Wind Turbines
The UK has the highest percentage of Europe’s total wind energy source, so potentially the UK could generate the most electricity out of Europe from wind energy. The use of wind turbines allow us to generate useful electricity from the wind, either for the home or to supply electricity to the national grid using wind farms. Furthermore, wind energy is one of the most economic and rapid means of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
The wind turbines simply convert the kinetic energy from the wind into electricity using rotor blades to drive a generator located inside the turbine. Wind turbines come in various shapes and sizes and vary in power output from 100 watts to over 1 megawatts.
Types of Wind Turbines
There are two types of wind turbine, horizontal and vertical axis, which can consist of either 2 or three blades. These can be referred to as:
HAWTs (Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines)
The horizontal wind turbines typically have 3 blades attached to a horizontal axis and have a gearbox and a generator located at the top behind the rotor blades. These are the most common type of wind turbine and are usually seen on large spaces of land in the country side or somewhere vulnerable to high winds, such as in the sea.
VAWTs (Vertical Axis Wind Turbines)
The less familiar vertical wind turbines come in different shapes and sizes and they typically have the gearbox and the generator located on the ground.
Small Scale Wind Power
The UK’s renewable energy targets will be mostly met through large scale projects, such as wind farms, but small scale wind projects will also contribute to meeting these targets. Small scale wind turbines, also known as micro wind turbines, can be used for communities to produce their own electricity. They are many technologies for small scale-scale wind, but the freestanding micro wind turbines are the most established and can provide electricity for the full electrical needs of a typical home.
They are some things to consider when deciding whether to use micro wind turbines for your home, these are:
Obstacles – Trees, buildings and hills will affect the amount of electricity you can generate from wind. This is because the obstacles will reduce the wind speed and create turbulence. The best place for micro wind turbines would be somewhere exposed to the wind, such as the countryside.
National Grid – if your home is in a remote location without access to the national grid then micro wind turbines would be ideal to generate your electricity. These systems require battery storage and an inverter. If you do have access to the national grid then micro wind is still a good option because, as an incentive, you can earn money by selling un-used energy to your local energy supplier. Grid connected systems don’t require battery storage, but need a special inverter and controller.
Planning permission – Usually planning permission is required for micro wind systems, because of the visual impacts of the system.
Wind speed – The local annual wind speed must be 6 m/s or above to generate adequate electricity for your home. You can check the wind spread on the DECC website.
Cost – Including installation, roof mounted micro wind turbines start at around £1500 to £19000, depending on the location, size and type of the turbine.
Installation
Wind turbines are generally more suitable for properties with extensive land area, e.g. on farms or rural locations, as this allows larger wind turbines to be installed, which have greater efficiencies. However in urban or small suburban homes small scale wind turbines with rotors less than 1m in diameter may be installed.
These can be either fixed independently on a mast or attached to the roof or gable of your home; which is a highly debatable issue, generally regarded as inefficient and dangerous, as detailed within the article, wind turbine integration on roof tops and buildings.
Fixing of wind turbines should be undertaken by certified installers, and carried out with appropriate planning permissions and Building Control approval, both of which will demand exacting standards be reached prior to completion; with focus on health and safety and their visual impact.
Finance Available
Homeowners can apply for grants of up to £2,500 through the Low Carbons Building Programme (LCBP). The amount of finance available depends on the size and complexity of the turbine in question.
Up to 50% reductions may be obtained by not for profit (charity) and public organisations.
Be sure to research and read about the many advantages and disadvantages of wind energy relating to home wind turbine developments.