Rooftop wind turbine will be sold at yourhttp://green.yahoo.com/blog/ecogeek/1107/rooftop-wind-turbine-will-be-sold-at-your-corner-hardware-store.html

Rooftop wind turbine will be sold at your corner hardware store
By Megan Treacy
Posted Mon Jun 8, 2009 12:50pm PDT
Related topics: Wind Power, House More from EcoGeek blog 12
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Buzz up!


A small rooftop wind turbine by EarthTronics will be sold at ACE Hardware stores starting this fall. The 2-kW Honeywell Wind Turbine can produce power from winds that range in speed from two miles per hour to 45 miles per hour, making it the first among its competitors to be able to generate power from such slow wind speeds.

The small turbine is six feet in diameter, weighs 95 pounds and can be directly mounted to a roof. The turbine operates through a "direct-drive" design, which means it generates power without the use of a heavy center gearbox, allowing it to be lighter in weight and to work at slower speeds.

According to EarthTronics, it's capable of generating 2,000 kWh of electricity per year, or 18 percent of an average household's energy needs. The company hopes that its small size and availability through ACE Hardware will open up wind power generation to a whole new set of consumers.

The turbine is priced at $4,500, plus up to $1,500 for installation, but with the new incentives in the stimulus bill, consumers and businesses can claim a 30 percent investment tax credit for the cost of a small wind turbine and some states offer even more incentives, making it much more affordable in the end.

via Greentech Media