Caught on Camera: An Urban Wind Turbine

This is a great step in the right directory and hopefully wind turbines in urban areas they will become more commonplace in the future.

Hardly the first urban windmill. I lived in NYC in the 80's on 11th St and Ave A and there was a building right across the street with a jacobs windmill (about 12' - 15' dia) on a 20 ft tower mounted on th roof of the building. There was also a greenhouse on the roof as well.

My mind boggles at how much wind power flies unused around SF. If someone could invent a silent residential turbine, there are some cities in the world that could probably go off grid.

Everyone loves wind turbins but no one mentions the EPA regulated batteries required. Even the large glass containers of sulfuric acid with replaceable anodes are a hazardous waste of an immense magnitude. Please figure in the total costs of the complete system along with the costs of the entire process required for building the Wind Turbin. http://blogengeezer.wordpress.com/

I want one!

There are grid tie inverters available that do not require batteries. This can often be a less expensive option than an off-grid inverter and batteries.

Batteries are not required for wind turbines!
With a grid tied inverter the power that you generate is fed back into the electric grid, and the power company pays you for all the excess power you generate. When your windmill does not generate enough for your needs, you pay the power company for the difference.
Batteries would be necessary if you were out in the boondocks where there is no grid, but all cities have an electric grid.

The Skystream is a direct grid-tie wind turbine -- no batteries needed. Aside from that, lead acid batteries are the single most recycled product. They also last a long time, are heavily regulated, and are easily recycled back into new batteries (lead and plastic). The sulphuric acid is often made into fertilizer.
Anything can be hazardous when used improperly. This includes hastily posting uninformed and derogatory comments about things that take a step in the right direction.

I will accept the criticism for hastily commenting on a system that I am thinking of using. I should have known better. The grid area I live in has no reliable wind so the payback there is virtually nothing. The solar electrical systems I do use are rated much higher than one can realistically expect (I meter them) The solar heated air system I have used for years is acceptable if you do not expect miracles. The wind turbin system is going to be used at the gulf, and is off grid, therefore the batteries are an important part. The battery recycling is done in Mexico due to stringent state regulations. I have often thought about Wind turbins and maybe they are getting better. I will monitor the actual overall output if I do install the system. Few people tell the entire story with the hidden costs, for various reasons.

There is a Skystream 3.7 residential wind turbine, installed on August 22, 2007, at an urban home in Atlanta, Georgia. It is from Southern Energy Solutions of Marietta, Georgia. This link provides a photo: http://www.soenso.com/WindTurbine.html