Background
To place a wind turbine in a suitable, windy location, you need an open area clear of obstacles where wind can blow freely. The wind turbine needs to be at least 500 feet away from any buildings, trees, or other structures or at least 30 feet higher than any of those structures that are within 500 feet.
If you are unable to measure the tall trees on your property, the barn or silo, you can use the shadow method to get the height, without having to climb.
1. Take a shovel and put it in the ground so it can stand on its own. Once it is in the ground, measure its height, from the ground to the top of the handle.
2. Then, measure the shadow of the shovel. It may be best to do this activity in the morning or evening when shadows will be more apparent. You may also want someone to help you hold the other end of the measuring tape.
3. Divide the length of the shadow by the height of the shovel: shadow length
shovel height
4. Now, measure the shadow of the obstacle you wish to know the height of (tree, barn, silo, etc.).
5. Divide the length of that shadow to the number you came up with in #3. This is the height of the nearby structure.
Example:
1. Shovel height=4 feet tall
2. Shovel shadow=26 feet long
3. 26 feet = 6.5 feet
4 feet
4. Obstacle/structure shadow length=105 feet
5. 105 feet = 16.15 feet
6.5 feet
The height of the tree in this example is 16.15 feet tall! Now, try it on your own!
Skip to main content
