Author Topic: Wind Turbines - the what's and wherefores (Read 2859 times)

Johncm9999 · « **on:** September 14, 2015, 07:54:38 pm »

Hi,
We are looking in to the possibility of installing a wind turbine and really don't know where to start!
We have heard about lots of different schemes and funding options but there seems to be so many options out there we aren't sure which companies are best to contact.
We aren't looking to make lots of money from generation (or to spend a lot

), but rather generate for ourselves so that we can eventually do away with our oil system.
Anyone out there have any advice or experience that they can share?
Thanks
John

chrismahon · « **Reply #1 on:** September 16, 2015, 03:00:02 pm »

I looked into this with a view to build a house that was a net exporter of energy and decided the best unit was an Evance 9000 John. 5Kw max output but it starts generating at very low wind speeds. It has a torsion rod arrangement that feathers the blades as the wind speed increases to danger point so it can withstand 130mph. Not enough for here unfortunately, although there is one in Northern France. The height is important so go for the maximum the planners will allow. Evance have an advisory service and average installation cost was £30K.

The cheaper smaller units are so inefficient and unreliable as to not be worth installing -not my words but those of a speaker at a renewable energy seminar. He went on to add that their 2Kw turbine had been installed for 2 years and had only generated 250KWh.

Johncm9999 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 20, 2015, 09:03:23 pm »

Thanks for sharing. Very useful information.

Creagan · « **Reply #3 on:** September 25, 2015, 08:24:21 pm »

We were also advised to use the Evance turbine. The Kingspan KW6 is similar but has a higher cut-in speed which makes a big difference to total generation.
If you want to go down the Feed In Tariff route, everything must be done by an approved MCS contractor. If you aren't looking to be paid to generate, or to export, then you can do whatever you like.

With wind, everything comes down to getting a good average windspeed. You can get a rough idea by looking up the NOALB database which will give you an indication of the expected average windspeed for your location. 5m/s is the generally accepted cutoff for viability.