Wind turbines good for farms but not homes

Peter Osborne, managing director of FutureEnergy, told delegates at yesterday’s Sustainable Energy and Energy Efficiency Expo: “We are not in the habit of turning away business but we do believe in ethics.” A recent study in Edinburgh showed that the average wind speed on a domestic rooftop is 1.7m/s. Since power output from a wind turbine generator is roughly proportional to the cube of the wind speed, useful power output and cost savings are likely to be minimal. In addition, the turbine may cause structural damage to the building in a high wind. Osborne argued that small wind turbines are better for use on wind-swept farms, where they can provide 1kW at a wind speed of 12 m/s, or 210W at the UK average wind speed of 5.6m/s. This can provide enough power for water pumps, or to keep tractor batteries charged up at locations remote from mains power. More information from Futurenergy Wind-Works.org