Investing in a wind turbine as part of a renewable energy system is expensive so it makes sense to obtain as much information as possible prior to buying any equipment. .
The best way to ensure your location is suitable for installing a wind generator and to determine which generator is suitable for your position is to log wind speed, strength and direction over an extended period of time. Once acquired this information will help you select the best wind generator for your site. As generators have different power curves so some wind generators work well for high wind areas and others are more efficient in lower wind speeds.
Traditionally wind speed for a site has been determined by less-than-accurate techniques perhaps using average wind speed data obtained from a local airport or weather station but it is likely the airport is some distance from your location, at a different elevation and surrounded by different topography. It is also likely the data supplied was obtained at heights different from those you would choose to position your generator.
A wind data logger is the key to determining how much wind you have at your site as it measures actual wind speeds and at the elevation you choose, as a result the data logger provides real data that you can analyse to make the best choices for your renewable energy installation.
If you already have a wind generator and you want to monitor performance a data logger is essential to make sure your generator is performing as well as it can, because some wind generator failures are gradual and with past data to look at it becomes possible to locate a problem and fix it.