The UK has a perfect climate for small domestic wind turbines, with around 40% of all the wind energy in Europe blowing over the UK. While wind power is becoming an increasingly important source of electricity on the national grid, it is small domestic wind turbines that can make the crucial difference in lowering the UK’s carbon emissions. The UK Government have introduced financial incentives in order to stimulate interest in domestic renewable energy projects, and small wind turbines are becoming increasingly popular amongst farm owners, large residences and small businesses due to the economic benefits available.
Small wind turbines work in a fairly straightforward way – large blades capture the wind and are forced round, thereby driving the turbine and generating electricity. Naturally the faster the wind speeds, the more electricity can be generated. However the majority of sites that would benefit most from a small domestic wind turbine are not located in windy coastal areas or on the side of mountains. Therefore it is vital to choose a turbine that has been designed to suit the moderate wind conditions found in rural, mainland Britain. With the right choice farms, large residences, offices, small businesses and public buildings, can effectively reduce energy costs and also decrease the UK’s carbon footprint. Two key factors that must be considered are wind speed and site suitability.
Suitable sites
In the UK wind speed can vary and is dependant on a number of variables. The clearest way to estimate the wind speed at your site is to find the annual mean wind speed (AMWA). This is an indication of how much wind is available, and in the UK that figure could be as low as 4 m/s to around 9 m/s. Areas with wind speeds of 4.5m/s, such as villages, small towns, woods and agricultural areas with many high hedges would expect to produce 19,000 kWh per year. Agricultural areas with some windbreaks and buildings would expect to see wind speeds of around 5.5 m/s, generating 30,000kWh per year. Finally, open landscapes with few buildings and no windbreak would expect to see wind speeds of around 6.5 m/s, producing 40,000kWh per year.
Generating money
Installing a domestic wind turbine has also become a far more lucrative proposition thanks to the governments new Feed-In Tariff, launching in April 2010. An average sized house will use 4,000 kWh in electricity annually (non heating), while an 11kW wind turbine will produce in the range of 19,000 kWh to 40,000 kWh depending on the wind speed at your site. If your site has an average wind speed of 5.5 m/s or higher, typical of most agricultural areas in the UK (check your average wind speed online), then it is likely that you will have excess electricity that can be sold. The Government have recently released the Feed-In Tariff levels, revealing exactly how much a wind turbine customer can gain from the incentive scheme. For wind turbines between 1.5kW and 15kW the Government will pay 26.7p/kWh of all electricity generated, whether used domestically or fed back into the grid. Therefore small domestic wind turbines customers can benefit in three ways: substantial feed-In Tariff payments for producing green electricity; lower electricity bills; and the potential of selling any excess electricity generated back to the grid.
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