For windspeeds used to calculate wind turbine output for use in the Code for Sustainable Homes, specifiers should use a standard of calculation developed for the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.Particular sites can vary according to local topography. Note that these speeds are an overall average for the area. Overall windspeeds for a particular site can be found here at the BERR wind data site.Electricity generation will be disappointing and pay-back periods are likely to recede into the distant future.ĭetermined by: 1 Quantity of wind at hub height The scheme of feed-in tariffs, designed to promote the take-up of domestic-scale generation, and introduced by the government in 2010, is likely to prove popular with those households and communities who can invest the necessary capital into small wind energy schemes.įor the majority of property owners living in urban areas, installing wind turbines on or close to buildings with overall windspeeds of less than 5m/s is probably not a realistic proposition. If used appropriately, domestic wind turbines can generate useful electricity that would otherwise be drawn from the grid - thus reducing the carbon footprint. The sad fact is that for many their first experience of ‘micro generation’ has been anything but happy with actual performances often dramatically undershooting expectations. Most of the take-up of this generation of turbines has been from urban householders keen to cut their electricity bills and/or to do their ‘bit’ for climate change.
The current market is marked by turbine performance claims and counter-claims. Whereas the dynamics of wind power generation are reasonably transparent at the large commercial scale, the same cannot be said for the domestic scale. This figure is just less than half the 345,000 gigawatt hours consumed in the UK in 2005. The Sustainable Development Commission further estimates that a combination of onshore and offshore generation could theoretically produce a ‘practical’ maximum of 150,000 gigawatt hours. Commercial windpower, produced by turbines rated at between 1 – 2.5 MW, currently accounts for around 5 GW onshore and 2.5 GW offshore capacity in the UK (2012). Of all renewable energies, wind power holds the most promise to make a significant impact on reducing carbon output.
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