AltEnToday

Caught an interesting article from CNet’s Green Tech blog regarding a vertical-axis wind turbine that’s being produced for homeowners looking to take advantage of their windy neighborhood in a cost-effective way. The price tag? A mere $4,995 - plus about $1,000 of installation costs.

The system, called Windspire, includes everything in one package, and is built by a Reno, Nevada company called Mariah Power. The ideal location features regular, but not substantial winds, and due to the unique vertical design of the tower can tolerate wind from essentially any direction.

The numbers are worthwhile as well - the 30-foot-tall structure, operating at an average wind of 12mph will produce 2,000 kWh per year - about 1/5th of the average home’s requirements. At a price of $4,995 (we’ll call it $6k fulling installed) with energy prices hovering around $0.12 per kWh, a Windspire should pay for itself in 25 years, but that doesn’t take in to account the CO2 emissions offset - nor the conversation piece you’ll have brought home. Oh - and let’s not forget that energy prices may be climbing in the near future - meaning the cost-effectiveness of this system could greatly increase over time.

Homeowners are enjoying a renaissance of home-energy-production options available to them today. Combined with a rooftop or property-mounted solar system and increased efficiency appliances, etc., a energy-self-sufficient home could be right around the corner.