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There are three ways of generating renewable electricity on a small scale: using solar, wind and water power. At present, likely to be installed by the more pioneering householder - keen to promote the development of renewable energy - or by people living off the national grid.
Electricity-generating solar photovoltaic (or PV) panels operate well in both rural and urban areas and have no moving parts, so maintenance is minimal. An 880w roof will cover about 4 square metres and is likely to cost around £5,000 to install.
The most efficient types of PV panel will come with a 25-year guarantee on output.
Small wind turbines get a lot of attention, but it is very important to ensure that you have a good site. If the turbine is mounted close to a roof, trees, or other obstacles it can be badly affected by turbulence and may produce less electricity.. | Renewable Wind and Solar Generating Kits |
To take an example, a reasonably sized wind turbine rated at about 1 kilowatt will have a rotor diameter of about 2 metres and will probably need to be mounted on a tower of 8 metres or more. The total installed cost will probably be between £1,500 to £3,000, and the turbine should yield about 2,000 units of electricity per year.
Over 10 years, the cost of this electricity would be perhaps 10 to 15 pence per unit, and over 10 years between 5 and 10 pence per unit. So as long as the turbine has a small amount of annual maintenance to keep it running smoothly it should be a cost effective option over a decade or so.
If you have a fast-flowing stream tumbling down a hillside, then a micro-hydro turbine could be worthwhile. This is especially true in an off-grid house, as on a good site you may well not need batteries - you can just turn the turbine on when needed. The capital cost of these systems is quite high so small grid-connected systems are rarer, but as each site is different it may be worth looking into.
And if domestic renewables are beyond the stretch of your wallet, there’s no need to despair. There are an increasing number of ways to invest smaller amounts of money in large-scale renewable energy projects, such as wind farms. These will have a bigger environmental benefit per pound spent, and the investment will also repay itself over the longer term.
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