Wind Turbine Data - conspicuous by
its absence
I confess to some shock when we started to test our
wind turbine. I had wondered why there are virtually no published
output figures of micro-generators (domestic wind turbines) on the
internet or anywhere else.
I looked hard - there were projections by manufacturers, graphs,
calculations by academics, stuff about global warming,
and lots of clever articles predicting
how much energy I would get. But no data of measured output.
Its absence speaks volumes.
If the news was good, I guess it would be plastered everywhere.
Right - our results ...our wind turbine is rated at six hundred watts and has a diameter
of about 1.4 metres. It's well-made, and in a windy area. We are seeing
an average output of around 30 watts in breezy periods. Many days
it doesn't rotate at all. Output - zero.
If government is giving out money and encouraging us to dip into
our pockets to pay as much again for this
form of energy generation, we need to know whether it's good value.
It's quite conceivable that in twenty years time there will be
wind turbines in every street - and that we'll be experiencing
regular power cuts. Our wind turbines will enable us to sit in
semi-
gloom, perhaps, as we curse the energy policy which brought us to this
sorry state.
If you have data of measured output (I don't want your scholarly
projections or other fantasies) then please contact me. I would also
like details of rotor diameter, location, kilowatt hours generated,
how you measured it, and what you paid for the setup. This will enable
me to calculate the price paid, on average, per kilowatt hour.
Then we'll know if domestic wind turbines are worth having -
or just a political scam to buy headlines.
I would also be interested to hear from any Grid Controllers
who use wind energy, what price they pay for it, how much they
use in a given quarter, half-year or year, and their estimate of
the extra spinning reserve needed for each megawatt they buy.
If our cash (billions of pounds) is being used to
fund more wind farms, the Government should know before spending
it
how much electricity we are
going to get, based on the measured output of those already in
operation.
Email contact: suttonelms (at) ukonline.co.uk. I've
written it like this to avoid spammers.
