General Instructions

The front page of the MEA Wind Resource Calculator and Evaluator for Maryland allows users the option of inputting their address information and pressing "Get Started" (thereby pulling up site-specific wind resources from the MEA wind resource database) or selecting "Go To Advanced Calculator," which allows users to manually input wind speeds and surface roughness values for their particular site.

For first-time users, the "Get Started" option is suggested.

Once wind resources are specified for the user's site (either manually or from the MEA wind resources database), the Wind Calculator provides a number of different options regarding electricity costs and usage, commercially available wind turbines and towers, financing options, and Federal and State incentives. The "Scenario 1" and "Scenario 2" columns allow users to compare two different scenarios side-by-side simultaneously.

Users should fill out the information requested in the "Usage and Turbine Options" box to the best of their ability, ideally using a recent utility bill to fill in electricity costs and annual usage values. Financing terms will depend upon the lending institution (default values are provided). Federal and State incentives will vary depending upon availability, as well as on the user's willingness and success in applying for these incentives.

The Wind Calculator offers a variety of commercially available wind turbine and tower options that are appropriate for most residential and small-scale commercial applications. Users will find that the most cost-effective turbine and tower will typically offset a high percentage of their annual electricity usage, without producing significantly beyond this usage (i.e. without over-sizing the wind turbine). Users are encouraged to experiment with a number of different turbine and tower options to find an optimal configuration for their application. Further, categories in the "Financial Outputs" and "Emissions Offset" areas of the Wind Calculator page are clickable, and will each bring up a pop-up window with more information about what these categories mean and how they are calculated.

The Wind Calculator is not intended to provide real-time commercial pricing or power output guarantees for any of the wind turbines, and the wind resources and turbine / tower prices provided herein should only be used as a first step towards evaluating whether a wind turbine could potentially be cost-effective for a particular application and site. Any user considering the installation of a wind turbine should consult their local installer for additional information about installation costs and to request an on-site wind evaluation.