Small Wind Turbines for Home - Market Potential
In 2001, there were 14,000 small wind turbines for home/domestic use in the United States. The market potential for national and international market for small wind turbines is growing and have bright prospect. Small wind turbines as producing small energy are having the capacity up to 8% of the electricity needs of the United States in 2020. The wind energy industry is aimed to install at least 3% of the electricity needs of the United States in 2020, or 6.8% of private demand for electricity. This will require small wind turbines with a total installed capacity up to 60.000 MW.
A.D Little Study (funded by the Department of Energy) has made a recent study of public market for small wind turbine power. Their report has made a projection of a market with 3.8 million small wind energy systems are installed in the grid network-connecting applications. One unit have the average capacity of up to 10 kW, then the contribution of the United Nations will be 38.000 MW of combined capacity. This is a huge number of electricity generated by small wind turbine generators.
The biggest market for small wind turbines is for homeowners in rural areas. This is the area where wind-generated electricity is expected to make a big cut down energy consumption and reduce electricity bills. In the year 2011 there will be 2.1 trillion kWh or about 45% of total sales of electricity. While most of the wind turbines will be installed when a new house is built, most of market opportunities will be for installations in existing homes. If any of these houses has installed a contribution of 7.5 - 10 kW wind turbines with a total production capacity is 113.000 MW.
Together when we combined with other market for small wind turbines, they offer have substantial chances for extending capacity. Approximately three million medium and small sized commercial buildings are potential candidates for small wind power with the capacity of 10 - 100 kW. Other public facilities such as schools and public buildings also may be small wind turbines in suitable locations.
Where power is not available, the other option like standalone or hybrid systems can provide electricity for households, water pumping, communities, and telecommunications utilities. The preferred method to supply power for these facilities is by using hybrid systems which combine solar energy, wind and diesel systems.
These early and former markets for small wind turbines for residential may contribute to the amount of 30.000 MW of generating capacity in 2020. From this discussion we can conclude that the total installed capacity will be for small wind turbines to power 2020 140.000 MW in all markets. However, the objective of AWEA Small wind turbines Committee of 50.000 MW of small wind power can be installed in 2020.
According to the EIA is mandatory annual Energy Outlook 2001, the forecast for 2020 is 1.060.000 MW capacity and 4.804 trillion kWh.
Although the potentials for small wind power capacity totaling 140.000 MW in 2020 is estimated, we do not believe that this is a realistic goal. The limitation is that we develop the market, not the production capacity and sales and support infrastructure. The growing market for small wind turbines for home, with attractive incentives and positive action is not the rate of penetration of the other common household appliances with lower price tags and simpler implementation.
U.S. manufacturers of small plants, which now exports over 50% of their production and market share leader in this wind technology. The external market for grid-connected wind turbines powered by electricity prices more than double that experienced by U.S. consumers. Small renewable energy systems (wind, small hydro and solar) are often less expensive to install line extensions. Small wind turbines generators are cheaper to operate and much less carbon dioxide per kilowatt produced than gas generators do. Wind Energy Systems Small can be used for individual homes (less than 500 W) or to generator electricity for villages (less than 50 kW). Developing countries have a strong potential demand for wind power energy systems from small because not generally large power stations serving rural areas.