This factsheet was prepared by Hugh Piggott who has written a book on this, available from the Centre for Alternative Technology - in the Wind Energy Books section.
Wind energy is both green and fun, so the idea of building one's own wind turbine is a good one. The following will give you an idea of what is involved and point you toward sources of information on the subject.
A free lunch?
Wind energy on a large scale is now competitive with other sources of electricity on the national grid. However, small domestic-sized wind turbines have not yet reached this point. The wind is free, but small wind turbines are expensive in relation to what they produce, and cannot realistically compete with mains electricity. Building your own machine saves some of the cost, but please do not underestimate the difficulty of the task. If it were easy to save money by using small wind turbines, then they would be a major feature of the landscape by now.
Is my site windy enough?
Most people think they live in a windy place, but in fact most residential locations are not suitable for windpower. Trees and buildings break the force of the wind, and create turbulent gusts which can be very destructive. Open hilltop sites or coastal situations with unobstructed views may be suitable for siting a wind turbine. A very tall tower is helpful, but these are frowned on in the UK. Do not forget the effect your wind turbine may have on neighbours, who may not share your enthusiasm!
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