Harnessing Wind Energy
On either a domestic or commercial level, if your premises is positioned in the right place, wind can be one of the most cost effective ways to harness a natural source of power.
With wind, as property, the maxim is location, location, location. For optimum results and electrical output, no matter what size the proposed generator, a site with a good smooth airflow from all directions is best. See the diagram below for an indication, but in a nutshell either flat wide open spaces or smooth hilltop locations are ideal. Other locations with screening or partial screening will work, but not at optimum output.
Building mounted turbines can perform in open locations with small (up to 500w) devices. In enclosed urban or wooded locations, their performance is compromised, so careful planning is required before going ahead with a house mounted option. If your in a less than optimum location, you may still be happy to have a turbine installed to take advantage of what wind is avalable in your area. Call or email us, we will give you an unbiased opinion.
The DTI (now known as BERR) have an online wind database, that everyone who is interested in installing a wind turbine needs to visit first. If your location exceeds the optimum minimum average of 5 meters a second (m/s) wind speed through the year, any turbine has a good chance of achieving its rated annual output.
Check it out yourself at WIND NOABL DATABASE Read the instructions carefully, as you will need to do some online postcode conversion.
We can supply DIY kits for stand alone or grid connect systems for a number of different turbine sizes from 500w through to 5Kw. Our most popular currently is the FuturEnergy 1Kw turbine which can be supplied for grid connect or 12/24v battery charging for stand alone inverters in more remote locations.
Alternatively we specialise in installing Wind Systems from small domestic through to light industrial. Call us for a site assessment.