) if your site is near an abrupt change in height of a continuous object, like a cliff or a dense forest that borders a field.

Another rule of thumb we have adopted is that if you are considering putting up a turbine in New York, put it on the tallest tower you can afford (within reason, meaning less than 200ft). The energy economics get better as your tower gets taller.

Q: How much does a small wind power system cost?

A: The installed cost of a wind system depends on many things including the size of the turbine, the tower, and where the site is in relation to the point of interconnection. Unfortunately, system prices are on the rise, because of the cost of commodities, increased demand and the value of the US dollar. Check with the manufacturer and or dealer/installer for up-to-date pricing. For example: http://fortiswindenergy.us/products.html

Q: What government incentives are available?

A: NYSERDA's small wind incentive program offers incentives based on each turbine that they qualify.

In addition, "net metering" is available in New York through the large investor-owned utilities (NYSEG, National Grid, etc.). Net metering works like this - at the end of each month, net excess generation for wind turbines of 10kW or less is credited to the next month's bill at the retail rate. Net excess generation for systems larger than 10kW is credited to the next month's bill at the "avoided cost" (essentially, wholesale) rate. Total excess generation at the end of the year is paid for at the avoided cost rate. As a result of the net metering law, the utilities have prepared tariffs that are submitted to the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) for approval.

New York State Real Property Tax Law provides a 15-year real property tax exemption for solar and wind energy systems constructed in New York State. More information is available here.

Other state and federal assistance may be available for agricultural and commercial operations.

Q: What financing options are available?

A: The New York Energy$mart Loan Fund program provides a 4% interest rate reduction from a participating lender's normal loan interest rate for a term up to 10 years on loans for certain energy-efficiency improvements and/or renewable technologies.

Q: What type of warranty can I expect my turbine to come with?

A: All wind systems installed under the NYSERDA incentive program will come with a five-year parts and labor warranty.

Q: What type of maintenance is involved with owning a wind turbine?

A: As a minimum, a small wind turbine should be inspected and serviced every year. This is usually done by the installer and may or may not require a separate service agreement.

As important as the annual service/inspection is the day-to-day observation of the system by the owner. The system owner should be able to notice potential problems such as new noises, excessive tower motion, inverter error messages, etc., etc.

Q: Is wind a more cost-effective option than solar?

A: It depends on the wind resource at your site. We consider a grid-connected wind turbine to be an economically viable investment where the average annual wind speed exceeds 5.5m/s (12.3mph) at 30m (98ft) about ground level. With this resource and with existing incentives, the simple payback period from energy savings is about 15 years, while the return on investment (ROI) over the estimated 30 year lifespan of a small wind turbine is about 6%. The biggest assumption in this calculation is the inflation rate in the cost of electricity over time which we (conservatively?) assume to be 5% per year.

Q: What can I expect from a Site Evaluation for wind energy?

A: A Site Evaluation allows your installer to investigate the details of a site prior to developing designs and proposals for its renewable energy system(s). Equally important, the visit allows them time to answer any and all questions that you may have. For grid-connected wind energy systems, we will first need to assess the adequacy of the wind resource. A preliminary assessment of the wind resource should be done prior to committing to the time and expense of a formal Site Evaluation (see our wind overview webpage for instructions).

During a Site Evaluation, we identify potential sites for wind tower(s), wiring distances, location for inverter(s), capacity of the existing electrical service, and point-of-connection to the utility. For most clients, an economic analysis of the "simple payback" and/or return on investment (ROI) will be a central point of discussion for which we provide a projected investment costs vs energy revenues spreadsheet.

A central issue which we discuss at some length with our wind system clients is permitting of the project by all "authorities having jurisdiction" (AHJ's), i.e., Towns (Zoning Boards, Planning Boards, Building Code enforcement personnel), the electric utility, and funding agencies (NYSERDA, USDA, etc.).

For off-grid wind systems, additional issues that must be addressed include load analysis, battery capacity, battery type, and identification of critical (backed-up) loads. Permitting, while usually less of a "process" for off-grid systems, must still be addressed.

Q: Do I need to have batteries?

A: No. As with solar, the simplest, most economical wind energy systems are tied in directly to the electric grid without intervening battery storage. A device called a grid-tie inverter takes care of the conversion of the wind power into grid-synchronous AC power.

However, if you wish to have backup power, then you will need to have batteries in order to store wind energy for usage in the event of a utility failure.