Saving Energy with Wind Power

DebbieS_2

Martin, I do not know if this is a money saving idea but it is a world energy crises saving. Have you heard of the yes2wind campaign?

http://www.yes2wind.com/

and using NPower Juice for wind energy.

http://www.npower.com/greenelectricityand50pounds

It seems they are not allowed to advertise this new source of energy so we have to do it for them.

I would really like to know that you are not just showing people how to save money but also how to save our planet. With Wind Power it could be powering homes with clean renewable energy that does not pollute the air or contribute to climate change.

How about an article on saving energy?

Debbie

koru

Check out this link as well. I like the sound (and look) of the Swift turbine.

http://www.hie.co.uk/aie/wind_power.html

http://www.hie.co.uk/swift-rooftop-wind-energy-system.pdf

Sweetcheeks_3

I would love one of those electricity generating windmill thingys. I Live right at the top of a hill, and can see for miles from my bedroom windows. I am sure with one of those generators I could seriously cut down on the amount of fuel I would use, just for my own house. Then I will only have to work out how I can cut down the amount of times my house needs re grouting over a period of years, and I would be sorted.

ribenagirl

Oh wow I'd love one of these Wonder how much they cost??( Website doesn't say)

lovelyjubbly

The website say they will cost £7,700 now in the development stage, and £1500 installed when they get into full production, can't wait to get one, we also live on a hill, we got wind in bucketloads!

MarkyMarkD

I don't think a home turbine is going to be economically viable for a domestic customer. Do it, if you want, for other reasons, but not because it's a good investment of your cash.

We stayed in a holiday cottage which had no mains electricity, and just a wind turbine. We had NO power out of it in an entire fortnight, because the wind was either non-existent or blowing the wrong way.

koru

No wind for 2 weeks is poor luck, but I agree you can't count on a turbine for elecy all the time. However, the Swift turbine isn't being touted on the basis of replacing your mains electricity 24/7 in order to be economically viable.

As I understand it, the way it pays off is that when it is windy, you have surplus elecy, which feeds into the grid and you get credits for it. The credits offset your usage of grid elecy when it isn't windy. Plus you get paid some incentives, because the power you are feeding into the grid is from renewable sources.

They reckon that the average British house gets enough wind over an average year to save about £400 on your elecy bill. If that is right, you would pay for the £1500 installation cost in about 4 years, and you are quids in from then on.

That's what is so appealing about this. Not only are you helping slow down global warming and pollution, but you are also saving money in the long run. And you are partially self sufficient, if there's a power failure like the one on the US Eastern seaboard, a while back.

Got to say that I do wonder if there is some sort of catch, but haven't seen one yet. I'm hoping to get one this summer.

michaels

I'm all for renewable and environmentally friendly energy but wind turbines, as well as having eviromental costs in terms of birds and landscapes also havve dodgy ecenomics if you factor in whole life costs (eg production, siting) and the requirement to keep backup capicity available at short notice due to vaguries in the power source. I'm not saying it will never work but please find out the details before embracing something for its greenness.

koru

I'm all for renewable and environmentally friendly energy but wind turbines, as well as having eviromental costs in terms of birds and landscapes also havve dodgy ecenomics if you factor in whole life costs (eg production, siting) and the requirement to keep backup capicity available at short notice  due to vaguries in the power source.   I'm not saying it will never work but please find out the details before embracing something for its greenness.

We aren't talking about the big turbines used commercially. We are talking about a turbine a few feet in diameter, which goes on your roof. So I don't think there's a landscape issue. They look a lot better than a satellite dish, or a TV aerial, in my view.

The point about backup capacity is relevant if you are talking about huge commercial wind farms. I'm not assuming they are going to decommission any power stations as a result of these domestic turbines, but if they are burning that bit less coal or gas or plutonium, I think that's a good thing.

I think the point about production costs is valid. But I understand the Swift turbine is energy neutral, which I take to mean that the energy used to manufacture it is cancelled by the saved energy over its life.

George_Bray

I wonder how easy it would be to build a DIY wind generator. Not impossible, I suggest.

The basis of my thinking is:
- the propellor design would be the most technically challenging aspect. Perhaps this element can be bought at half-reasonable cost, or made from fibreglass once you have a design
- the propellor would then go through a simple homemade gear box, to drive a generator producing up to 12 volts to charge one or more car batteries.

What else could the high-tech companies add to their products? I would hope that a DIY vesion might have a higher return on investment, even if it was only half as efficient, for some reason, as a commercial version.

Regards
George

Robert5988

We aren't talking about the big turbines used commercially. We are talking about a turbine a few feet in diameter, which goes on your roof. So I don't think there's a landscape issue. They look a lot better than a satellite dish, or a TV aerial, in my view.

I would have thought noise would be a problem; they make a 'moaning' sound.

Interference with TV reception for you/neighbours?

NIMBY!!