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Wind Speed Prediction Tool for Domestic Turbines
The most comprehensive report of its kind has identified the UK’s best locations for households to install micro-wind turbines, say its authors.
The Energy Saving Trust (EST) said some households could generate in excess of £2,800 worth of electricity a year.
However, it also concluded that other locations would actually lose money if a small-scale turbine was installed.
BBC News website: ‘Study pinpoints UK wind hotspots’
The EST domestic wind speed prediction tool is here:
I put my postcode in and the result was 2.93 metres per second:
Unfortunately a domestic small scale wind turbine would not be suitable for your property, as the average wind speed in your area is below 5 metres per second.
The Energy Saving Trust does not recommend installing a domestic small scale wind turbine in areas with wind speeds of less than 5 metres per second. Wind speeds of less than 5 metres per second are unlikely to provide a cost effective source of electricity (based on current technologies).
The best perfoming site is Orkney:
# Location: Orkney Islands
# Turbine: 6kW pole-mounted
# Profile: Rural, flat, open space
# Average wind speed: 5.75m/s
# Annual generation: 22,000kWh
# Payback period: less than 10 yrs
The worst performing site is Dagenham:
# Location: Dagenham, Essex
# Turbine: 1kW building-mounted
# Profile: Urban, heavily developed
# Average wind speed: 2.37m/s
# Annual generation: 0kWh
# Payback period: never
The message for those considering installing domestic wind turbines is clear – in the wrong location little electricity will be generated and there will be no payback. Even in the best site payback will take up to 10 years based on current costs.
I wonder what the result would be for Conservative Party leader David Cameron’s Notting Hill wind turbine? Anyone know his postcode?