Solar Technology Alabama |
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| This map shows the solar resource in the United States for photovoltaic systems. Alabama has GREAT access to solar energy. |
| The Department of Energy's Wind Program and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) published a wind resource map for the state of Alabama. The wind resource map shows the predicted mean annual wind speeds at 80-m height. Areas with annual average wind speeds around 6.5 m/s and greater at 80-m height are generally considered to have suitable wind resource for wind development. Alabama has very few places where harvesting wind energy will be feasible. Just a note: 80 meters is 260 feet, much too high for a private tower. A 60 ft or 100 ft tower is typical for wind turbines. Alabama has almost nothing at that height. NREL states that we need about 15 mph wind to harvest the energy. Advancements in turbine technology have lowered that number to around 10 mph, or 4.5 meters per second. Even at that number, Alabama does not make the mark. So, wind will likely not provide a lot of your power. But it might just be a part of your overall package to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels. |