This page discusses small wind turbine technology for homes and businesses. If you are interested in offshore wind power, click here.

Small (backyard) wind turbines use wind energy to produce clean, emissions-free power for a home, farm, or small business. With this simple technology, individuals can generate their own power and cut electric bills while helping to protect the environment. As with solar PV, small wind turbines are connected to the utility grid and net-metered.

Is Your Property Suitable for a Wind Turbine?

1. Typically, a property of one acre or more is needed to provide at least a 300 ft. radius around the windmill. Also, the tower must be tall enough so that the bottom of the blades are at least 30 feet above any obstacles.
   
   
2. The economics of a wind system are very sensitive to the average wind speeds.  Your property should have at least a 10-mph average wind speed.

Cost and Financial Incentives

The cost of a wind energy system can vary based on a number of factors, including turbines size, tower height, and layout of your property.

As a rule of thumb, the installed cost of a system could be $6,000 or more per kW of turbine capacity (i.e a 10 kW turbine would cost $60,000 installed).

An income tax credit of 26 percent is available from the Federal Government for residential wind energy systems placed in service before 01/01/2023, and 22% for systems placed in service after 12/31/2022 and before 01/01/2024. Please be sure to check eligibility and details of tax credits with your professional tax advisor.

If you're interested in getting wind energy for your home, business, municipality or school, contact reLI at [email protected]