Wind turbines fitted to people's homes may not even be generating enough electricity to power something as minor light bulb, a major study into wind power has revealed!
The report found that homeowners may be being misled by inaccurate official estimates about how strong winds in their area are, and that they may be up to 33% slower than forecast, meaning they generate less energy than had been previously imagined.
At worst, a wind turbine may take up to 15 years to generate enough "clean energy" to compensate for its manufacture, according to the study, which is based on the output of 24 sites around the country over 64 thousand hours and supported by both the Government and the industry body, the British Wind Energy Association.
The results of the study might come as a disappoint to the likes of Conservative Party leader David Cameron and his ilk, after the Tory Number One sparked a trend amongst the concerned chattering classes for "micro-wind" last year when he had a three grand green energy generator fitted to the side of his Notting Hill home. Much to his embarrassment the turbine later had to be removed, allegedly because the builders who installed it had done so wrongly.
Encraft, an environmental consultancy running the project, said wind power results were worst in urban and suburban areas, sheltered as they are from the more powerful winds than in high-rise and costal areas, where wind speeds are much greater and therefore more productive.
The report found that homeowners may be being misled by inaccurate official estimates about how strong winds in their area are, and that they may be up to 33% slower than forecast, meaning they generate less energy than had been previously imagined.
At worst, a wind turbine may take up to 15 years to generate enough "clean energy" to compensate for its manufacture, according to the study, which is based on the output of 24 sites around the country over 64 thousand hours and supported by both the Government and the industry body, the British Wind Energy Association.
The results of the study might come as a disappoint to the likes of Conservative Party leader David Cameron and his ilk, after the Tory Number One sparked a trend amongst the concerned chattering classes for "micro-wind" last year when he had a three grand green energy generator fitted to the side of his Notting Hill home. Much to his embarrassment the turbine later had to be removed, allegedly because the builders who installed it had done so wrongly.
Encraft, an environmental consultancy running the project, said wind power results were worst in urban and suburban areas, sheltered as they are from the more powerful winds than in high-rise and costal areas, where wind speeds are much greater and therefore more productive.
No comments:
Post a Comment