The usefulness of the proposition doesn't really extend to financial viability. We've always reckoned that if the turbine has paid for itself by the end of it's useful life we'd still go for it - cos it's what we want to do. There are grants that we should be able to access which might even swing the balance to make the turbine A Good Idea.
So we had (an expensive) visit from a geezer to assess the site viability and to discuss siting options yesterday. We await his report but our discussions have thrown up a fair amount of doubt about the wisdom of the enterprise. It's mainly about topography and turbulence.
And said geezer wants to sell us a turbine - so he can glibly state that, although there's not a perfect place for the installation - it'll still be worthwhile. But it's not his £20,000 or so is it?
We really want a wind turbine. I'm worried about letting the heart rule the head. And I'm wondering how we're going to be able to assess the site report when we get it.
So I'm wondering if we need to lower our sights - currently we're thinking of a 5 or 6kW installation - but maybe we'd be wiser to go down to 2 or 3kW? Mmmmmmmm.
Mmmmmmmmm.
7 comments:
It depends on whether you want to use the wind to power your heating system - 6Kw does seem a bit excessive, unless you were planning to sell lots back to the grid.
Also all the preliminary studies on micro-wind show that you are living in *the* area for making wind cost effective
Cheers C,
We reckon the dairy usage might be up to 8.5mWh pa and the house should be about the same. Segen are trying to tell us we might get 15 MWh from a 5kW turbine - so it's not as excessive as it looks.
There's absolutely no doubt that we have enough wind. It's just the wrong kind of wind.
Having lived up here for a while I'm beginning to wonder whether more hydro - but run-of-river turbines rather than dams - isn't the answer. In the three weeks a year when water isn't pouring off every hillside, we could back up with solar power.
Great idea DG (I mean TM)
- did you know that over a third of the electricity we generate gets lost between the power station and the consumer? - a decentralised approach to energy generation would be great for consumers and the environment and for security of supply. The Scottish Government is trying to do something about this - they are promoting microgeneration - but nothing like on the scale I'd like to see.
Ah I had forgotten about the dairy!
Have you thought of looking at Proven wind-turbines? When one of our renewables people was asked about which company he would recommend, they were his choice, partly because they've been around for a while.
I saw a couple of them up in Orkney, and I must say I like the simplicity of the design - no gears just springs.
Seconded for the 'Proven Energy' windmill option.
http://www.provenenergy.co.uk/
Mainly because they'll still operate in gale conditions using a simple centrifugal design (springs), unlike the big frustrating windmills that do b#gger all when the best of the wind kicks in. Shouldn't think turbulence will bother 'em.
Please don't tell us it was a Proven man that came to see you......
MtB
Cheers Mike
Proven certainly seem to have the publicity market stitched up - but I don't think they make the best turbines - they certainly dont have the best energy capture. Any'ow the man was from Iskra. I'm trying to tempt the Proven people up here at the moment.
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