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What you need to know about Wind Energy and Wind Turbines

1. Location, Location, Location
Before you purchase a wind turbine you need to find out if the site you have chosen for your wind turbine is suitable, where the wind is likely to be the strongest and least turbulent.   Wind turbines for home use have to be carefully chosen for a number of obvious reasons.  If the wind turbine is badly sited then it will not work properly regardless of the blowing wind.  Also, you need to be aware of obstructions to the wind flow, such as chimneys, nearby trees or other buildings.  Due to the nature of the wind turbine and the forces it experiences as it turns in the wind, it is generally recommended that wind turbines are not mounted on roofs as vibrations, harmonic resonance and forces can be transmitted from the wind turbine to the structure of the building where the turbine is located.  Wind turbines are generally mounted high on a pole or tower, typically 6.4m high and more to allow the turbine to be exposed to the prevailing wind. Obviously the higher the turbine is raised the better. 

2. Do you need planning permission?
Virtually everything we do to our homes, villages, towns and cities is subject to regulation by the local authority where you live or work.  These regulations may govern the erection of wind turbines and their associated towers, if they are used of course.  Does that mean that you need planning permission to erect a wind turbine?  It’s hard to give a definite answer and it does pay to err on the side of caution by consulting your local planning office.  In our experience local planners are very, very helpful and will provide you with good advice and suggestions on how to proceed forward.  Generally speaking, if after consulting your neighbours, no objections raised and it is not considered a hazard then the local planning department is in the position to make a better considered judgement.  If you’re planning to mount a wind turbine on a tower make sure your tower is also not hazardous or objectionable to your neighbours.

Is noise a problem?
Wind turbine technology has considerably advanced and noise is not considered to be an objection against wind turbines.  The noise made by residential wind turbines is usually no louder than that of the wind itself even if you are standing directly beneath the turbine or tower. 

What about bird collisions?
More birds are killed by cars or flying into stationary buildings, windows etc than likely to be killed by rotating turbine blades. 

3.  Location - measure the wind speed
Obviously knowing what the wind speed is at your site will determine how effective your wind turbine will be.  The only way to find out exactly how much wind-generated electricity can be obtained from your particular site is by measuring the average wind speed. This is done by fixing an “anemometer" at the spot (height) where the proposed wind turbine is to be located.   A number of readings taken over the course of weeks or months will provide you with an average wind speed. Allowing for seasonal variation readings can be used to extrapolate the average wind speed.  Note: use of met office charts and data will help to determine the average wind speed for your area.  Knowing the seasonal variations in the weather are all important if your planning an off-grid independent power system as you will need to know the incoming energy to enable you to determine your energy requirements throughout the year.  Assuming you know the average wind speed for your site and the actual specification of the manufacturers wind turbine, you can approximate how much energy, any wind turbine, size or make, will generate at your location.

4.  How to calculate your energy needs
Energy consumption is calculated in kilowatt-hours.  Electricity bills indicate your energy consumption. To determine your energy consumption prior to installing a wind turbine you need to know the following:

i) Monthly or annual energy consumption, in kilowatt-hours;
ii) peak demand, expressed in kilowatts.  Peak power is the maximum amount of power required at any one time.

If you don’t have an old electricity bill to hand and your going off-grid then you can calculate your energy consumption by listing down all the lights, appliances and anything else that uses electricity, don’t forget the lawn mower and hedge trimmer if you use them, and their power rating in watts or kilowatts.  Add all these figures together to produce total energy consumption.  Whilst we’re at it, reduce your energy demand by looking for appliances, lights you don’t need and get rid of them. It will save you money now and in the future. Besides, it makes good sense as it reduces carbon emissions at the same time.  

5. Grid Connected or Off-Grid?
Before installing any wind turbine you should decide whether you want to remain connected independent from your electricity supplier.  If you decide to remain connected then you will buy energy from the supplier or sell it back, depending upon your needs.  Ask your supplier for more information. Our own energy is supplied by Good Energy, the UK’s leading energy renewable energy supplier www.good-energy.co.uk  They have a scheme in place that allows you to become a home generator, selling back energy surplus to demand.  The connected approach has many advantages.

If you choose to be off-grid or independent of the energy supplier, or if you are so far away from any existing power lines that it would cost more to connect to the supplier than to install an off-grid system then the main question to consider is energy storage.  Batteries are typically to store the energy generated and inverters are used to convert DC power to AC power that is normally used to power appliances.  Of course a major advantage of being off-grid is that you will never again have to pay any electricity bill.

Whatever your decision consult your energy supplier beforehand and be sure you understand any contracts you enter into if you agree to sell surplus energy to your supplier.

6) What else should I consider?
If your mounting your wind turbine on a tower do make sure that adequate lightning protection is in place and that wiring meets electrical safety requirements.  As always check with your local planning department for further information.

Wind Turbine and Solar Panel Combination (hybrid) - Combining wind turbines with solar panels is becoming increasingly popular and offers the best of both worlds, wind and sun energy.  Solar (Photovoltaic) panels can be mounted on the wind turbine tower or mounting pole and combined to produce energy 24 * 7 * 365 days a year regardless.  Also this combination is very portable and mobile and so can be moved around when required.  Both wind turbines and solar panels come with a long-life guarantee, providing they are well looked after.  Check out our solar panel offerings from the menus on the left.

Installation and Maintenance Costs – the cost of any wind turbine system depends on how much of the work you can carry out yourself.  Once the cost of a wind turbine system has been determined it’s easy to work out the cost per installed kilowatt of power generated and this will determine the ROI.

7) Return on Investment (ROI) – calculating the payback time on any wind turbine system means that you need to decide which wind turbine will reliably meet your energy demands and therefore you need to know your monthly or annual energy consumption as well as the average wind speed of your chosen site. The final installed cost of the system includes the wind turbine, tower or mounting pole, guy wires, cables and wiring, inverters, batteries and installation costs.  Once you know the total installed cost of the system, the capital cost can be amortized over a ten, fifteen, twenty or twenty-five year period, adding annual maintenance and ongoing financing, to arrive at a net monthly cost of the system.  The payback period is how many months of supplier bills are required to pay off the capital costs of your wind turbine system.  This can take some working out as you will need to take into account your energy suppliers detailed forward looking energy predictions.