Fed up of all this wind

Well living in south yorks with the foot of the pennines not far to the west of me I'm fed up of all this wind!

I built a small anemometer style wind indicator for the garden (three hemispheres on radial arms off a central bearing) and it's going like the clappers.

SWMBO keeps on looking at it and saying "why dont you put a generator on it? We could run the outside lights" etc.

Good idea, but I've no clue as to how to develop her plan.

I remember every chalet on humberston fitties camp site having an old telegraph pole with a truck dynamo on top rigged with a crude wooden propeller. A shed full of 12v batteries completed the ensemble and certainly powered lights etc.

Can it be that simple? Or are there better ways these days?

Would t'council have something to say if I stuck a pole in my garden?

Just musing while I wait for the shed roof to blow off.

Blustery of Barnsley

Are you aware of Scoraigwind? Planning restrictions prevent most people from having turbines and home sized ones are unlikely to recoup the cost of the planning application.

I too live in a very windy place and logically should be able to benefit from a turbine but my enthusiasm was curbed by the above problems. Perhaps after the oil runs out and electricity hits £5 per KWh it will become viable.

Bazyle, just had a look, it seems a great resource.

I will have a look into it and see if its viable. As regards planning permission.... I always think it's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask for permission 😉

A common and cheep way of getting a wind mill to charge batteries on board boats especially is to fit a 'Dynohub' bicycle hub generator (common on Raleigh bikes) with blades. The only tricky bit is the bridge rectifier to change the output to D.C.

Guy

Been checking out http://www.gridwatch.templar.co.uk/ every day this week, and several days, wind was the largest UK generating source. Nuclear comes in a poor third, and coal virtually unused.

There are regulations concerning wind generators at domestic premises and as long as you meet certain provisions you don’t need planning permission, there are height requirements depending on whether freestanding or attached to the house. We have just had solar panels installed before Xmas and I would like to supplement them with a wind generator, we do live in a coastal area so no shortage of wind, especially this last week, was clay pigeon shooting last Sunday and the wind certainly made it very challenging.

Dave W

Gridwatch Templar only includes those sites that supply real time generation. There is considerably more wind generation which either does not update its generation so regularly or simply does not show on the grid demand as it is 'behind the meter' (generated power is used by the owner of the turbine(s)). The total wind generation estimate is shown on some other sites (but I, too, keep an eye on the gridwatch site).

There have been several 'home' turbines supplied over the years. Most were simply 'chocolate teapots' in that they never ever recouped the cost (even our ex-prime minister had one fitted (in a wave of publicity, of course) but it was quietly removed some time later).

There are small turbines made specifically for boats and for charging electric fencer batteries, but the turbulence around most dwellings spoils the output. There may be issues with third party insurance - especially if towers and rotating aerofoils are concerned). Have a look at the Navitron.org.uk site for advice or information.

Rennie Deflatine?

Mike