Home Wind Turbines Prove Less Effective

Jan. 13, 2008 -- Home wind turbines are only generating a fraction of electricity promised by the manufacturers while some even fail to yield enough energy to run the turbine's electronics, a British study warned on Tuesday.

The survey conducted by consultant engineers Encraft said contrary to claims that micro turbines can suffice for a household's 30 percent electricity needs, on an average they only generate 214 watts hours per day, including when the turbine is switched off for maintenance or developed a snag.

Sufficient power just to light up four low energy light bulbs for a day or less than a five percent of electricity a household requires.

Engineers however found that wind turbines installed on buildings in exposed positions or high up away generated significant amounts of energy.

Matthew Rhodes, Encraft's managing director said that turbines if put up in the right place can achieve the desired results.

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"Sadly, an average semi-detached house, like the areas where most people live, where there are obstructions like trees and buildings, are poor locations," he told the Guardian.

The "vast majority" of customers had been poorly advised. "There's a risk they will go off the whole agenda," he added.

The study was funded by the British Wind Energy Association and the government which inspected turbines in four rural, 10 suburban and 12 urban sites for a year.

Reacting to the report, Alex Murley of the British Wind Energy Association said small and micro wind turbines have the capability to provide more than 10 percent of Britain's electricity needs.

"Although this may be the first trial to look at micro-wind turbines within urban environments, low samples sizes, extremely poor sighting and patchy data renders the trial unrepresentative of the wider sector.

Clearly micro-wind turbines do not work everywhere, but the UK is the windiest country in Europe, and there are literally millions of excellent sites waiting for sensible application of this successful technology," he added.

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British Wind Energy Association