One of nature’s renewable energy resources, the wind can be harnessed to provide
an environmentally friendly and reliable source of energy.

Wind energy systems require a fairly constant wind. They are designed to “cut in,” or begin operating, at speeds greater than15 km/h and “cut out” at very high wind speeds to protect themselves from damage.

When calculating whether your site has enough wind energy to effectively operate a wind energy system, the average annual wind speed and the number of days the wind is above the “cut in” point is very important.

The wind, of course, is not always present with enough velocity to power a wind energy system. This is why many systems are used in combination with another energy source such as solar panels or a diesel generator. Other types of wind energy systems are connected to batteries. When the wind falls below the "cut in" speed, the batteries are used. When the wind is sufficient, the turbines charge the batteries. Some systems, such as mechanical water pumpers, do not need aback up power supply or batteries.

There are many different types and styles of wind generators.Most stand-alone systems fall into one of three categories:

Small-scale units (under 3 kW): used to charge batteries or direct use (such as pumping water).

Medium sized units (up to 50 kW): used in a grid-intertie environment to generate power and feed it to the utility grid. Energy Alternatives designs and installs medium scale units. Due to the nature of these projects, each system requires a detailed assessment prior to quotation or ordering products.

Most places in BC, Canada do not have adequate wind to use as a primary power source. In many Canadian locations, a wind turbine is an excellent supplement to a solar electric system. Small wind systems are often combined with photovoltaic's because seasonal variations n wind and solar resources are complementary.