Online wind estimator tool blows away confusion over small-scale turbines  

05 March 2009
Carbon Trust calls for businesses and consumers to ‘try before you buy’ a turbine 

The Carbon Trust is today launching a new online tool to help businesses and consumers considering installing a wind turbine to work out how much power it could generate alongside the cost and carbon savings.  The tool will help ensure that small-scale turbines are installed in locations where they will deliver the most carbon and cost savings.

By inputting a postcode, details about the surrounding landscape and the type of turbine1, users can now calculate the annual mean wind speed as well as the likely energy generation and carbon savings.  The “Wind Yield Estimation Tool” is freely available on the Carbon Trust website and can be accessed here: www.carbontrust.co.uk/wind-estimator.

The new Carbon Trust Wind Yield Estimation tool is the most rigorous of its kind. Other currently available tools do not incorporate land use information2, which is vital to accurately model wind behaviour, particularly for urban areas. The tool has also been created using 30 years of data from the Met Office’s 220 weather stations. The launch follows a Carbon Trust report3 published last year which found that turbines in some rural locations can provide cheaper electricity than the grid, but in many urban situations, roof-mounted turbines may not pay back the turbine’s own carbon footprint from the energy used to manufacture it.

Dr Mark Williamson, Director of Innovations at the Carbon Trust, explains:
“In the right location small-scale wind turbines can provide both cost and carbon savings, but anyone considering installing a turbine should use the new Carbon Trust wind estimator to check before proceeding with actual onsite wind monitoring. There has been some confusion around the true performance of small wind turbines but this online tool should help to clear that up.”

Cathy Durston, Head of Met Office Consulting said:
“By using our historical climate data, people will be able to asses the potential to place a small wind turbine at their location. Applying scientific expertise from the Met Office has provided the Carbon Trust with a new way of serving businesses and the public with specific wind data for their property.”

Alex Murley, Small-Systems Manager, BWEA commented, “The new Carbon Trust wind yield estimation tool will provide significant support to thousands of UK businesses and households seeking to understand whether small wind systems will work for them. If sited correctly, small wind systems can generate considerable amounts of clean, green energy helping to reduce electricity
bills and carbon emissions. This initiative further illustrates that the UK is at the forefront of small wind technological research and development, and will support UK’s world leading small wind systems manufacturing base.”

Pete Allen, Chief Executive Officer at Iskra, a small wind turbine manufacturer, commented, “The new wind energy yield assessment tool will be very valuable for us and prospective customers as it provides an independent and accurate assessment of average wind strengths.  This will reduce time spent on site visits and so speed up feasibility studies saving Iskra and the customer time and money.”

Stephen Crosher, Project Design Director, quietrevolution added, “Quietrevolution was pleased to be able to supply the Carbon Trust with wind speed data from our own installed turbine fleet to aid with the validation of the accuracy of new UK wind yield estimation tool. It is encouraging that the Carbon Trust's wind tool appears to closely match some of our own recent on-site evaluation work and we anticipate having access to an on-line tool that is significantly more accurate than the existing NOABL database.”

Paula Owen, Energy Doctor at the Energy Saving Trust, recommends: “Before anyone installs renewable technology they should make sure that they have done the more straightforward measures like insulation first. If you have any doubt about what you should look out for when thinking about installing renewable technology, like wind turbines, you can call the Energy Saving Trust for free independent advice. We have a network of advice centres across the UK so wherever you live we’ll be able to help you.”

If the wind estimator tool suggests a site has good energy generation and carbon saving potential, the Carbon Trust recommends carrying out on-site wind speed monitoring for up to a year. By using the tool to get an initial performance estimate, anyone investing in monitoring can be more confident that the results will be positive.

To optimise generating capacity, turbines need to be positioned above the height of nearby trees and buildings and as high as practicably possible.  The wind estimator allows users to check the impact on the likely energy generation of installing a turbine at different heights.

 
 

Editor’s Notes

The tool’s accuracy was also assessed using data collected from 60 sites participating in the Energy Saving Trust’s micro-wind field trial. Results from the field trial, which is collecting a year’s worth of performance and wind speed & direction data from roof and pole mounted micro-wind installations in the UK, will be published by the Energy Saving Trust in a final report by the end of May 2009. The Energy Saving Trust also is investigating the use of the ‘Wind Yield Estimation Tool’ on its website to provide advice to the UK’s domestic consumers. For more information visit http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/.

Spokespeople from the Carbon Trust and wind turbine case studies are available. Please contact the Carbon Trust Press Office on 020 7544 3100 or carbontrust@fishburn-hedges.co.uk.

The Carbon Trust
• The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up in 2001 by Government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies.
• We cut carbon emissions now by providing business and the public sector with expert advice, finance and certification to help them reduce their carbon footprint and to stimulate demand for low carbon products and services. Through our work, we’ve already helped save over 17 million tonnes of carbon, delivering costs savings of over £1billion.
• We cut future carbon emissions by developing new low carbon technologies. We do this through project funding and management, investment and collaboration and by identifying market barriers and practical ways to overcome them. Our work on commercialising new technologies will save over 20 million tonnes of carbon a year by 2050.

 
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