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Hi-tech wind power generators
If don Quixote were to travel across Spain�s La Mancha today, he would no doubt think twice about entering into a proud and one-sided battle with the giant windmills on his path. In Higueruela (Albacete), for example, he would find not 30 or 40 16th century windmills, but 243 modern wind power generators, an army of true giants.

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A typical 600 kilowatt (kw) wind power generator � those in Higueruela have 660 kw � have a tower of 40-60 metres, the height of a 13-20 storey building; and a blade of 47 metres in diameter, with arms that are a little shorter than those two-league wide arms imagined by Don Quixote (one league is 5,572.7 metres), but still pretty wide by any standards. And the windmills of the Higueruela are not even among the largest. The latest generation windmills have a wing diameter of 80 metres and a height of over 100 metres.

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However, converting wind power into electricity is not limited to these giant machines that, together in the wind power generating parks, produce the electricity that is sold to the grid. From the 112 metre wide diameter blade of some giant prototypes to the 0.5 metre wide microturbines, the power of the wind can be harnessed in many efficicent ways. Pumping water, electrifying fences, charging batteries in remote areas and even producing electricity to add to the grid are just some of the potential uses of these small wind power generators.

Wind power in the home
As in all renewable energy sources, wind power is cheap, clean and inexhaustible. It is also the ideal way of carrying electricity to isolated homes, cut off from the grid. The largest Spanish manufacturer of small wind power generators, Bornay, has six models of varying power: 250, 600, 1,500, 3,000, 6,000 and 12,000 watts (W), a range that covers the demand of all users whose consumption does not exceed 30 kilowatts per hour or day (kw/h/day), far more electricity than is needed in the average home (around 6.5 kw/h/day).

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However, wind does not blow with the same intensity every day of the year, nor does it blow in every spot. Hence, in order to guarantee electricity supply, wind power tends to rely on other forms of energy. The ideal solution is a combination of wind and solar power because in most places when the sun doesn�t shine, the wind blows and vice versa.

In isolated spots
Although small wind power generators can be connected to the grid to sell their electric production, it is more usual for them to be used in isolated spots. Generally small wind power generators � both on their own and in combination with photovoltaic solar panels � are used to charge a series of static batteries via a regulator.

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Depending on their size, the batteries have a stand-alone autonomy of between two and four days. The electric energy stored in the batteries is converted into a 220 volt supply, much like that of a normal electric network. The internal installation of the house, refuge, company, farm or any other complex is identical to that of a normal installation, so that the user need not make any changes if he wishes to use the electric grid in the future.

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The price of a wind-solar power generator depends on several factors, such as our energy requirements, the level of insulation and the wind speed of the area � which determines the final production of the wind power and solar generators �, the stand-alone time of the batteries and the model used. According the Spanish magazine Energ�as Renovables, a wind power generator of 250W used in combination with two to four 60W solar panels, the corresponding regulator, some 500Ah batteries at 12 volts are needed to cover the most basic demand. This set-up will give you light and power your TV and small household electric items at a cost of 4,200 euros.

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The typical installation of a family home could be made up of a wind power generator of 1,500W, used in combination with 10-12 85W solar panels, its corresponding regulator, some 900Ah 24-volt batteries and a 2,400W invertor. This would cost in the region of 21,035 euros and would guarantee around 6,.5 kw/h/day powering interior and exterior lighting, the TV, video, hi-fi, fridge, washing machine and other small household electric items. This type of installation only works if the home owner uses long-lasting lightbulbs and energy-efficient appliances.

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Anyone interested would be advised to call an installation company who would draw up the project that would best cover your energy needs and would guarantee the electric supply in writing. The company would also process all the grants available: for wind powered electricity this can reach up to 49% of the total cost for solar energy and up to 40% for wind power.
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Did you know�?

- As of 31 December 2001, Spain has a total of 198 operating wind power generator parks with an installed power of 3,337MW, putting Spain into third place in the world, behind Germany and the U.S. Galicia and Navarra head the Spanish production. Source: Asociaci�n de Productores de Energ�as Renovables (APPA).

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- In the future buildings will also have wind power generators. Two projects, one in the UK and another in Holland, aim to demonstrate that this source of energy could generate at least 20% of the energy needed, and could reach up to 75 or 100 %.

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