Wind Turbines

What are they?
Wind turbines are a modern version of the traditional windmill and use the power of the wind to create electricity. Wind has been used since the 2nd Century BC to generate power for grinding corn and drawing water although, due to modern aerodynamic modelling, the modern wind turbine has evolved hugely from its ancient antecedents and has, for many years, been a viable producer of electricity for both domestic and commercial use.

What sizes do they come in?
For domestic/light commercial use the range is from 1kW up to 15kW. A 1.5kW turbine on a good site will produce up to 3000 kWh a year, a 5kW up to 10,000 kWh and a 15kW up to 30,000 kWh a year. Wind turbines are becoming more attractive as the amount that the energy companies are paying for exported electricity increases (currently up to 28 pence per exported kilowatt hour).

How does it work?
Wind turbines traditionally require an average wind speed of 5m/s (approx. 10mph) to power them - the rotating of the turbine in turn generates electricity which can either be used for your own needs, stored using batteries, or sold back to the grid.

Prior to installing a system we would generally recommend that a survey of the site is performed to measure the suitability of the site for wind power. Following this we can then advise on the most effective size of turbine, together with its positioning and how this might integrate into your existing power supply.

How much does it cost?
Cost varies significantly on the size of turbine you have together with other factors but, as a guide, these figures (all including installation and VAT at 5%) should act as a point of reference:

1.5 kW - costs range from £1500 to £5000
6kW - costs range from £15,000 to £26,000
15kw - costs range up to £45,000

What grants are available?
Wind turbines are covered by the Feed-in-Tariff scheme with payments of up to 34.5p/kWh for turbines of 1.5kWp or less. Under the feed in tariff you are paid for what you produce and rather than a one off grant much like the FIT scheme for Solar PV.

Payback
The total amount of time it will take to benefit from your investment will depend on, most importantly, the amount of wind at the site, together with the size of installation, the cost of the energy source it is replacing, as well as the rate at which you can typically sell unused power back to the grid. In very general terms payback will be in the range of 8-15 years.

Next Step?
If you are interested in Wind Turbines and would like more information please feel free to visit us, email us by clicking here, or call us on 01635 203344 and one of our consultants can talk you though the various options.