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Wind Power:
 The
new generation of domestic scale wind turbines is bringing closer
the possibility for many homes to become energy generators.
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- Because of vibration and noise
issues, it is unlikely that you will be able to mount a wind
turbine on your roof, but rather on a mast away from buildings,
and where the best wind is.
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- Remember that Planning Permission
can be an issue in erecting a system -key issues include proximity
to neighbours; nearby military installations and protected areas
such as National Parks -ask your local authority before you go
ahead.
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- Grants are available through
the Low Carbon
Buildings Programme which is managed by the Energy
Saving Trust. The scheme gives a possible £1,000 per
kW installed up to a maximum of £5,000, but of course there
are conditions.
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- If you are able to generate
surplus energy, then you can sell this back into the grid. For
a list of companies that buy at more advantageous rates, see
the Segen
website. You will need a an inverter to regularise the supply,
and a bi-directional meter for this.
William's
Windmill
 An
interesting and inspiring story from Malawi about William Kamkwamba,
a young man who dropped out of school at 14 because he couldn't
afford the fees -he found a book on how to generate electricity
using windmills, and through trial and error, using wood and
an old bicycle, built a home-made windmill to provide electricity
for his village.
He found the book in a school library, donated as part of the
Malawi Teacher Training Activity (MTTA), a USAID teacher development
project. When Dr. Mchazime of MTTA heard of the windmill and
its origins in the library donated by MTTA, he went to visit
William. He brought with him journalists, and the article that
appeared in the Daily Times was picked up by bloggers -the story
spread rapidly and William was invited to speak at TEDGlobal,
in Arusha, Tanzania, one of the world's largest technology conferences.
His life has not been the same since. The TED conference in 2007
was also attended by the likes of Bono, Bill Clinton, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala,
Larry Page. Since then, William has learned to use a computer
and started his own blog -read his fascinating story at http://williamkamkwamba.typepad.com.
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- Resources:
- Ampair -renewable energy for sailing yachts
-wind and solar electric.
- Baywind
Energy Co-operative
-the first UK co-operative to own wind turbines, having raised
£2 million through share offers, they own six wind turbines
in Cumbria and are actively seeking opportunities for renewable
energy schemes.
- British
Wind Energy Association
-the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables
industries -BWEA aims to promote the use of wind power in and
around the UK, providing information and acting as a lobbying
group to promote wind energy and marine renewables to government.
- Cellspace -manufacturer of 'Architectural Wind'
-a modular roof mounted wind turbine systems, designed to look
good -especially suitable for urban/suburban environments.
- Danish
Wind Industry Association
-non-profit association whose purpose is to promote wind energy
at home and abroad.
- Ecotricity -electricity company dedicated to
investing in clean forms of power like wind energy.
- Embrace
Wind -stand up and
show your support for wind energy.
- Hugh
Piggott -designer and
builder of small wind turbines in Scoraig.
- Iskra produce innovative wind turbines from
their factory in Nottinghamshire, England.
- Marlec -developers of the Rutland Windcharger
a simple and efficient wind driven battery charging generator.
- Micropower -privately funded trade association
representing the microgeneration sector.
- nPower Renewables
-one of the UK's leading renewable energy companies, dedicated
to generating electricity using sustainable, environmentally-friendly
resources, with a wide ranging portfolio that includes both onshore
and offshore wind farms, hydro plant and co-firing biomass.
- Proven
Energy -family owned
business based in Stewarton in SW Scotland which manufactures
and installs wind turbines and solar photovoltaic panels.
- Quiet Revolution
-uniquely beautiful domestic scale wind turbine that is destined
to change our approach to renewable energy.
- Renewable Devices
-developers of the Swift Rooftop Wind Energy System, the worlds
first silent, building-mountable wind turbine.
- Renewable
Energy Systems Group
-RES is one of the largest and most successful wind energy companies
in the world, with an expanding portfolio of several gigawatts
of projects at various stages of development on four continents
and have developed and built wind farms in the UK and abroad.
- Segen -independant power producer and installers
of small wind turbines, with sizes from 2kW 20kW. In addittion,
they do micro hydropower through their dedicated website at www.hydrogeneration.co.uk.
Also have some useful downloadable data sheets and case studies.
- Windsave -developers of a Commercial and Domestic
small wind turbine generator system using low wind speeds to
create electricity. The system can be roof or wall mounted and
feeds electricity directly into the property on the consumer
side of the meter, reducing the consumption and cost of electricity
from the Grid.
- WindWorks -an on-line archive of articles by
Paul Gipe on wind energy.
- YES2WIND -produced by Friends of the Earth,
Greenpeace and WWF, with the aim of providing information and
resources for the public to support wind farm proposals locally.
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