Bye bye Windsave

Encraft, the independent engineering firm specialising in microgeneration, recently published the results of their 30-month Warwick Wind Trials project into building-mounted urban wind turbines. The report, containing case studies of 26 varied sites, says that location is the dominant factor affecting turbine performance: high-rise buildings and clear windy sites, especially near the coast, are best. Generally urban areas are not very suitable for small-scale domestic electricity generation.

The report found that, mainly due to location, the micro-turbines did not live up to the claims made by the manufacturers. In some cases they even used more electricity than they produced, although on average they generated enough electricity to light an energy-efficient house.

In the light of these findings, B&Q, who introduced the Windsave turbine in 2006, have now withdrawn it from sale.

You can find out more, including your locality’s wind and solar resource, from Encraft’s website www.encraft.co.uk