Table of Contents

Introduction 1 Part I: A Wind Primer: Stuff You Need to Know 7 Chapter 1: Introducing the World of Home Wind Electricity 9 Chapter 2: Is Wind Energy for You? 19 Chapter 3: Deconstructing Wind-Energy Systems 33 Chapter 4: Electricity Basics ? a Shocking Amount of Info 47 Chapter 5: Blowing through Vital Wind-Energy Principles 67 Part II: Assessing Your Situation 83 Chapter 6: The Home Energy Assessment: Gauging Your Energy Appetite 85 Chapter 7: Increasing Your Home?s Energy Efficiency 99 Chapter 8: Determining Your Site?s Wind-Energy Potential 117 Chapter 9: Defi ning Your Relationship to the Grid 137 Chapter 10: Calculating the Value of Your Investment 151 Chapter 11: If Not Wind, Then What? Other Options for Green Energy 165 Part III: Assembling Your System 183 Chapter 12: Gathering a Team of Experts ? or Going It Alone 185 Chapter 13: Weighing Wind Generator Options 199 Chapter 14: Talking about Towers 219 Chapter 15: Checking Out the Rest of the System Components 237 Chapter 16: Tying Everything Together: System Sizing and Design 253 Part IV: Installing and Operating Your System 269 Chapter 17: Safety First! 271 Chapter 18: Installation Time 287 Chapter 19: Living with Wind Energy 305 Part V: The Part of Tens 315 Chapter 20: Ten Essential Steps toward a Successful Wind-Electric System 317 Chapter 21: Ten Wind-Energy Mistakes 323 Chapter 22: Ten Tales of Wind-Energy Users and ?Abusers? 327 Part VI: Appendixes 335 Appendix A: Glossary 337 Appendix B: Conversions, Abbreviations, and Acronyms 345 Index 349

About the Author

Ian Woofenden is a Senior Editor with Home Power magazine, the Northwest & Costa Rica Coordinator with Solar Energy International, and a wind-energy author, consultant, and instructor. He has been living off-grid with his family and several wind generators for almost 30 years.