[ExI] Home turbines can't light a candle

[Stefano Vaj]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/01/07/microwind_chocolate_teapot/

Home turbines can't light a candle
A puny wind
By Andrew Orlowski

Domestic "microwind" turbines, recently championed as "power from the
people" by opposition leader David Cameron, are about as useful as a
chocolate teapot.

A study of domestic turbines was published by renewable energy
consultants Encraft in December. According to the study, only one of
the 15 household wind turbines generated enough to power a 75W light
bulb. The average daily output was 393.3 Watt hours: an average of
17W.
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In all, only three of the turbines generated over 400 Watt hours of
electricity, with one generating 1,790 Watt hours.

Four of the turbines didn't even make it into three figures. By way of
comparison, a washing machine consumes 4kW (4,000W), and a
fridge-freezer 1.9kW. [PDF,1MB]

The average turbine also operates at only 1.84 per cent of capacity.

The carbon-obsessed BBC has suggested that a domestic turbine may
contribute about "a fifth" of a household's electricity needs - but
the reality is this is only true if the household's only electricity
need is one fifth of a single crack-den-dim light bulb.

The numbers suggests that the turbines would take, at best, 15 years
to pay for themselves.

So what's gone wrong?

Encraft stresses it's early days, which is true - the first 13 sites
only went live last January, with 13 more following in October.

However, it appears that the measured windspeed for many sites fell
below the predicted figure. Turbulence in built-up areas makes for
poor windflow. Or as SK Watson, of the Centre for Renewable Energy
System Technology at Loughborough University, observes:

"Those areas with higher capacity factor are where urban areas tend not to be!"

Worse, the measured energy output from the domestic turbines was far
below the "theoretical" energy predicted.

Er, quite.

The trial has suffered other problems. One turbine was stolen, another
damaged, and a further one was beseiged by pro-bat protestors. Several
needed their inverters replacing.

"We have had some reality checks," Encraft admits.

However, Encraft MD Matthew Rhodes, quoted in The Guardian found one
"benefit" from the white elephants. Apparently, seven out of ten
people who see a turbine say it reminds them to save energy.

The logic is, apparently, that when one sees one of these monuments to
self-righteousness, one dashes back to turn the lights off.

But surely there must be cheaper ways of inducing feelings of guilt
and low self-worth in the general population - such as availing
oneself of the latest Radiohead album, perhaps? (R)