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Wind Power Systems
produces up to 500 watts DC under the
same circumstances= Because the 500-watt
wind generator is so light (only 125 pounds),
an off-the-shelf tower was sufficient, and the
entire cost for the system came to less than
$2,000 (mid-l 970’s). z
In conventional terms, 160 or even 500 ’
. .
wattS~Ts%‘tG?iuch power. But Cullen’s house
is anything but conventional. There are more
than 1,500 square feei of living space filled’ *
with three te.levisK)n sets, approximately 20
fluorescent lights, a vacuum cleaner, washing
machine, blender, mixer, water pump, a 40watt
per channel stereo system, and even a
home com.puter. What makes all of this so
unconventional is that Cullen has virtually
eliminated the need for 1 IO- or 220-volt AC,
electricity by converting his appliances (even/
the washing machine!) to operate directly:
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and the like could be converJed as well.
- small ,app-liances (e.g., the blender and
mixer) that haven’t been made to operate
directly from 12 volts and for which there are
no readily available replacement motors
operate through an inverter that produces
110 volts AC from 12-volt batteries,.
C.ullen claims that a wind generator
producing 500 watts can provide comfort-
able and reliable living at modest cost.
Excess D,C electricity produced in times of
high wind can be stored effectively; high-
voltage AC power cannot. Of course, such a
system is np panacea. You have to become
aware of the energ,y you use and$an
accordingly. Things like heating, cooling
Jim‘Cullen uses both sun and wind to generate electricity at his Laytonville,
California, home. A panel of solar cells atop the house and the 500-watt wind
generator behind charge a bank of 12-v@ batteries.
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