Wind Energy: On-grid Power with a Wind Turbine

Supplement Power with a Small-scale Turbine on Your Property

Most of us might envision wind energy as an industrial effort, defined by arrays of massive turbines generating enough power for entire municipalities. But wind energy has been harvested by individual property owners for centuries; think of that low-tech windmill, out on an open plain, pumping water from the ground and into a stock tank.

Steps to Leverage Wind Energy on Your Property

Rural landowners can also utilize single-property windmills in generating power for their homes and barns. Wind energy can offer a green, self-sufficient option for supplementing on-grid power from a utility company, and can lower utility bills by as much as 50 to 90 percent. Pursuing a small-scale wind-power option, though, requires some research.

First, a landowner should check zoning regulations and property covenants for any regulatory barriers to installing a wind system. A building permit might be required. And, the height of a wind turbine – the hub might be 80 feet off the ground – can prompt objections from neighbors due to views being blocked. (Noise generation from wind turbines generally isn’t an issue, as they don’t produce much sound.)

Next, determine if wind is common enough in your location to make a power-generating windmill feasible. A small wind turbine might require a minimum average annual wind speed of nine miles per hour. A nearby airport can provide data for a rough estimate as to wind speeds in a particular region, but property owners would likely be better served by investing in a wind-measuring system to get accurate reads, specific to the property, on wind frequency and average speeds. (If a property simply doesn’t get enough wind for a turbine system, it’s best to know that up front.) According to the US Department of Energy, the cost of an adequate measuring system might run $600 to $1,200.

Optimal Turbine Placement for Power Production

Select a site location in which a turbine will catch enough wind; a hilltop would be an obvious top candidate. Keep in mind the prevailing wind direction, and site the turbine upwind of any potential barriers, including tall trees and other structures. The DOE recommends that small turbines be 30 feet above anything within 300 feet. Remember that ground space will be needed to raise and lower a wind tower, not just during construction, but also for maintenance. And, ground space will be needed for guy wires to secure the tower.

Wind Turbine Preparation & Installation

Installation will likely include pouring a concrete foundation, erecting the tower, and wiring the system. It’s a process best left to professionals. Turbine dealers should be able to handle both construction and installation, or recommend contractors.

Wind Energy Statistics

According to DOE stats, the typical US home uses 11,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. A turbine rated for 5 to 15 kilowatts is needed to “contribute to” this demand; that wording is important, as a wind turbine might not meet a home’s full electricity need, meaning a connection to a conventional utility will still be needed.

And, wind systems aren’t cheap, averaging close to $6,000 per rated kilowatt.

Wind Turbine Maintenance

As for maintenance, a tower owner will need to plan on keeping bolts and connections tight, checking for corrosion, and maintaining guy wire tension. Turbine blades may need replacement as often as every 10 years, but a well-maintained system can last a good two decades.

Rotational Grazing: A Strategy to Prevent Pasture Overgrazing

Reasons to Consider Adopting Rotational Grazing into Your Ranch Management Plan

No matter how lush your property’s pastures might be, it takes careful management to prevent overgrazing. Rotational grazing is one of the easiest and most effective strategies to protect pastures.

What is Rotational Grazing?

Simply defined, rotational grazing involves dividing a large grazing area into smaller areas, then rotating a herd among those smaller areas, in turn. While animals graze just one pasture, the remaining pastures are left untouched to continue growing or to recover from just having been grazed.

How to Implement Rotational Grazing

Once a pasture is grazed down (and before it’s overgrazed), the herd is moved to the next pasture; the length of time on each pasture will vary depending on the number of animals grazing, the acreage in question, and the grazing environment.

By the time the herd works its way through all of the pastures, that first grazing area should recover, and the cycle can begin again.

The Benefits of Rotational Grazing

By allowing grasses plenty of recovery time, rotational grazing can increase the amount of natural forage on offer; having more forage on the ground also helps with drought resistance, mitigating water runoff and helping ensure rainfall soaks into the ground. The approach also ensures manure – natural fertilizer – is spread throughout an entire grazing area, rather than concentrated in locations where animals might naturally congregate without a rotational approach. And, since animals are confined to a particular area, they’re more likely to graze down less desirable plants that would otherwise go untouched in a larger pasture.

Rotational grazing also allows stockmen to create more elaborate grazing strategies: grazing specific pastures at certain times of the year, dedicating particular pastures to a certain group of animals, or limiting grazing of selected areas during a drought.

And, concentrating animals in smaller areas brings additional advantages: stock stay within closer reach, making them easier to control, and day-to-day management needs are limited to the area(s) being grazed.

Tips for a Successful Rotational Grazing Strategy

A rotational grazing strategy is not without its downsides. Crossfencing will be required to separate a single, large pasture into smaller pastures. (Many rotational grazing proponents rely on electric fencing when working with a small herd on a limited acreage; this allows a property owner to vary the size of a grazing area, if conditions dictate.) And, of course, each grazing area will need its own water source.

Study the premise of rotational grazing, and you’ll encounter numerous approaches, each with its advocates and critics.

Slow rotational grazing: the basic premise outlined above; a large pasture is divided into two or more pastures, and animals are moved to allow a grazed pasture to recover.
Planned rotational grazing: a large pasture is divided into three or more, and animals are moved more frequently than with the above “slow” approach.
Management-intensive grazing: animals are moved when the next pasture has reached a target height, and removed when that pasture is grazed down to a specific height.
Mob grazing: animals are grazed in high densities, and might be moved multiple times per day.