As I regularly keep wanging on, we have solar panels. Which are great during the daytime – especially at this time of year when it’s nice and sunny and we can usually earn at least a couple of pounds per day by exporting our excess electricity back to the grid.
But they’re not so useful in winter, or when it’s dark. This is something I wondered about last year, about whether we could go off-grid (short answer: no). So would a wind turbine help?
Ovo Energy have a useful guide, to which the short answer is also (probably) no. For a wind turbine to work well, you need to live somewhere that is windy and has few obstructions. It’s no coincidence that you tend to find wind farms on the tops of hills, or out to sea – Britain having the largest offshore wind generating capacity of any country. Where we live in the Pennines, there are plenty of wind turbines at the tops of the valleys, and proposals for more.
Comparing a home wind turbine with home solar
So would a wind turbine work at home? I watched this YouTube video recently (embedded below) where the creator spends $100 on a solar panel, and $100 on a wind turbine:
On paper, the wind turbine should have outperformed the solar panel and generated far more electricity. But – spoiler alert – it didn’t. The major issue is the type of wind – if you have your turbine in a built-up area, or close to tall trees, then you will likely have turbulent wind which isn’t great for wind turbines. Turbines need wind consistently blowing in one direction, which you’re more likely to get out on moorlands than in cities.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that you can’t have a wind turbine at home. But if you do want one, you’ll need to mount it somewhere well away from buildings and trees. Which is fine if you live somewhere exposed and have a large garden, but for most people, investing in a wind turbine probably isn’t worth it. You’re better off spending the money on solar panels – especially as plug-in solar devices should be coming to the UK soon.
I am forever annoyed at how backwards the UK is on renewables at home. When I got my PV system installed, I wanted Islanding – and was quoted an extra £10k for it. I want to boost the system with more wattage and more panels? Need a new permit.
We’ve so much red tape around it compared to somewhere like Canada.
Frustrating.