Wind Turbines Category

Many people wonder about how quickly wind turbines pay back.

Obviously it is crucial that the position is good and doesn’t suffer from turbulant air. Once this is sorted one question people ask is “How big should I go?”.

In very general terms, the larger the turbine the faster the payback. Normally speaking the output increases significantly with the larger output turbines but the £ per kW cost is quite linear.

We offer three sizes of turbine, 2.5kW, 6kW and 15kW. The 6kW turbine will delivery around 3 times more power than the 2.5kw system. and in turn the 15kW turbine will delivery around 3 times more power than the 6kW.

So the more you spend the faster your return should be.

Exported Wind Electricity

Wind Turbines generate electricity that can used in your home or premises.

Excess electricity can be exported back onto the grid and most electricity suppliers will buy this electricity from you.

The rates that are being paid are improving all the time. Many supplier will now a similar amount to the import rate for the electricity you export, currently around 10p/kWhr.

What many people don’t know is that in 2002 another parallel scheme was launched that will encourage suppliers to pay an additional amount of money for this electricity.

ROCs

A Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) is a green certificate issued to an accredited generator (the home or business owner) for renewable electricity generated. One ROC is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of eligible renewable output generated. This means that you get one ROC for each 1000kWhrs of electricity generated.

The scheme is designed to incentivise renewable energy generation in the UK. When the scheme was formulated an obligation was placed on the electricity suppliers to obtain an proportion of their energy from renewable sources. In 2005-06 this target was 5.5 per cent and in 2006-07 the obligation was set at 6.7 per cent.

If the electricity companies do not have enough ROCs they have to pay the other suppliers who do have enough. This means that the suppliers want to buy your ROCs to avoid being penalised.

The payment depends on the supplier but they typically pay around £30-£40 per ROC. This means that every unit of electricity generated is worth about 30-40 per cent more.

The scheme is planned to run until 2027.

This means that Wind Turbines may payback quicker than you think!

Wind Turbines

Wind Turbines utilise the natural wind power to generate electricity. Many size wind turbines are available from a few watts to multi megawatt systems.

At Intelligent Energy Solutions we are interested in micro generation wind turbines for domestic and commercial use. These tend to range in power from 500W up to 50,000W.

Wind Turbine Position

Everyone knows that the windier the position the more electricity is likely to be generated. However not all wind is the same!
The wind that will generate most electricity is ‘clean’ and free from turbulence. This wind is most likely to occur in open spaces with minimal obstructions.
The wind that blows through our cities is quite different, this tends to disrupted by chimneys, trees and tall buildings.

A good spot for a turbine will be primarily free of obstructions to the South West of the turbine. In the UK the prevailing wind usually comes from this direction.

Wind Turbine Payback

Apart from the siting the turbine in good location, the other important factor is the average wind speed. There is a wind speed database that is free to access and a link to this database can be found at the link, wind speed database.

If the position is free from obstruction to the South-West direction and the average wind speed is in excess of 5m/s then the wind turbine is likely to payback within 10 years.

For further information contact Intelligent Energy Solution by phone on 01509 768565 or e-mail: sales@iesolutions.co.uk