Wind Turbine Manufacturers
Enviko offers a complete range of different sized turbines from different wind turbine manufacturers across the world. We offer wind turbines to supply from 1kW up to 250kW and can also manage larger projects with turbines up to 2MW. For details on what turbines we can offer please click here.
Enviko provides the full assistance required for our customers to ensure that the development of your wind project succeeds at every step of the way, from advice on suitable turbines through planning to installation and subsequent electricity generated. Enviko delivers the ongoing expertise required from the outset to maximise the economic savings of your wind turbine installation and ensure that your project is successfully integrated with your home or business. Installing a wind turbine at your home or business is a rewarding achievement that can bring benefits to the users both financially and environmentally for many years to come. There are a wide variety of wind turbines in the marketplace; each having different electrical characteristics, quality and cost. Choosing the right equipment to meet your requirements can be confusing.
Installing a wind turbine at your home or business to many is a rewarding achievement that can bring benefits to the users both financially and environmentally for many years to come. There are many wind turbines and related products on the market and picking the right equipment for your requirement can be a daunting process. Enviko provides the full assistance required to make sure that your project is fully assessed from day one to provide the optimum outcome at the finish. We provide the expertise, installation and ongoing services required to ensure that your project is successfully integrated to your home or business.
Various factors that need to be taken into account when purchasing a wind turbine from enviko.
Enviko will help you through every stage of the process including:
- Site suitability assessment
- Technology requirement and choice of turbine
- All planning applications
- Gant funding applications
- Grid application for surplus energy
- Overseeing Installation
- All inclusive quotation
We are fully aware that every site is unique and so too are our customers and that?s why we offer packages to meet your individual requirements.
For more information on what wind turbines we supply please click here.
Types of Wind Turbines
Modern wind turbines fall into two basic groups: the horizontal-axis variety, as shown in the photo, and the vertical-axis design.
Horizontal-axis wind turbines typically either have two or three blades. These three-bladed wind turbines are operated "upwind," with the blades facing into the wind.
Modern quiet wind turbines are becoming viable in low density areas, where ease of maintenance and immediate connection to the grid or directly for use of the electricity in a building, may make them cost effective, despite lower wind speeds than in open areas. Wind turbines are generally less suited to dense urban areas as their output will be affected by potentially lower and more disrupted wind speeds, and the use of larger more cost effective machines may be prohibited by their proximity to some building types. However as shown by the image above, small turbines can be used in inner city areas. Small turbines can also be mounted on buildings. There are currently few practical installations of roof mounted wind turbines in the UK but it is anticipated that this will be a growing market and a number of companies are marketing small roof mounted turbines.
Building-integrated Wind Turbines
Potential public resistance has restricted the use of large-scale wind turbines (above 50kW) although studies show that in general the local perceptions of wind farms/turbines improve once it has been erected. Less resistance has been noted for small-scale systems where the key consideration is likely to be noise, rather than visual. However, all sites should be assessed in the first instance for their suitability, as with early community involvement, a wind turbine could provide a landmark showing the commitment of a development and a particular community to sustainable development.
Community consultation and buy-in would be essential for the success of larger turbines. Small-scale turbines are likely to have less of an impact. There are many examples of community groups funding their own wind turbines in the UK.
Sizes of Wind Turbines
Utility-scale turbines range in size from 100 kilowatts to as large as several megawatts. Larger turbines are grouped together into wind farms, which provide bulk power to the electrical grid.
Single small turbines, below 100 kilowatts, are used for homes, telecommunications dishes, or water pumping. Small turbines are sometimes used in connection with diesel generators, batteries, and photovoltaic systems. These systems are called hybrid wind systems and are typically used in remote, off-grid locations, where a connection to the utility grid is not available.
Off-grid Wind Power System
A basic wind power system will consist of:
- Wind turbine on top of a tower (1) that is wired down to a control box (2) that regulates the charging of a large deep cycle battery bank (3).
- An inverter (4) which draws electricity from the battery bank and converts to normal household electricity (AC) and feeds the appliances in the home with power as needed.
- Various safety devices like fuses, breakers and lightning arrestors (not shown in diagram).
Enviko offers Off Grid set up which can be combined with a battery pack and optional solar PV panels or a diesel generator may supplement the set up to enable sufficient power to be produced when there isn?t any mains supply.
Grid Connected Wind Power
A grid-tie wind power system can have almost exactly the same components as the off-grid system except that inverter is a special inverter which connects directly into the public utility grid. Increasingly, there are also systems which don't use a battery bank at all - the electricity flows directly from the wind turbine into the special 'grid-tie' inverter and then into the grid. These battery free grid-tie systems have the added advantages that they tend to be less expensive (no batteries to pay for) and more efficient (because the electricity doesn't have to pass through the battery bank first). On the downside, if there's a blackout then your wind turbine system will also shutdown and not be able to provide power to your home or business.
Simplified Diagram of a Grid-tie Wind Turbine System with Battery Backup for Home: 1) wind turbine on tower 2) wind turbine controller 3) battery bank 4) grid-tie inverter 5) utility meter to track how much energy is fed into the electric grid (6.).
Simplified Diagram of a Grid-tie Wind Turbine System (no battery backup): 1) wind turbine on tower 2) wind turbine controller 3) grid-tie inverter 4) utility meter to track how much energy is fed into the electric grid (5.).
Which turbine?
Once we have established that installing a turbine is a viable option, the next step is to calculate the correct size wind turbine for your needs. You can easily work this out by consulting your current annual electricity bill and comparing your usage with the power production figures of each wind turbine. We can provide a cross range of power performances of a wide range of turbines that are available. For example a 6Kw turbine at a wind speed of 5 m/s, will produce approximately 11,000 units / kW/h per year. An average home will consume roughly 4000-5000 units (kW/h) per year. In this situation the turbine would be producing more than double the energy the household requires.
Grid connect or battery system?
From our experience it is far more cost effective if you are currently connected to the grid to stay grid connected. Think of the grid as a large storage bank for your energy, you are able to feed any surplus energy back into the grid, then draw from it when you need it. Unfortunately on a grid connected system you will still be disconnected when a power cut occurs.
If you prefer to be completely energy self sufficient we can install a battery stand alone system. This consists of a large battery bank as well as the turbine. Please consider that a battery system would increase the cost of the project. Batteries will also need to be replaced every 8 - 12 years, dependant upon usage.
Please note: If you are off-grid at present a battery system may be the perfect option as the price for grid connection can be as much as several tens of thousands of pounds.
If you have any enquiries or wish to discuss a specific product, project or receive helpful advice please do not hesitate to contact us.
