What?!
It’s a wind turbine in my back garden! The wind is free so let’s cut out the middle man!
Why?!
Have you seen the price of electric these days? Also, the world is on fire, so why not?!
Let’s be honest; there are far more windy days in England than there are sunny days – so why not have a wind turbine instead of solar panels.
How (much)?!
Data from the weather station project could help to assess if this is a viable project or not.
The plan would be to erect a pole of an unknown dimension into an unknown base. Then on the pole would be a wind turbine of some description connected to an amount of electrical gubbins.
As it’s unlikely that the wind will be blowing when you want to boil the kettle, therefore, some form of electrical storage of unknown chemistry/capacity/voltage and a matching inverter of unknown power output.
Connecting this to the house would require a qualification and knowledge that I do not know and or have. Therefore, at best, this could form a back up supply for my workshop.
The total costs for this project hinges greatly on the unknown specification. A proof of concept with little viability could easily cost >£1,000.
An actual useful setup would likely be over >£10,000 and at this size the specification of the required foundation would need designing by a civil engineer.
When?!
Let’s be honest here: the budget is a hurdle that I’m not going to jump.
Doing some internet window shopping with the specification for powering the workshop would need:
| Description of item | Approx. Cost |
|---|---|
| 3kW wind turbine and MTTP charge controller | £ 275 |
| Turbine mast | £ 95 |
| Four 12V leisure batteries @ £ 90/ea | £ 360 |
| Inverter – 4kW @ 230V | £ 160 |
| Wire / switches / crimps / various odds and sods (guesstimate) | £ 250 |
| Total cost | £ 1,140 |
Currently (02/05/2023) there is a price guarantee on electricity at 34p / kWh, so the set up would need to produce 3,353 kWh of power to break even. Given local wind speeds, this could take about 1.5 years… Hmm… Maybe this is a viable project…
Where?!
Probably would site the turbine in the back garden – not sure on planning restrictions in regards to height.
Feedback
Do you think this project idea is worth pursuing? Feel free to leave any comments at the bottom of the page.