Deirdre's Page

Thought you might be interested in the Idaho National Laboratory facebook site. We do a lot of energy research including wind, nuclear, solar, natural gas, etc. http://www.facebook.com/idahonationallaboratory

Hey, well the first step would be to look up the wind resource in your area: Google search "nc wind energy maps by county" the first one that you should see is NC wind energy, click on it and you should see it is by Appalachian state. Just click on your county. I see your county has selective good spots on the west and a few on the north of the county. You can better know exactly where you live. Next check your local zoning probably with the county commissioners. I have a place in blowing rock that is perfect but it is blocked by the town planing board(if you live in a remote location, I would not stir up any trouble). Most places are not as picky as blowing rock and all their tourists. You need to consider if you want to pay 10-12,000 for a system (est. installation costs included) ..............I assume you want to make power instead of buying yard art.... The good news with the recent $700 billion bailout passed in congress, you can all take 35% of the cost of the system off your taxes and extend that out over 5yrs.(pretty nice if you can use it), for incentives look at "dsireusa.org". I would recommend the Skystream 3.7 for residential use. Google them and you can get more info and watch a video. I would use as big a pole as I could, for example you get 20% more air flow using a 45ft pole vs a 35ft pole and it increases as you get higher(more air=more power). You tap into faster moving air currents. this is a lot of info. and there is more about site selection but I hope this gives you a first step and something to consider. if you have more questions feel free to message me, and if you would ever want to hire some help with your installation or site assessment feel free to contact me.
Good luck,
Joseph