The upfront costs of installing a wind power system on your property can be high. It's important, in order to recoup your costs in an acceptable time frame, to maximize the amount of power your system can generate.

Wind velocity is the number one factor in determining the amount of energy your system can create. An increase in wind speed from 10 MPH to 12 MPH will cause an 100% increase in power generation, so you want to make sure your system has the ability and the position to catch high wind speeds. Information on wind speed and velocity can be obtained using state wind maps, or by having a professional do a wind survey on the property.

For a quick estimate of your property's wind speed, you can measure the speed at ground level over the course of a few weeks. Generally, there are seven days of prevalent winds and three days of energy winds in a two week period. Most of a wind power system's energy is generated from energy wind. If the average ground level wind speed that you measure over the two week period is at least 8 MPH, a wind power system is most likely optimal for your property.

Another consideration is location. Your turbine should be 20 feet above the tallest tree, building, or other obstacle within a 400 ft radius to ensure that the wind reaching the turbines is smooth and strong. A good site for a turbine is on the highest, most exposed ground in an area to ensure that the wind coming through will hit the turbine with as much force as possible.

Along with wind speed and location, the turbine length will affect the potential output of the entire system. Shorter turbine blades will be cheaper and louder. They are designed to catch fast moving winds and generate as much energy as possible from them. When they are operating at a maximum speed, they can be very noisy. The bigger the turbine blade, the slower the wind that can be caught and used to generate energy. Large turbine blades can catch winds as slow as 8 MPH, and don't make as much noise, but they can cost tens of thousands of dollars in installation and maintenance.

To measure the potential output of a turbine, use this formula: 0.01328(D squared)(V Squared). The number is the air density, which doesn't vary much and so a single number can be used to provide an approximate answer. 'D' is the diameter of the turbine blade, and 'V' is the average annual wind velocity in MPH.

For example, a turbine blade which is 10 feet in diameter, placed in an area which receives 12 MPH average annual wind velocity, could produce approximately 2300 KWH/year of electricity. To get an idea of how much electricity that is, the average U.S. household uses 11,000 KWH/year. So a mid-sized wind turbine system in an optimal wind speed location can realistically provide 2.5 months' worth of renewable electricity to the home it powers.

The energy generating capacity of your wind power system should meet the needs of your household, whether that is providing all the electricity for the home or supplementing grid energy. Finding the correct location and size of wind power system is essential in meeting those needs and in driving your expectations for the system.