Solar Technology Alabama |
| E-Mail |
| 256-482-2063 |
| Alabama's Source for Renewable Energy Call or email today |
Wind vs. Solar Energy in Alabama
| 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. For that reason, Solar Technology Alabama does not offer wind energy as an option for your RE source. |
I often get questions about wind power. It takes a lot of wind to make it economically feasible to harvest energy. Alabama has so few
places that have sufficient wind energy that it is not a viable endeavor. Hard to believe? I've provided maps (with links to their
source) that show both solar PV and wind energy resources. We have plenty of solar energy to heat your water OR to generate
electricity. But we don't have enough wind! Sorry folks.
places that have sufficient wind energy that it is not a viable endeavor. Hard to believe? I've provided maps (with links to their
source) that show both solar PV and wind energy resources. We have plenty of solar energy to heat your water OR to generate
electricity. But we don't have enough wind! Sorry folks.