Solar panels get most of the renewable energy attention. They're cheap and easy to install.
But wind energy has a few tricks solar can't match. It keeps spinning after dark, it often gets stronger when winter shuts the sun down, and it doesn't burn a thing. So what are the real benefits of wind energy for a home, and when should you skip it?
Wind Energy Never Runs Out
The wind has been blowing for the entire history of Earth. As long as the sun heats one part of the planet more than another, air moves from one place to another. That's all wind is.
Unlike fossil fuels, wind makes electricity without burning anything, and you're not draining a resource that runs dry. The wind that turns your turbine today is the same kind of wind that pushed sailing ships across oceans 500 years ago. Today the same natural push spins giant wind farms all over the world.
A wind turbine is just a clever way to skim some power off something that was happening anyway.
Wind Power Works When Solar Can't
This is the big one. Solar power generation stops when the sun goes down. Wind can keep blowing all night, while your panels sit there doing nothing.
And then there's winter. In much of the United States, wind is weak in summer, when the sun shines brightest and longest, and strong in winter, when there's less sunlight. So a wind turbine plus solar panels is a much steadier source of power than either alone. The two cover for each other like two goalkeepers taking turns, especially in the dark months. Curious how wind stacks up against water power too? See hydro vs solar vs wind.
How Clean Is Wind Energy, Really?
This is one of the big environmental benefits. Working wind turbines produce no greenhouse gas emissions and no air pollution, and they take the place of the fossil fuels that power plants would otherwise burn.
There is a carbon cost to the construction of the turbine, mostly from the steel, fibreglass and concrete. Scientists who tracked a small 1.5 kW rooftop turbine found it paid back that carbon in about 13 to 20 months at its expected output. Windier locations pay back faster. After that, every kWh is close to carbon-free, while a coal or gas plant keeps emitting for its entire life.
Can Wind Power Save You Money?
Wind isn't cheap to install, even if it can reduce your power bill for years. A serious home system costs tens of thousands, so check what a wind system costs before you dream too big. But the math works in the right places.
In our worked example, a 10 kW turbine on a site with 6 m/s average wind, where power costs €0.30 a kWh (homes in Germany and Denmark pay a bit more than that), pays for itself in about 9 years. Small turbines last about 20 years on average, so after payback you're making your own electricity for little more than upkeep.
Wind Energy Cuts You Loose From The Grid
When the grid goes down, your lights go out, and when the electricity company raises prices, your bill follows.
A house with its own turbine (plus solar plus batteries) avoids both. You make your own power, and if the grid disappears tomorrow, the lights still work. That independence isn't free, but it's real.
The Disadvantages Of Wind: When To Skip It
If you live in a calm area, wind isn't worth chasing. The US Department of Energy says a site should average at least 4 m/s (9 mph) at the height of the rotor. Check if there's enough wind on your site first, and get solar if there isn't.
Turbines also make noise and change the view, and they have environmental effects on local wildlife. The DOE says those wildlife impacts are lower than from other kinds of energy development, but they're real, so towns often have noise and setback rules. In a tight neighbourhood, wind might be banned or impractical. Where the wind is gusty and swirly, vertical axis turbines have a few advantages of their own.
And if you want a fast payback (under 5 years), wind probably isn't it. Solar usually pays back faster.
So, What Are The Advantages Of Wind Energy?
Wind power isn't for everyone. But on the right site, the benefits stack up: it works at night, it works in winter, it pairs perfectly with solar, and it keeps going for about two decades. Next step: figure out what size wind turbine you need, starting from your yearly use with the yearly kWh calculator or our guide to calculating your energy needs. Or head back to wind power.
Sources
- US Department of Energy, Consumer Guide to Small Wind Energy Systems
- US Department of Energy, Advantages and Challenges of Wind Energy
- US Department of Energy, Hybrid wind and solar electric systems (archived)
- Rankine, Chick and Harrison, Energy and carbon audit of a rooftop wind turbine (2006)
- Eurostat, Electricity price statistics
Hard Words
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Renewable | Energy from a source that does not run out, like sun, wind and water. |
| Grid | The public network of poles and wires that links homes to power plants. |
| Carbon payback | How long a turbine runs before it offsets the carbon from building it. |
| Greenhouse gas | A gas that traps heat in the air and warms the climate, like CO2. Running turbines make none. |
| Manufacturing carbon | The emissions from making and installing the turbine. |
| Site wind | The wind measured at your own property, not the regional average. |
| Hybrid system | Wind plus solar plus batteries, each covering the other's weak times. |
| Independence | Not relying on the grid for your power. |
| Payback time | Years until savings equal what the system cost. |
| Setback rule | A local rule that keeps a turbine a set distance from property lines. |
| Noise rule | A local cap on how loud a turbine may be at the property line. |
Common Questions
What are the main benefits of wind energy?
It never runs out, it can make power at night and is often strongest in winter, it produces no pollution while running, and on a windy site it can pay for itself.
Do wind turbines offset their carbon footprint?
Yes. Building one creates some carbon, but a running turbine emits nothing. One study of a small rooftop turbine found a carbon payback of about 13 to 20 months.
When is wind a bad choice?
Calm sites below 4 m/s average wind speed, tight neighbourhoods with strict noise rules, and anyone who needs payback in under 5 years.
Should I get wind or solar?
Most people in normal towns: solar. Most people on windy rural sites: both, ideally. Wind alone is risky, because no wind means no power.