WIND TURBINES , SHOULD i BUY OR NOT?

Answer 1

No.

This article gives a rather biased comparison:

http://www.greenliving.co.uk/Articles/theeconomiccasef.html

You'll require an outlay of over £7000. It would take a 20-year period to recoup these costs. Is the turbine warranted for this period and would storm damage be covered? You would be unlikely to be self-sufficient: in other words you would still be dependent on the mains. Read the article carefully and note what is not costed, including installation costs and maintenance costs. Batteries need to be replaced and contain hazardous chemicals. What would happen if the turbine malfunctioned and damaged sensitive appliances such as computers? There would be a significant risk of a lightning strike.

Answer 2

Hello,

Wind turbines are a trendy waste of money, no.1 they only generate electricity when there is wind which even in the relatively windy UK is at best intermittent. No.2 Domestic wind turbines only generate about as much electricity as a hair dryer even when running at full blast No.3 Domestic wind turbines would take years & years to pay for themsleves if you bought one. No.4 Wind turbines can only seriously be considered as a way of only lowering your electricty costs as best. No.5 unless you invest in some very clever and probably quite expensive kit, you cannot store the power from a wind turbine for use at a later date.

**If you really want to go green I suggest you look into solar panels & electricty generated from photo-voltaic cells. These are now really available on the market and having lived in a house were we already had them back in the 1970's (before global warming was even heard of!!) I can tell you they work extremely effectively even on a dull grey overcast day and in summer when the sunshines for many hours we had more hot water than we knew what too do with and this was for x2 large houses in London.

IR

Answer 3

You are unlikely to recover the cost of a wind turbine or recover its 'carbon footprint' incurred in its manufacture in 40 years by which time it will be worn out.
Also if the area where the turbine is mounted is near any obstructions - houses and trees for example - the turbulence these cause will reduce the ability of the turbine to produce power. It is suggested that a turbine needs to be at least 50 feet higher than any of these obstructions. An output of about 25 watts per square foot of the area swept by the blades is about all you will get.
Unless you live on a windswept hilltop forget it!
RoyS

Answer 4

It depends, where do you live? Is it usually windy? What's the price of the wind turbines? Does your electric company allow you to hook 'em up to the grid, and will they pay you for the electricity they generate? Do you have a converter to turn the DC current on wind turbines into AC? Is your home/property properly equipped for such a thing? Is there any laws where you live that might limit you in some way or another (maybe you can't have something over a certain height on your property)?

Answer 5

Not, it'd take the whole of Wales to be covered in wind turbines to make the same amount of electricity as one big old power station. Also, they make what is called dirty electricity, meaning it needs another form of electricity to make it useable. Wind turbines are a waste of space and money, they look good, so just get a little plastic one!
If you are interested though you could try a water mill thing? hook it up to a generator and it's not bad.

Answer 6

Yeah, if you live in the US.
England is too crowded, and too expensive, the B and Q one has about £ 35 worth of bits and costs over a grand, crazy.
Little ones would pay for themselves in 15 years if they lasted 15 years without attention, and are carbon neutral, they save about as much carbon as they take to make install and maintain, if you live on a windy hill top and position it at least 40 feet above ground level.
In isolated spots like Scottish highlands where the alternative is to run a petrol powred generator they make sense, but in London and the South East on a housing estate with little wind and efficiencies in the sub 10% range they say something about you.
Brainless Green Prat.
Live in a south facing house with a big garden and fit photovoltaic panels and a ground loop heat pump if you are serious about being green.

Answer 7

Wind turbines can produce up to about 10% of your energy ( depending on how much wind there is). But check with your local authorities first, you might need planning permission.

Answer 8

YES do it.

Every little bit helps.

Ignore the doom and gloom merchants. If everyone waits then nothing gets done. The B&Q model generates about £200 of electric a year, is a complete kit, and the cost includes a survey and fitting. DIY kits also available on line. In the UK you will probably qualify for a grant depending on the area you live in.

Also makes you feel good.

Answer 9

Wind generators are probable no longer the terrific answer on your case. Have one i take advantage of for coaching purposes (purely a pair of kW's) and from experience i understand which you relatively could website them faraway from homes to be certain a sensible grant - ie. a rural area. on your case, evaluate spending slightly funds on insulation and be certain you have replaced over to low power lights. evaluate an financial equipment 7 tariff in case you're out all day. I stored quite some funds doing this - washer runs early morning, etc.

Answer 10

Yes but they are still too gimmicky and overpriced, still just a "must have" gadget. Wait till the market is flooded and the prices will come screaming down. Reliability and efficiency will go up, too.


I looked into all this and decided to hold off for 2-3 years.