Wind Turbine FAQ
[ What is a wind generator? ]
[ Five factors affect the effective siting of a wind turbine ] [ So is my site suitable? ]
[ How far away can I mount the turbine from my house? ]
[ Can the turbines be roof mounted? ] [ Do the turbines affect animals and birds? ]
[ Do I have enough wind for a turbine? ]
[ Do I need planning permission for a wind turbine? ] [What rate of VAT applies to me?]
[ What happens if we generate more electicity than we need? ] [ What are ROC's? ]
[ Can I build my own tower? ] [ Can I do my own foundation work? ]
[ What is involved in a turbine installation? ]
What is a wind generator?
The proper name of a wind generator is actually “Wind Energy Converter” that being a device that converts the potential energy in the wind to another form of energy. This can either be mechanical or electrical.
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Five factors affect the effective siting of a wind turbine:
Availability of land
You will need to have a suitable plot for a wind turbine. And to qualify for the LCBP you either need to own the land or have the express permission of the land owner to site the tirbine there.
Suitable Conditions
You need to have a suitable wind resource. An average of 5 meteres a second (or close to) is ideal. See our section on "do I have enough wind".
Distance from local settlements
This includes your neibours! You will need to attain planning permission for your wind turbine, and this is naturally made much harder if there are objections from people living in close proximity to the turbine.
Distance from protected areas
Not always an issue with smaller turbines. We have installed two turbines in SSSI's, however it is an issue in the planning process.
Ease of access
Even some of the smaller turbines will need access for a low loader lorry close to the site and a JCB on site.
Siting a wind generator is extremely important to the performance of the machine. It is the difference between a machine that give you lots of energy and a garden sculpture. The ideal location for a wind turbine is 20’ above any surrounding object within a 250 foot radius. This generally means your property should be at least one acre in size.
Do however note that this is an ideal site. A good site may have some obstruction. If you are unsure contact on of our advisors for more information.
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So is my site suitable?
You really need a professional apprisel of this, however we provide some "rules of thumb".
NO - this is not catagorical but from our experience you are unlikly to have a good place for a feestanding wind turbine if any of the following are true:
* If you live in a heaving built up area - there would be a lot if turbulance and problems with planning permission
* If you plot is less than about 3/4 of an acre - you probably would not have room to site the turbine clear of the house. Turbines also have to be erected (a 15m mast with a 3.5m rotor needs some space to erect it and lower it if maintanance is needed. Towers with guide ropes also need space for the ropes.
* If you average wind speed is below about 4 meters per second (sometime less is OK but 5m/s or above is ideal)
* If you have nearby obsticals in the path of the prevailing winds which you can not raise the turbine above (e.g. large buildings).
Yes - again, not catagorical. but if any of the below are true it could be a very good spot!
* You live in a remote or rural location with no immediate neibours
* You live in a remote or rural location with few immediate neibours
* You live in a remote or rural location in a small community
* You are in an industrial location
* You live in a windy, exposed or elivated location
* You have a mean local wind speed of 5m/s or greater
* You have a large flat roof on top of the building
If in doubt do contact us for more information and to arrange a site survey, or alternatively send us your postcode and a sketch of your plot for some free advice.
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How far away can I mount the turbine from my house?
Turbines can be mounted as close as 20-50m or as far away as 450-500m depending on the turbine and the cable we use.
The further away the turbine is though, the bigger the cable.
Can the turbines be roof mounted?
Turbines can be roof mounted on high-rise buildings with flat roofs such as university/school buildings, office blocks and
tower blocks but not a standard domestic house. This is because of the loads that the building would have to take and a
normal domestic household would not be capable of bearing such loads.
Whilst some turbines are coming onto the market stating they are safe for mounting on domestic buildings we will not undetake any buidling mounted installation without the involvement of a strctural engineer.
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Do the turbines affect animals and birds?
The turbines do not affect animals at all. We have turbines on several farms, equestrian centres and even two SSSI's. The affect on birds is also negligible.
Ornithological Issues
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) supports the sustainable development of renewable energy such as wind power because it helps mitigate climate change, which they believe "poses the most significant long-term threat to the environment – this was also echoed in a recent report in Nature. It concluded that over the next 50 years climate change is expected to drive a quarter of land animals and plants into extinction and that under the higher estimates of climate change a quarter of the birds could become extinct. The RSPB described the report as 'a deeply depressing paper'. The RSPB further agree that developed alongside other forms of renewable energy and energy efficiency, wind energy has a key role to play in averting the worst of these impacts.
Across the country as a whole, studies carried out at the UK's existing wind farm installations shows hit rates of less than one per turbine per year; for example, the 9 turbines on the harbour wall at Blyth are in a busy bird area and of bird flights through the wind farm, only 1 in 10,000 resulted in a collision. This translates to 1-2 collisions per year per turbine. To put this in perspective, cars in the UK kill more than 10 million birds – every year. When scaling this type of statistic down to our small-scale type of equipment the rate drops even more dramatically to an almost non-existent figure! This fact coupled with the careful siting of our systems means that we can further protect our feathered friends and help to ensure their long-term future.
Quite simply, birds are in far more danger from colliding with overhead power lines, or being eaten by domestic cats, or hit by vehicles than they are from wind turbines.
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Do I have enough wind for a turbine?
There are two main ways of calculating your wind resource.
One is to use the NOABL wind speed model for the UK, available at:
This will provide a mean average wind speed for your area at various heights. Whilst innacurate it is a reasonable indicator, but it is affected by local physical conditions and obstruictions.
The other method is to install a small anemometer on your site for at least 6months (a year is preferable though). We always look for sites around 5m/s and above with good exposure to the prevailing winds and good access. However, web based measurements of wind speeds comes with a significant degree of inaccuracy.
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Do I need planning permission for a wind turbine?
Planning permission is required in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe it may vary and we recommend you contact your local planning office.
There are a number of planning related issues that may prevent you from installing a turbine on your site and it would be wise to ensure that you are not going to fall foul of any of these before proceeding.
1. Military installations. A small wind turbine will not be allowed in close proximity to a military airfield or radar installation.
2. Proximity to neighbours. A small wind turbine should be located at least 50m from the nearest neighbour. There have been exceptions to this - particularly in community schemes, but in general you need a fair sized plot to install such wind turbines. Ordinarly domestic gardens with neibours close by are rarely suitable.
3. Designated & protected areas. Whilst there is not an absolute ban on small wind turbines in National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or SSSi's, you may find it more difficult to satisfy the local planning officer.
We can provide supporting information and advice to help your application through planning.
The first step is to decide where you are going to put one, and what sort of turbine you intend to have installed. Then send a premilinary letter to your local planning officed ith a sketch of your plot and details of the turbine you wish to erect (along with one of our planning advice packs for that turbine). The local planning officer whould then respond with their thoughts on whether you sould apply for sull planning permission.
A planning permission application is not too complicated, but it does cost around £110 in most areas and involves the completion of a form and the submission of two one or more location plans (usualy two, one from "overhead" and one "profile").
If you have any neibours in close proximity it may be worth asking them if they would object before filing a planning application, or even considering a small community scheme.
The Government has published guidelines for planning officers to follow when assessing an application for a wind turbine and it essential that all the areas of this guidance are covered in any planning applications. These guidelines can be downloaded from: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1143908
Latest News: Planning applications can now be filed electronically and the Government has set up a central web site giving general guidance and making this process a bit easier: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk
Do contact us for further information if you feel you have a suitable site but need some assistance to proceed.
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What rate of VAT applies to me?
VAT rates on power equipment and installations vary, however the following can be read as a rough guide:
17.5% - Applicable to UK businesses and EU businesses without EU VAT number.
5% - Domestic Householders (require a signed certificate) if 60% or over of energy generated is for domestic use.
Zero rated (0%) – UK new builds and all non EU exports.
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What happens if we generate more electicity than we need?
If you are using a stand alone battery system you will charge your batteries up to full camicity, and then any excess energy is wasted.
If you are using a grid connected system - you sell it to the grid!
How much you gte for it depends on your energy supplier and agreement.
However, many people are now installing larger turbines to take advantage of selling the excess electricity, and this can be very profitable!
Your own energy becomes inflation proofed (and eventually free) however the excess produced is inflation linked, and what you get paid for it will rise as ebergy prices increase.
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What are ROC's?
ROC’s are Renewables Obligations Certificates.
Essentially you get a bonus for generating gree power, and you get paid an additional grant for every MWh (1,000kWhs) you generate (even if you use it yourself!). How much you get varies on how much power you generate.
This grant is paid annually, you simpy fill in a form with the readings on your mwter (we supply ROC approved meters as standard on all grid linked systems) and send it off to receive your grant.
SEA will guide you through the process of registering and receiving your ROC bonus.
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Can I build my own tower?
You can build your own tower but we do not recommend this, as we are unable to guarantee it. We can provide you the loadings of the turbine but it would be up to you to calculate and design a suitable tower. A tower mount would be required to fit the turbine in question.
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Can I do my own foundation work?
Yes, you to do your own foundation work, it is fairly straightforward if you’re a bit hands-on! You can of course get a builder to do it for you (and we can reccomend excelent builders for the Dorset / Hampshire / Wiltsghire area) . We can provide you with a foundation pack specifying what is necessary for your turbine installation.
Please note however if you get it wrong you may be subject to charges if we are not able to rectify the error on the day of installation.
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What is involved in a turbine installation?
Installing a turbine comprises of multiple different aspects and it is likely that these will be undertaken by different engineers, possibly on different days. SEA will however always seek to minimise the disruption at your site and will discuss and agree with you the dates and method of each aspect of the installation.
The key steps in the process are:
1. Site Preparation. This includes laying the concrete foundations for the tower and possibly digging a trench for the electrical connection to be made.
2. Electrical. SEA will supply and install all the electrical components that enable the wind turbine to be connected to the grid and for you to claim your ROCs. It is also possible that the local electricity company will need to change your meter for a bi-directional one.
3. Tower. The pole will be delivered by truck, usually with a crane attached or with a JCB, and in a matter of hours it can be mounted onto the foundations and erected. The truck will need reasonable access to the site where the tower will be erected.
4. Turbine. Normally at the same time as the tower is installed the turbine will also be delivered and mounted onto the tower.
5. Commissioning. Once all the elements are in place the turbine will be commissioned and will start to generate power and saving you money.
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