How Grid-Tie Wind Power Systems Work

Grid-tied wind power systems use a wind turbine to interface wind-generated electricity with existing electric utility power. They are also referred to as 'utility-intertie' or 'utility-interactive' wind power systems.

1: In a grid-tie wind power system, DC electricity is generated by a wind turbine.

2: Next, the DC electricity is converted into usable AC power by an utility-interactive inverter. 

If the output of the wind turbine exceeds the demand of the loads requiring electricity at a facility, excess power is diverted to the utility grid. Grid-tie systems are eligible to participate in net-metering, allowing you to sell-back excess production of electricity to the local utility.

Batteries may be employed as a part of grid-tie system architecture, to provide backup power in the event of an outage. Adding batteries will reduce system efficiency by approximately 10%. They require regular maintenance, which may be performed by a knowledgable system user.

Other renewable energy sources, such as solar electric modules, may also be used in conjunction with a wind turbine.