Small wind turbines (SWTs) are, however, still visible around the world for a variety of appli-cations, including electric power generation for households, industrial centers, farms, and isolated communities; com-bining with other energy sources and storage in hybrid en-ergy.
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The first wind turbine for electricity production was built in Scotland in July 1887 by Prof James Blyth of Anderson's College, Glasgow. Blyth's 10 m high, cloth-sailed wind turbine was installed in his holiday cottage at Marykirk in Kincardineshire.
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According to The United States Department of Energy, most modern land-based wind turbines have blades of over 170 feet (52 meters). This means that their total rotor diameter is longer than a football field.
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How big are the blades of a wind turbine?
For an average 1.5 MW turbine, the blades are between 35 to 45 meters. This gives an average rotor diameter of around 75 to 100 meters.
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Typical installed price for a 1 MW wind turbine is in the $1. 0 million range per megawatt. This includes equipment, installation, permitting, and interconnection. For budgeting, use a per kW basis of about $1,200 to $2,000 per kW, depending on site .
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