I am buying a small acreage in missouri and want to use wind turbines to supply all my electrical needs. I know nothing about this except the wind blows and it creates electricity with the turbines somehow! How and where do I get started? Please anybody that can HONESTLY help, please do so. I greatly will truly appreciate your help and be grateful.
I got my first turbine from a friend in Missouri because it was not making enough power to make it worthwhile. It was near Columbia, and though I do not now recall its height, it was almost certainly not optimal (guessing 40 feet, but it was a long time ago...). Also, it was an old wincharger, not that efficient. It is, I believe, a truism that the wind rarely blows as hard as you think, nor as steadily.
All that said, wind is a good mix with solar. We live in cloudy northern Michigan, and use wind to get though our winters and solar to make it in summer. Similar trends in weather will pertain in Missouri, though your winters are generally much more sunny than here (at least where I lived, southern and central MO). Well, almost everywhere is more sunny than here. I like the mix because it is often windy when not sunny, and vice versa.
I recently found a book that helps explain a lot of the options and implications in solar, wind and other forms of energy/efficiency. The Renewable Energy Handbook, William H. Kemp is a good start on your quest.
Good luck! And go for it...the info and equipment you need are out there, and much more accessible than when we started this project 20 years ago!
Jim
