Many consumers associate wind energy technologies with utility-scale wind facilities; however, wind energy technologies can also be used in a broad range of distributed applications. While utility-scale wind involves large arrays that provide power to consumers through their utilities, distributed wind energy installations supply power directly to homes, farms, businesses, and communities. See what distributed wind looks like:
Distributed Wind Photo Gallery
Photos
1/20
One of two turbines owned by Gundersen Health System and Organic Valley near Cashton, Wisconsin. The electricity from this wind farm is used by homes and businesses, as well as fed into the energy grid. Gundersen and Organic Valley are paid for the energy generated.
Photo courtesy of Roy Rakobitsch, Windsine, Inc.
2/20
This dairy farm in Yuma, Colorado, is an agricultural facility that utilizes two 100-kilowatt Northern Power Systems wind turbines to offset high energy demand.
Photo courtesy of Trevor Atkinson, NREL 51791
3/20
The Heritage Dairy Farm in Yuma, Colorado, is an agricultural facility that features unobstructed wind and utilizes two Northern Power Systems wind turbines.
Photo courtesy of Charles Newcomb
4/20
Installed in 2016, this Northern Power Systems wind turbine, located in St. Francis, Kansas, will offset energy needs for the owner’s agricultural facility.
Photo courtesy of Charles Newcomb
5/20
The Brock Environmental Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has two 10-kilowatt turbines installed, integrated with solar panels and geothermal wells. The center produces more electricity than it uses.
Photo courtesy of SmithGroupJJR / © Prakash Patel
6/20
The Kodiak Electric Association installed wind turbines to help meet the renewable power goals of Kodiak Island, Alaska. There are currently six 1.5-megawatt wind turbines and two 11.5-megawatt hydroelectric turbines integrated into the community’s isolated grid system.
Photo courtesy of Dennis Schroeder, NREL
7/20
Installed in 2008, this 900-kilowatt EWT system is located in Wray, Colorado, and offsets energy needs for the town’s school district.
Photo courtesy of Charles Newcomb
8/20
The “Zephyr Wind Turbine” is named after the sports teams at Mahtomedi High School in St. Cloud, Minnesota This turbine not only produces electricity, but also serves as an educational tool for high school engineering, math, and science students.
Photo courtesy of Jeff Ledermann
9/20
This 10-kilowatt distributed wind system at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, was developed in partnership with the Vermont Department of Public Service. This system produces 8,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
Photo courtesy of Bergey WindPower
10/20
One of two wind turbines installed at the Triad Recycling and Energy Corporation in Tonawanda, New York. The recycling center is surrounded by open spaces and unobstructed winds, making it an ideal location for a distributed wind system.
Photo courtesy of Padma Kasathurirangan
11/20
Two Northern Power Systems wind turbines were installed at the Triad Recycling and Energy Corporation in Tonawanda, New York, to cost-effectively offset the power required by energy-intensive recycling equipment.
Photo courtesy of Padma Kasathurirangan
12/20
A homeowner in York, Pennsylvania, installed a 30-kilowatt solar array and a 25-kilowatt Eocycle wind turbine in 2018.
Photo courtesy of Eocycle
13/20
A wind turbine installer climbs a 140-foot, 25-kilowatt Eocycle wind turbine in York, Pennsylvania, during construction in 2018.
Photo courtesy of Eocycle
14/20
This Weaver 5 turbine was installed at a home in New York State.
Photo courtesy of Weaver Wind Energy
15/20
The Gob Nob wind turbine in Farmersville, Illinois is located on the former Freeman United Crown Number 1 Coal Mine.
Photo courtesy of RECC
16/20
The EWT DW54-900kW Gob Nob wind turbine in Farmersville, Illinois produced 2,173,088 kWh in 2017, which was distributed to 380 local coop member’s homes.
Photo courtesy of RECC
17/20
The town of Drummond received an Oklahoma Department of Commerce Energy Efficiency and Conservation grant to install five wind turbines next to the public school. The funding was key to the successful completion of this project.
Photo courtesy of Photo by Pieter Huebner
18/20
The Drummond turbines are installed on 120-foot self-supporting towers.
Photo courtesy of Photo by Pieter Huebner
19/20
Under a power purchase agreement structure, this GE 1.85-megawatt wind turbine is owned and operated by an affiliate of Foundation Windpower, LLC. The project is hosted by Scheid Fmaily Wines in Salinas Valley, California, an agricultural operation that features access to an unobstructed wind resource.
Photo courtesy of Photo by Foundation Windpower, LLC
The following case studies are intended to provide a visually compelling and informative resource to educate consumers on the many facets and opportunities within the distributed wind industry. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Distributed Wind Installers Collaborative (DWIC) developed these case studies to illustrate examples of successful projects: