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‘If 1.5m Germans have them there must be something in it’: how balcony solar is taking off (www.theguardian.com)

submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/technology

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (4 children)

Isn't wind energy better on balconies?

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago

Sadly really small wind turbines are really ineffective and not worth the investment until you have a really windy balcony. If you only have a few square meters solar is the only choice.

But I'd still love to have a small windmill in my garden.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Hmm no,

first oft all: noise. Wind turbines have moving parts, that attached to a building or even worse attached to a balcony creates noise in the whole building. Imagine the rattling of 5-6 ~10 year old, bad maintained, wind turbines.
Second: the energy output is rather low. A 1,2KW turbine is about 1.2m/3.9feet big. That's in spherical, cause it has to be able to rotate by wind direction.
Third: balconies are preferred to not have wind, but sun.
And last but not least: blades. Every windturbine form factor has (fast) moving blades. If it's reachable someone is going to stick a finger in it.

If you're living more suburban and have a windy detached place to setup a small windturbine that's an option. On the garage or shed for example.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If everyone puts wind turbines on the balconies they might end up blowing the building over

[–] chiliedogg 2 points 2 days ago

https://youtu.be/PmDVHs-juPo

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

Doubt it. Wind around buildings tends to be shit.

There's a reason they build turbines on hilltops and out at sea.