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Wind turbines for Horsham?
Vice President's letter to West Sussex County Times
13.10.06
Dear Sir
'Free' electricity
may not be worth the cost
One of the Horsham
Society's functions is to try to make Horsham a better
place for us all. The society is as keen as
anyone to embrace 'green' technology and alternative
sources of power need to be looked at. Two of
these have implications for the visual environment and
I have been asked by the society's executive committee
to sound a note of caution.
Power generated
locally has a superficial attraction, particularly if
it is 'free'. Electric solar panels and mini
wind turbines can be fitted to houses and produce
electricity to top up what is bought from the grid.
There are, however, some major problems. The
Horsham Society's committee at first thought that the
only drawback would be the unsightliness of the
installations but further study reveals that these
devices are also unlikely to be cost effective.
Photovoltaic solar
panels (the sort that generate electricity) are very
expensive and relatively inefficient. The amount
of electricity you can get out of them is small
relative to the installation costs. So while
they might be good for an isolated road sign or
parking meter they are not much help in reducing the
cost or environmental impact of buying power from the
grid. As most of our power requirements are
after dark they also need an efficient battery to
store the electricity for when it is needed, at
further cost.
Solar panels are
usually mounted on a roof or special framework.
For maximum efficiency (albeit still very low) they
need to be oriented to the sunny side of the house and
this may result in considerable visual impact in the
locality. Is it worth it?
The same question
can be asked of the small wind turbines now being
promoted by DIY chains and some electricity companies.
They have additional problems. Not only is there
an even greater visual intrusion but, in order to
catch the wind to any great extent, they need to be
mounted well above the roof line on a substantial
pole. It is important that the fixings are very
strong and at least one of the suppliers of these
devices warns that garages and gable ends are unlikely
to be strong enough.
It has to be
remembered that the electricity might be free but the
installation cost will be considerable, corresponding
to many years' electricity bills. The wind
turbine will almost certainly be worn out and need
replacing before it has paid for itself. As well
as visual impact there may also be noise implications
for the owner and the neighbours.
The suppliers of
these wind turbines and electric solar panels claim
that they can be 'just plugged in' but the Instution
of Electrical Engineers says that this can lead to
dangerous situations. Clearly a live plug with
exposed pins is unacceptable but, in addition, the
fuses or circuit breakers in your installation might
not work properly if the power is fed in at a remote
point instead of at the main switchboard (consumer
unit).
The message,
therefore, is: 'Please think very carefully before
installing electric solar panels or a mini wind
turbine on your house'. You are unlikely to get
your money's worth and you may well be spoiling the
local environment instead of enhancing it.
Horsham District
Council is starting to get planning applications for
mini wind turbines. The Horsham Society
advocates that the planners (officials and
councillors) consider their policy very carefully
before giving blanket approval for these devices.
There may be considerable environmental impact for
little or no benefit.
N C Friswell
BSc CEng FIEE
Vice President, The HorshamSociety
Article:
Wind Turbines - are they economically viable in
Horsham?»
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