| Wind energy is a tried and tested technology | | | | would trying to go for a bigger turbine to |
| that has been used for centuries. More | | | | generate a larger proportion of your |
| recently it has become a popular way to | | | | electricity. |
| generate electricity, as concern has grown | | | | |
| about man-made Climate Change. Electricity | | | | The only case when you should consider a wind |
| generated from the wind does not produce any | | | | turbine is when you can site it far enough |
| carbon dioxide, and has none of the worries | | | | from any obstacles like buildings, and in a |
| associated with nuclear power. As a result, | | | | relatively windy site. Some people who live |
| many have come to see it as a major part of | | | | in the country are able to set up turbines |
| the solution for man-made Climate Change. If | | | | that generate a significant proportion of |
| we could generate a substantial portion of | | | | their own electricity. |
| our electricity from wind, we would massively | | | | |
| reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that we | | | | However, the vast majority of people live in |
| emit into the atmosphere. Furthermore, the | | | | cities, where small wind turbines are next to |
| cost of generating electricity from large | | | | useless. So what should you do instead? The |
| wind turbines is falling, and is expected | | | | first thing you should focus on is using |
| soon to be cost competitive with electricity | | | | energy much more efficiently, by insulating |
| generation from fossil fuels. | | | | your home to save heat, installing a |
| | | | super-efficient condensing boiler, buying |
| As a result of this, wind farms have sprung | | | | energy-efficient appliances like fridges and |
| up all over the place, with enormous turbines | | | | washing machines, and installing low energy |
| that each generate enough electricity to | | | | light bulbs. |
| power thousands of homes. Some people have | | | | |
| also tried to replicate this technology on a | | | | Once you have taken these basic measures, you |
| small scale, by installing a small wind | | | | can start to think about generating your own |
| turbine on their house. Most famously in the | | | | energy using other 'clean' technologies. The |
| UK, David Cameron, the leader of the | | | | most cost effective of these is generally |
| Conservative Party, had a small wind turbine | | | | solar hot water, where solar panels on your |
| installed on the roof of his London home. | | | | roof provide up to 70% of your annual hot |
| | | | water needs by using the sun's heat. You can |
| However, for most households, especially in | | | | also consider using a ground source heat pump |
| cities, wind turbines are an expensive way to | | | | to heat your home, and solar PV panels on |
| achieve very little. In fact they are almost | | | | your roof to generate electricity, but these |
| useless. It has been calculated that a 1.75 | | | | measures can be expensive, and so will not be |
| metre diameter wind turbine, in an area with | | | | for everyone. More details of all these |
| UK average wind speed of 4 metres a second, | | | | technologies are available on |
| will produce under 5% of an average UK | | | | downwithco2.co.uk. |
| household's annual electricity consumption. | | | | |
| And this assumes that the turbine is working | | | | Unfortunately small wind turbines in their |
| efficiently. | | | | current design are not the way forward for |
| | | | the vast majority of us. It is possible that |
| However in cities, the buildings cause a | | | | in the future someone will come up with a |
| great deal of wind turbulence, and slow down | | | | better design that can work in cities, but |
| wind speeds. Therefore to make a turbine work | | | | until then we will have to carry on building |
| efficiently it would need to be fixed far | | | | the larger versions, and take other actions |
| above a house (up to 10 metres). Fixing a | | | | to reduce our home's contribution to Climate |
| windmill on a long pole like this would | | | | Change. |
| likely cause serious damage to your house, as | | | | |