Sustainable Practices

NCSP 5138 Introduction to Small Wind Energy

This course counts as 8 hours towards the Sustainable Buildings & Energy Certificate or 0.8 continuing education credits.

Course Format

Online: self-paced and term-based courses available

Course Description

In this course, students will explore small wind electric systems suitable for homes, farms, and businesses.

Topics Include

• Basics of electricity
• Pros and cons of small wind energy systems
• Forces that generate winds and affect wind flows
• Types of wind
• Wind system options
• Assessing electrical demand in new and existing buildings
• Determining the wind resources at a potential wind site
• Basics of wind turbine design
• Tower options
• Optimum tower height
• Balance of systems components
• Economics of wind energy systems

Instructor Bio

Dan Chiras is the author of numerous books on residential renewable energy and green building, including The New Ecological Home, The Homeowner’s Guide to Renewable Energy, The Solar House, The Natural House, and The Natural Plaster Book. Learn more about Chiras’s work at http://www.evergreeninstitute.org.

Course Text

Students must purchase Power from the Wind, by Daniel Chiras.