WIND TURBINES

One of the ways people can look to reduce their energy costs is by using natural resources to create energy, the term widely used to describe this is renewable energy. One method is to use wind power to generate electricity, this is done by the wind moving large blades (rather like a windmill)which drive a turbine which generates the electricity. The blades can be either free standing on a mast or attached to the roof of a building, the important point to consider when siting the blades is that they must be in an exposed area where they will get as much wind as possible. The UK is particually suited to this type of technology as it has 40% of Europe's total wind energy.

One of the advantages of generating electricity in this way is that it will reduce energy costs, in addition any excess energy produced is either stored in a battery to use during periods of calm weather or sold back to the National Grid. The energy produced does not create any harmful CO2 emissions therefore as well as reducing costs it is much kinder to the environment.

However there are some points to consider before changing to this type of energy generation.

- do you live in an area which would get enough wind to drive the turbine, some areas are more sheltered from the wind than others.

- you will have to check with your local authorities to see if you require planning permission to erect the mast/blades to power the turbine.

- the cost of the equipment does vary, a smaller roof mounted turbine would cost around £1.5k whilst a larger mast mounted one could cost on average about £15k.

- the equipment will need to be maintained at regular intervals but should last around 20 years.