Wind powered generators
Wind power is rapidly gaining a reputation as the easiest way to waste money and it is a technology which is being persistently miss-sold by unscrupulous companies in the area of renewables. So whatever you decide to buy make sure you check the facts – many small systems will produce 10% or less than their rated power – 500 w becomes 50w – that is a single lightbulb.
Wind power starts to work where there is a good ratio between the installed power (a function of the location and the device) and the installation cost (including your grid connection). What you must avoid is buying something with a 100 year payback and a 15 year lifespan.
At Ensen the first thing we will do is recommend a site survey – that will take between 6 months and a year to generate good data. After that assuming a cost effective grid connection we are looking to promote systems in the sub €1500 per Kw installed. That is a very tough benchmark and only really possible in excellent sites and with larger installations.
What we are working on and you may be interested in is a small self build unit – more a proof of concept than a serious system – we are targeting this at one off houses and it has an interesting innovation – watch this space in early 2010 for details.
