Wind power

DrPhilG

I'm not talking too many baked beans...

Are there any feasible options for wind power?

I'm very curious about the likes of Ridgeblade but I don't think they're hitting Ireland any time soon.

I live on a hillside and we have strong wind all year round, to the extent that it's difficult to keep the fence standing!

Solar isn't going to cut it without a feed in tariff, but the wind blows 24hrs a day where I live.

The problem with all renewable energy, what do you do with all the excess ?

I don't think any company will install a turbine without a site survey but could be wrong.

Wind turbines + installation are outrageously expensive.

You could run heating in winter such as storage heaters. But compared to the cost of energy today, without grants and FIT it makes it all very uneconomical, yeah we'd all love to be off fossil fuels but looks like that just isn't going to happen for a very, very long time.

DrPhilG

I have pretty high consumption all the time. 400l tropical fish tank runs 24/7 so I have pretty solid usage during the days too.

My 2-monthly bill is generally around €250.

You'll most likely have excess that has to go somewhere or have the function to be able to turn off the turbine.

There are a lot of issues with the high gusts you get in Ireland in Winter destroying very expensive turbines and the last time I checked some years ago , Kestrel were the only recommended turbines from one turbine installer. If I remember correctly, the site was called irishwindandsolarpv which is now gone. The kestrels have the ability to produce energy in storms where others get destroyed.

Turbines are so costly to install that there's want to be very good warranty warranty and the need maintenance.

Solar PV is much cheaper but I get what you're saying, you'd probably have more energy from a turbine than a solar array. It would be interesting to see the comparison because it's not windy all the time.

If I were you I'd install 3 Kw/p of solar PV and maybe a 2 Kw turbine this way you still get some energy when there's no wind.

DrPhilG

[Deleted User] wrote: »

this way you still get some energy when there's no wind.

Honestly, I've been here 5 years and there has never been no wind. Always a fairly strong breeze at the very least.

I recommend a site survey, after all these are very expensive and much more expensive than Solar PV and you don't want a storm to destroy that very expensive turbine when the warranty is out and I wonder how storms effect the warranty anyway ? If you're on that good a site you might have too severe gusts in a storm. Again, Kestrel turbines have a very good reputation only going by what I've read on the internet. I've no direct experience.

hytrogen

Deleted User wrote:

Wind turbines + installation are outrageously expensive.

So how come a company, Dong energy, off Germany have started construction of the first unsubsidised offshore wind farm?
I would upload a link to the story but sadly the boards app won't let me, it's featured in Power Engineering magazine dated 17th April 2017 and New York Times

Domestic wind turbines are extremely expensive to install, a commercial installation if different, they will have secured funding from somewhere.

Unsubsidised is good though, I hate having to subsidise these companies for nothing in return, bad investment for the taxpayer and we tolerate it, unreal !

Shefwedfan

Is this because I posted about wind on the solar thread?

Only company I could find is http://www.ecoevolution.ie/index.html

I would guess you need planning for the turbine. Also you would need to run cable underground from turbine to house which would cost a lot....

Water John

Dong are Chinese. As a renewable energy source, the windfarm would still have priority access to the grid. So all they produce would be sold.

Sadly, in Ireland we have no micro generation policy. Then we haven't much a policy in commercial renewables either. No PV Feed in Tariff announced.

No, you don't need planning for a domestic turbine. The limitations I can't remember. I think under 13 metres high.
If your grid compliant the ESB will take your surplus for free.

BoatMad

Water John wrote: »

Dong are Chinese. As a renewable energy source, the windfarm would still have priority access to the grid. So all they produce would be sold.

Sadly, in Ireland we have no micro generation policy. Then we haven't much a policy in commercial renewables either. No PV Feed in Tariff announced.

No, you don't need planning for a domestic turbine. The limitations I can't remember. I think under 13 metres high.
If your grid compliant the ESB will take your surplus for free.

I saw a recent proposal for a domestic wind turbine for the domestic house on a farm , the ROI was nonsense.

Wind is too visually intrusive to have any future except offshore.

corks finest

Deleted User wrote: »

The problem with all renewable energy, what do you do with all the excess ?

I don't think any company will install a turbine without a site survey but could be wrong.

Wind turbines + installation are outrageously expensive.

You could run heating in winter such as storage heaters. But compared to the cost of energy today, without grants and FIT it makes it all very uneconomical, yeah we'd all love to be off fossil fuels but looks like that just isn't going to happen for a very, very long time.

Should hear my buddy,if I could harness his arse ,I'd be in the times rich list.

goz83

corks finest wrote: »

Should hear my buddy,if I could harness his arse ,I'd be in the times rich list.

Don't tell him that. :pac:

Water John

Boat, living near them. There beautiful.

Calahonda52

WT only generate in a clearly defined windspeed band, the band depends on the turbine design.
Too slow it wont generate and once the windspeed picks up then it will generate until, the more expensive ones feather the blades and stop rotating.
You can imagine that tech alone will cost some mula.
The cheaper ones don't have feathering blades so if wind is strong enough they will.... look here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfzgIxMEo8g

The math on WT power output is as follows:
Double the area intercepted by the wind and you double the power.
Double the wind speed and the power increases 8 times.
If on a hilly exposed site you defo need a survey at the height of the hub due to increased wind speed as it blows up the hill.
An 80 meter high hub with a 110m diameter blade should keep the fish tank going