Small Wind Technologies

There are two basic systems available for using wind turbines to generate electricity - stand-alone or grid-connected. Wind turbine design can be either the more common horizontal axis type or vertical axis design. The turbine design and size to suit your site best is very dependent on your individual circumstances.

Small scale wind turbines vary in size with a range of models available, from less than 100 watts (W) up to 50 kilowatts (kW). Smaller, less than 100W, microturbines, are often used to charge 12 volt (V) or 24V batteries, for use on stand-alone systems. Turbines ranging from 0.6kW to 50kW can be used to provide electricity generation for individual houses and businesses, with rooftop models varying from 0.5kW to 2.5kW in size.

Stand-alone systems

Small wind turbines have traditionally been used to generate electricity for charging batteries to run small electrical applications, often in remote locations where it is expensive or not physically possible to connect to a mains power supply. Such examples include rural farms, island communities, boats and caravans. Typical applications are electric livestock fencing, small electric pumps, lighting or any kind of small electronic system needed to control or monitor remote equipment, including security systems.

Grid-connected systems

Here the output of the wind turbine is directly connected to the existing mains electricity supply. This type of system can be used both for individual wind turbines and for wind farms exporting electricity to the electricity network. A grid-connected wind turbine can be a good proposition if your consumption of electricity is high. The energy produced by the turbine can be used to reduce the energy taken from the grid. If you are significantly exporting generation with an installed capacity greater than 10kW then it is quite possible to get a good price for both onsite and exported generation. The value of avoided electricity purchases is generally significantly higher than the value that can be obtained from exporting power to the grid. This is particularly relevant if you are a business consumer of electricity.

Export & Supply

To get extra value from your installation you can sign either an export arrangement or a buy & sell back arrangement with a complying electricity supply company. These agreements may require that you get accredited for the various benefits of renewable generation.