With the increasing uncertainty over the availability of fuel and energy sources in the future, and the ambiguity surrounding costs involved in keeping the lights switched on and the radiators warm – more and more people are looking into renewable energy sources and ways of reducing their dreaded utility bills.
In 2008, the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) identified significant annual growth in the number of small wind turbines installed, with an 80% increase confirming the UK as 'the world leader in small systems technology'. Add to this the fact that the Government is being urged to streamline planning and it would imply that this is a market set to escalate.
Whilst small domestic wind turbines are becoming increasingly attractive, their effectiveness both in terms of economics and physical operation is determined by accurate preliminary site investigation prior to deployment.
January 2009 saw the publication of a key report into the efficacy of small turbines to householders. The ‘Encraft Warwick Wind Trial’ issued results showing that turbines - whether in urban or rural locations - need to be suitably located to utilise high wind speeds experienced by the UK - the windiest country in Europe.
A well sited domestic wind turbine can offer a landowner or householder not only savings on their electricity bills, but an opportunity to export surplus energy to the grid and initial desk-top studies are important in establishing the feasibility of a site.
This is an opportunity being exploited by an increasing number of farmers and small holders across the country.
If a wind turbine sounds appealing but there is a preference for a small turbine over a commercial venture, figures typically show a discrete 10-kilowatt machine sited to capture a wind speed of 6.0 metres per second can generate 23 megawatt hours of electricity annually.
This alone equates to a substantial green energy value and a recent directive by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has announced double renewable obligation certificates (ROCs) to all microgeneration (micro and small wind with a declared net capacity of 50kW or less) from April 2009 (previously, and in most cases, 1 MWh qualifies for 1 ROC).
With this announcement, self-generation looks much more appealing. To learn more about wind farms or to obtain a feasibility study for a prospective site, please contact Fisher German on 01858 411246.
