Welcome to the widening and wonderful world of Wind Power! From help with installation, grants and funding, right back to the What Where and Why’s of just getting started, EcoSwitch.com has compiled a quick and concise starter-pack of solar resources to help blow away the cobwebs from those dusty-old-opinions about renewable power and provide some fresh-air on the subject that will leave you feeling ‘clean’ and entirely refreshed.

Energy from the Wind: How it Works

Wind and the energy inherent in the power of a wind blowing has been recognised by civilisation since we first set sail on the seas of discovery. Just think about it, some of our most primitive and useful inventions throughout history have been based on a design harnessing the drive of a sure wind turning a turbine or filling a sail. Windmills, ships, even on a domestic level we’ve been shocked by how the wind can shut a door with a slam. This force is the root of wind energy. But what man has discovered is that we are able to harness this power-source, and by using a turbine, a generator and a storage unit, we are able to focus this kinetic force into storable, reusable electricity.

The UK itself has been blessed with an abundance of wind and is an excellent wind resource, both on and offshore. In theory, if we were able to capture and store the annual wind delivery here in the UK, it would be possible to generate 1000TWh of electricity each year from wind power alone. Remarkable!

The way wind comes into existence on the earth is surprisingly quite simple: The sun heats the planet’s atmosphere all year round, as the earth spins. But as it heats the earth it heats it unevenly, rendering some patches much hotter than others and other patches much colder than the hot ones. And due to the rules of convection, these hotter patches will, by nature, rise, creating a gulf via momentum, which is in turn filled by cooler air that is thus heated, and the process cyclically repeated. This forceful cycle, as well as being the cause of wind patterns, is the basis of Wind Power.

Harnessing energy from the wind, as briefly outlined above, becomes a matter of converting this power into storable energy. This can be done on a number of scales, but, essentially, the same turbine / generator / battery model will be used. As wind rushes through the wind turbine, it is caught by and turns the face propeller blade, rotating a geared generator, sending this kinetic energy down the neck of the tower towards a converter unit and into batteries to be stored and supplied as fits. There are two basic scales in terms of wind power:

• Domestic; this we can understand in terms of microgenerational technology. Very common in the UK due to its blustery climate and the easy application of microgenerational wind turbines. The turbines can be installed on whatever scale you choose, depending on your demand for energy production. They can be hidden away in small farms on you home’s roof, in the back garden, or if you’re proud of your windy nature, smack bang in the front lawn. The units come in various sizes, applications and capacities; so it’s best to do some research in order to produce the best results for efficient generation. The small turbines will be linked to a small generator unit which will supply your home with a direct contribution of ‘clean’ green energy. A lot like a microcosm for how national wind farms work.
• National; our country is a happy advocate of inland and offshore wind farming. Predominantly most common in the northern areas of the UK, where the wind seems to blow at a steady consistency, Great Britain has been harvesting wind power for many years now. The energy we gather from this renewable source is pooled into our national grid, and should, by 2020, be a major contributor for the 1/3 of renewable energy Britain must be producing in order to reach EU requisites.

Does Wind Energy Apply to Me?

More than you know. As well as supporting the development of inland and offshore wind farms, it is important to know where you stand in the renewable field of wind power. The domestic units have been designed for residential use in order to ensure that they are cost effective, easy to install, and above all, domestically economic. Besides knocking a third off your gas and electricity bill, turning your house into a more sustainable home, and being eligible for grant funding to help offset those initial payouts, wind turbines are Britain’s primary focus for generating a more environmentally friendly, sustainable country. So much so, in fact, that major national electricity suppliers are investing in wind farming as a way of offering cheaper ‘clean’ energy to compete with government standards and your traditional supplier (click on the ecotricity link below to find out more).

Grants, Funding and Installation

Whether you’re a homeowner, a small business owner, or a professional looking to install a wind turbine unit for domestic or commercial use, there are a number of grants you may be eligible for; which could see as much as £2, 500 go towards your installation. Contact your local council or even approach one of the local plumbers for further information – you’ll surely be surprised how much support there is available today.