Richard Fox has renovated his cottage at Yew Tree Farm in Whaddon and owns the buildings that surround it. His Iskra 5KW turbine from SEGEN was installed In November 2006, at a total cost of £19,000. The turbine is attached to a 15m freestanding tower and can be seen clearly from the Stroud Road near Wynstones School.
The wind turbine in Whaddon has been installed since November 2006, but it is estimated that it will provide about 60% of the annual demand of electricity for the farm over the year. The site has two houses and one workshop, so demand for power is higher than for an average domestic building. There are smaller 1.8KW and 3.7 KW turbines from SEGEN that may be suitable for smaller houses.
At the time of installation, Richard received £5,000 from Low Carbon Buildings Grant, £1000 for each KWp of the system installed. (At the present time, the LCBG will pay a maximum of £2,500 or £1,000 per KWp of system installed). He also received £500 from Stroud District Council's WISE Homes grant. Basic energy efficiency measures have to be in place before the LCBG is awarded. "I estimate the pay-back period for the turbine to be between 10 and 20 years", says Richard, "but my reasons for investing go beyond the purely financial. For me, it is important that the energy we consume should be produced by a renewable source as far as possible".
SEGEN installed the whole system, including the equipment inside the cottage. Luckily there was enough room inside a large cupboard at Yew Tree Farm for some bulky equipment such as the inverter, the ROC meter (renewable obligations certificates) and the bi-directional electricity meter.
Richard has found the turbine easy to maintain so far. "The blades tilt in strong winds, and system shuts down completely in strong gales", he says, "but it can be re-activated easily by flicking a switch in the base of the tower. Once a year the turbine will be taken down for maintenance. Quite a lot of space is needed around the turbine to be able to lay it down flat."
The turbine does not generate a lot of noise, but Yew Tree Farm is fortunate in that it does not have neighbours to worry about!
Richard Fox did not find planning permission a problem. Although Stroud District Council is currently revising their strategy for planning permission for renewable technologies, there are still many potential objections and each application is considered on its own merits. You are advised to check with the council before considering the installation of a wind turbine.
David Michael has installed a 1.5 KW SWIFT wind turbine on the new co-flats development in Lansdown, Stroud. The intention is for the turbine to supply approximately 50% of the electricity needed to run the common house, including outside lighting, two washing machines and various kitchen appliances.
The wind speeds were monitored for a week before the turbine was installed, but the actual output has not been monitored since it went up. David hopes that the monitoring equipment will be fitted in the near future. The manufacturers expect the turbine to generate 2,000-3,000 KWh of electricity per year.
Like Richard, David has installed his turbine for reasons other than the purely financial. "To me they look beautiful", he says, "a form of urban sculpture."
Since the wind turbine went up, David has received twenty enquiries about where to buy one and no complaints. The inverter to convert DC to AC hums when the turbine is generating, but this is not a problem for the new tenants in the co-flats.
There is money available for domestic renewable technologies through the government's Low Carbon Buildings Grant. An approved installer will need to be used. As the grant is reviewed regularly, it is best to check the website at the time of application to find out how much is available for wind turbines.
Stroud District Council has a grant of £500, available through their WISE Homes Grant, to encourage local householders to install renewable technologies in their home. This money is available in addition to any money received through the Low Carbon Buildings Grant.
Do check with the Energy Savings Trust and the Centre for Alternative Technology for any further grant possibilities.
For information on local planning issues at the District Council contact Planning on 01453 754442 or email planning@stroud.gov.uk
