Wind Power

The UK has 40% of the total wind energy resource in Europe.

The UK has 40% of the total wind energy resource in Europe. Power from the wind is proportional to the cube of the wind speed, therefore, variations in wind speed can result in large changes in potential output. Wind speed also increases with height. The ideal siting is a smooth-top ridge with a clear exposure free from turbulence.

Wind Turbines - Specifications
Type of System Turbines vary in size, typical small scale turbine ratings are 1kW to 15kW: Doubling the swept area of the blades increases power output by a factor of four. Doubling the wind speed increases the output by a factor of eight.
System Costs Vary considerably with the size of turbine, but typically: 2.5kW turbine costs £15,000 6kW turbine = £25,000 15 kW turbine = £50,000
Energy savings Very variable depending on annual average wind speed, therefore location is critical – a good site will be > 5m/s 2.5 kW = 2,500 to 7,000 kWh/yr 6 kW = 3,500 to 11,500 kWh/yr 15 kW = 14,000 to 36,000 kWh/yr
Feed in Tariff The FIT is available for wind turbines – for more information and latest tariff rates see: Department of Energy & Climate Change
Development Issues Planning permission is required and will need to consider visual impact, wildlife impacts and noise.
More information UK Windspeed database www.bwea.com British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) www.bwea.com CE72 Integrating small wind powered electricity generating systems