Home wind turbines - Electricity with the power of the wind

Wind turbines can make noise. However, a small turbine only emits a minimal amount of noise that could disturb its owner or neighbours. While small wind turbines do produce noise of their own, this is generally masked by the louder wind noise as wind speed increases.
Roof-mounted turbines could also generate vibrations that may be transmitted to the building structure and thus cause noise inside the building.

Another thing to consider is that under a low standing sun, the rotation of the wind turbine’s rotors can create light reflections that might disturb neighbours, for instance if its shadow falls on a window or terrace.

It is also important to identify the ideal location for the wind turbine. However, it is generally not recommended to perform a wind measurement for the set location as the associated costs of such an analysis are generally not in proportion to the expected returns.

The installation of such a wind turbine does not require a permit from the grid operator, as long as the power of the wind turbine is less than 800 W.

Since the construction of a wind turbine is considered a structural modification, you should in any case consult the municipality to find out whether a building permit is required, especially if the turbines are free-standing. In the case of free-standing systems, you should also find out in advance whether the desired installation site is located on building land or possibly in the green zone. In such cases, a permit from the Ministry of the Environment is mandatory.

In addition, it is important to ensure that the wind turbine does not exceed the maximum permissible construction height prescribed by the municipality, insofar as no exceptions are provided for technical devices.

You can use the electricity from your wind turbine directly at home or feed it into the grid. A wind turbine of this kind can produce electricity valued at a small two-digit euro sum per year. If you feed it into the grid, you can benefit from the feed-in tariff. This amounts to 0.09 €/kWh for the year 2023.
The potential of each wind turbine naturally also depends on its size, location, and the prevailing wind speeds at hand. The yield increases exponentially with higher wind speeds and consistency. The height and diameter of the installation also have a significant impact: for every metre of height, the yield increases by 1 percent, and every doubling of the blade length increases it fourfold. The yields of small wind turbines built close to the ground are consequently not particularly high.
In conclusion, micro wind turbines are currently not the most efficient investments in terms of sustainable energy generation within the domestic sphere, especially when compared to alternatives such as solar or balcony power plants.