Go Greener Tips

Currently fewer than 25/100 of 1 % of the power made in the UK is from wind powered turbines or natural flow, according to UK statistics; the large majority of the power is to be considered made by natural gas and petroleum. We talked to David Hislop, a retired physicist, but now full time tutor, and he said: today the equivalent of about one million residences are fuelled by wind fueled turbines; the tutor went on to say that this stops approximately 3.6 million tonnes of CO2 to be created annually and also results in vast reductions of SO2 and NOx. All of this is done by just 1576 turbines. We asked another scientist, also now a full time academic tutor at a leading university, and he said it is clear from these results that, from an environmental point of view, wind fueled turbines are a viable option as a source of power and an option that could not only be explored further but also implemented immediately. The catch comes however in the cost of the turbines and the noise and sight pollution.

The idea of wind turbines to be considered too noisy is unfounded. A great wind turbine that powers energy for a village worth of residences is as noisy at 250m as having a refrigerator in your house; far less annoying than a car driving past on a nearby road and nobody complains when somebody considers owning a new vehicle. The volume of noise created by the latest wind turbines, that make use of a magnetic system rather than a classic gearbox, is insignificant.

The consideration of a turbine being unsightly is purely a matter of taste and should not be considered when a coal fueled station is so much more unsightly. However this factor does have to be considered where an area of outstanding natural beauty is concerned.

It has also been claimed by some that there is not required amounts of wind in Britain to power the state. However there is required amounts of wind in Britain to power the nation’s power needs three times over.

From these concludes it appears that the main reason for rejecting wind fueled turbines must be cost and possibly also the amount of money that has already been ploughed into other sources of renewable fuel such as nuclear power. The cost of a wind turbine for a personal residence is as follows: Initial setup £12,000 – £14,000. Service £300-£500 a year. Annual saving £300-£700.

It can be seen from these figures that the servicing costs may outweigh the annual saving on your fuel bill. This is obviously a major problem and means that the only reason for purchasing a turbine for personal means today would be if you felt very strongly about the environment. If one were to have sufficient turbines the cost of servicing would be reduced per turbine and it is possible to see how this may be profitable. From a commercial point of view however the turbines would be profitable as there is greater tax relief from the government and as considered above the service costs would be reduced as it is likely that more than one turbine would be required.