Kirk,
I have experiences from some friend who have a couple of larger turbines installed in Sweden. When I researched small wind for my energy source information on http://energysavingnow.com , I knew that Europe is leading on large wind and US have the largest number of choices and installations of small wind. Looking at small wind, I was confronted with the fact that most of them, if not all, are installed in sites where it was suitable to install larger turbines. Participating and have discussions with suppliers and users of the awea wind list, it became obvious that it is very few wind turbines that are suitable for sites that not at the same time are suitable for large turbines. My feeling was confirmed by the experts and list participants. There are few or none small wind turbine that are suitable in urban or sub urban environment, where large turbines cannot be installed.
I think it is a waste, to install a wind turbine of 0.5 to 10 kW on a site where you equally well could install one or more 1 to 3 MW wind turbine. This assuming that the turbines could be grid connected. My friend in Sweden got subsidies 20 years ago for their grid connected large turbines and have earned money at the same time as they got their own electricity covered. This has been proven to be beneficial for both them and the society.
I cannot see any real value for developed countries, with a good grid distribution, to encourage small wind. For countries with poor or no grid distribution, it is an other case. Without urban or sub urban small wind applications, small wind remains a solution for isolated rural places without grid connection and will not play any part in the larger picture of energy solutions we need for the future.
Hakan At 06:47 PM 11/7/2004, you wrote:
http://www.scoraigwind.com/ has a much cheaper solution. Also a more factual solution. A rooftop installation will in most cases be a very poor one. Kirk --- MH <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Rooftop Turbine > A Breakthrough In Wind Power > By Paul Kelbie > Scotland Correspondent > The Independent - UK > 5-22-4 > http://www.rense.com/general53/wind.htm > Each unit could pay for itself in three to four > years, > the inventors say. And with a 20-year guarantee > from the > manufacturers, each turbine could provide > householders > with up to 16 years of free electricity... > The Swift Rooftop Wind Energy System, developed > by the > Edinburgh company Renewable Devices Limited, > supplies the > power directly into a home's individual existing > mains supply. > Each turbine is made up of five two-metre rotor > blades > encased in an outer-rim, like a wagon wheel, and it > sits > just 1.5 metres above the height of a house... > [more] > > To me it appears the diameter is 2 metres looking > at the > link http://www.renewabledevices.com/swift.htm far > below. > > Wind turbines could soon be familiar sight - on > rooftops > ALASTAIR REED > 29 Oct 2004 > http://news.scotsman.com/scitech.cfm?id=1250422004 > ROOFTOP wind turbines could soon be commonplace > throughout > Scotland, after one of the country's largest energy > providers took > a stake in a fledgling Edinburgh-based renewable > energy company. > Scottish and Southern Energy announced yesterday > that it is to pay > £293,000 for a 20 per cent stake in Renewable > Devices, which has > developed what it claims is the "world's first > rooftop-mountable wind > energy system". > The turbine, which is to be known as the Swift > Rooftop Wind Energy > System, is silent, about the same size as a > satellite dish, and > capable of providing about 30 per cent of the > electricity needs of > a typical household. Even with a £1,500 price-tag, > its creators claim > the system will repay that amount in electricity > savings in just > three years of its guaranteed 20-year life. > The SSE chief executive, Ian Marchant, said: "To > date, > renewable energy has only really been accessible to > customers at the top end of the scale," he said. > "With > this deal, individual households can now get > involved." > Over the next three years SSE expects to order > 2,000 of the systems. > > Swift route to green energy at home > Colin Donald > 29 Oct 2004 > > http://business.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1249502004 > > AT FIRST glance it looks as gawky and simple as a > school weather experiment: a carbon fibre cartwheel > with five sculpted blades-cum-spokes, a tail with > fins. > But if Dave Anderson's confidence is borne out, > we could > be getting an early glimpse of a 21st-century > domestic icon. > He and his colleagues at Renewable Devices are > striving to > make the Swift rooftop wind energy system as much a > feature > of the urban landscape as the satellite dish - and > yesterday's deal with power giant Scottish & > Southern Energy > brings this a step closer... > News organisations worldwide have been waking up > to the > potential of a noiseless, vibration-free, > roof-mounted turbine. > The device plugs directly into the home grid, it > will retail at > around £1,500 and promises to repay that in > electricity savings > to the average household in the first three years > of > its 20-year guaranteed life... [more] > > Launch of rooftop wind turbine pilot > 18/05/2004 > > http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2004/05/5528 > The first installation of a world-leading rooftop > turbine > took place today at a Fife school. > One rooftop turbine is being installed at each of > five > Fife Primary schools in the new pilot, and if > successful, > the turbines could be sited on houses and > buildings across Scotland. [more] > > SWIFT WIND TURBINE > Swift Rooftop Wind Energy System > http://www.renewabledevices.com/swift.htm >
_______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://wwia.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/biofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuel archives at Infoarchive.net (searchable): http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/
