Q Do you need planning permission for a wind turbine
A Wind Turbines with a mast height of 10 metres and a rotor diameter of 6 meters (less than 10kw) will be exempt from planning permission requirements subject to the following conditions:
–The rotor diameter should be 6 metres or less
–There should be a 3 metre minimum clearance between the lower tip of the rotor and the ground
–The minimum distance of a wind turbine from its nearest neighbouring boundary would equal the total height of the turbine plus 1 metre
–Noise levels at the nearest neighbouring inhabited dwelling should be < 43dB(A), or < 5d(B) above background noise
–Only one turbine is permitted within the curtilage of a house
–The turbine must be situated behind the front wall of the house
–All turbine components shall have a matt, non-reflective finish and the blade shall be made of material that does not deflect telecommunication signals. No advertising or logos may be placed or appear on turbines.
In the main, the conditions attached to the exemption for micro wind turbines are designed to ensure their safe installation and use. Issues such as visual amenity, noise, vibration, possible structural damage, safety and poor installation mitigate against the inclusion of building mounted turbines as exempted development. Nevertheless, it will still be possible to apply for planning permission for such turbines in the normal way.
Q Where is the best location for a domestic wind turbine
A On a hill with no trees or buildings in the vicinity as the more turbulent the wind the less efficient the turbine,
Q Would you recommend using an inverter
A If you use an inverter you need a battery bank to act as energy storage buffer. The inverter between wire losses and losses in circuitry will be roughly 90% efficient. Personally I’d prefer to send the energy direct to a heating element that can be placed in your hot cylinder. This way the hot cylinder acts like a battery storing energy with less losses.
Q Can I use the wind turbine/Solar energy to send electricity to the grid when I over produce electricity on a windy day.
A Our wind turbines are only for domestic use and not suitable for grid tie solutions.
Q Why is the inverter labelled as 3Kw when it only produces 1.5Kw
A The peak surge power is 3Kw but the continuous power is 1.5Kw rated. This is enough to run most domestic appliances. Be careful not to use it on high inductive loads.