How to Choose a Wind Turbine
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a wind turbine.
How strong is the wind where I live?
In order to truly take advantage of the benefits of wind energy, you first need to find out if your business is in the right location. An on-site survey of the local wind speed and your electrical infrastructure will help us establish where best to place a wind turbine and determine which Coemi model is best suited to the location.
Is my site suitable in terms of planning?
There are many things that need to be taken into account with regard to obtaining planning permission. One of the key issues that planning officers consider is the noise impact on local residents, including the wind turbine owner. We would recommend that a 50kW Coemi G-3 be sited no nearer than 200m from any residential property. Other issues that planners may consider are the impact on local wildlife and visual disturbances, for example flicker . Almost all of our planning applications are handled by Aspire Renewables. Even if you think you may have difficulty with obtaining planning permission on your site it is worth discussing with Aspire, who have over a 90% success rate with securing planning permission for wind turbines.
How much do I currently spend on energy?
If there’s a saving to be had from switching to wind power, it’s worth doing your sums. Take a look at your bills for the last year. You may know already, or be able to work out with the help of an accountant, the extent to which your energy costs have been increasing. Investing in a wind turbine allows you to tackle rising fuel prices while giving you the opportunity to make money by selling back any excess electricity to the national grid.
What kind of connection do I have to the national grid?
If you have a 3-phase supply, you may also have your own dedicated transformer. The capacity of the transformer is important, to find out is quite simple. This is normally displayed on a metal plate located on the side of the transformer, don’t climb the pole as this could be dangerous, better to use binoculars or a digital camera with a magnification facility to view it. Normally the capacity is the top left hand number in KVA.
How much do I want to invest?
How much you want to spend on a Coemi wind turbine depends on a number of factors. These include how much energy you need, how much you use, and how suitable your site is for sending any excess to the grid. Answering these questions will help us to help you choose the best model for your location and how you intend to use it. As a rule, larger models are designed to cope with higher winds and are therefore able to produce more electricity – but they also cost more.