Distributed wind energy installations are common at, but are not limited to, residential, agricultural, commercial, industrial, and community sites, and can range in size from a 5-kilowatt (kW) turbine at a home to a multi-megawatt (MW) turbine at a manufacturing facility. Distributed wind energy installations are either connected on the customer side of the meter to meet the on-site load, or directly to distribution or micro grids to support grid operations or offset large loads nearby. Distributed wind energy installations are defined by technology application, not technology size, but are typically smaller than 20 MW.
This animation explains the distributed wind energy installation and illustrates how a turbine at a residential home can offset its energy usage. If you can't see the animation, please read our text version. Or learn the Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About Distributed Wind on our blog. Also, to learn more about distributed wind energy usage and to test your knowledge on how distributed wind works, take our new quiz on How Much You Know About Distributed Wind Energy.
Wind turbines used near homes are commonly in the 1- to 10-kW range but can be larger. They can be used to partially offset load or support a completely off-grid home. These turbines can sometimes be integrated with other components, such as photovoltaic systems and storage and power converters.
Distributed Wind Community Use
Distributed wind energy has the potential to diversity local energy sources to help provide clean renewable energy in your community. Below is an animation that explores the potential use cases of distributed wind energy in your local community, including in residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, and public facilities.
Click on the interactive animation or read a text version of the use cases.