Wind Turbine, has anyone got one?

Cocksure

Hi,
In about 3 to 6 months time I will be moving to Shrewsbury and I was thinking about having solar panels again, but now I am leaning towards going for a pole mounted wind turbine. Has anyone got one on here that could give an opinion on how good or bad they are in reality?

bardel

No, but interested just the same...

Cocksure

Tried posting in a few different forums without joy and pretty much given up on the idea as despite contacting a few installer and chasing, none have come back with a price or options.

Due to how much the feed in rate has dropped, from a financial view they no longer add up, so I think they view it as it being a pointless quote. Even though I made clear that wasn’t a factor for me.

Given the lack of interest and that were I was planning on moving into is likely to be delayed for 12 months, I’m now looking at building a passive bungalow instead which I will just cover with solar panels.

bardel

Bizarre situation isn’t it?  I guess for the majority, a turbine in an urban back garden isn’t going to work or be desirable.  But not everyone is in an urban location!

I’ve put a 25kW solar array in my garden end of November last year.  Granted we haven’t been through a summer yet, but a wind turbine would have probably been more beneficial to us at this point!

With the projected power shortages in years to come I really don’t follow why the FIT is being cut in the way it is...

Oh well batteries next (when they are more economically priced).

Cocksure

Currently got lead acid batteries on my current install and must confess I’m torn on whether I would go for them again. At a 4 to 5 year life span they don’t last long compared to lithium, but boy are they cheap.

There another thing that financial doesn’t add up at the moment. I would say that I have broken even at best. But for me, maximising the solar usage and having battery back up when power cuts happen is worth a lot.

What’s your solar generation in winter?

bardel

Only been installed since 30th November 2018.  Here's the graphs of production thus far.

                                                                                 
                                                                       

Cocksure

Wow, now that is impressive

I assume you needed planning permission for such an install? The amount generated in the winter months would easily cover the charging of battery packs.

bardel

Yes I did need planning permission, delayed me by about 6 months because our council couldn't work out what to classify it as!

It's been performing very well I would say, unfortunately, since our usage is anywhere between 85 and 130 kWh a day, there's not always anything left for batteries, particularly on an overcast day.

With that said, I think by the end of February, we were harvesting enough total power in 1 day to cover our entire usage for the day, but I would need around 60kWh of battery storage to make proper use of it....

In the summer, I expect to have power coming out of my ears, but the air conditioning will be on full and I'll try to find some in-efficient heaters for the kids paddling pool.