How Wind Turbines Can Offset Your Energy Usage

In the quest for sustainable energy solutions, wind turbines stand out as a powerful tool for businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint and offset electricity costs. By converting kinetic energy from the wind into electrical power, wind turbines can provide a reliable renewable energy source in many different conditions.

This blog post takes a deep dive into the world of wind turbines, exploring their types, benefits and how they can be integrated into your business’ energy strategy.

Why should businesses install a wind turbine?

1. Long-Term Savings: Harnessing wind energy allows businesses to significantly reduce operating costs. A well-designed turbine system provides consistent energy generation, directly offsetting consumption. With payback periods in the single digits and lifespans exceeding 20 years, businesses can achieve substantial savings over the system’s lifetime.
2. Energy Independence: Wind turbines provide a level of energy autonomy, reducing reliance on the grid and protecting businesses from fluctuating energy prices.
3. Environmental Impact: On-site wind energy provides a clean, local power source, reducing reliance on grid electricity. Scope 2 emissions will be directly reduced, whilst on-site renewable generation may present an option to undergo electrification helping to also reduce scope 1, accelerating a business towards their Net Zero targets.
4. Community and Stakeholder Engagement: Investing in renewable energy can improve relationships with stakeholders, including customers, employees, and the local community, by demonstrating a clear commitment to sustainability.
5. Solar Synergies: When combined with solar technologies, the seasonal and daily generation profiles complement each other, providing round the year energy bill reductions.

Types of wind turbine

When considering wind energy as a sustainable power source, a choice between Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) and Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTs) should be made. Each turbine type offers distinct advantages and limitations based on site conditions, energy needs, and financial considerations.

In recent years, VAWTs have seen increased interest and manufacturing capacity, leading to more flexible options in terms of power output, ranging from a few kilowatts to over 100 kW, and a variety of designs tailored to different environments, including built up areas. On the other hand, HAWTs, with their large-scale and higher elevation, are well-suited for larger sites with significant energy use.

Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT)

Advantages of VAWTs

+ Flexibility: The availability of VAWTs is becoming vast, with a large range of generation capacity and mounting techniques they are adaptable to many business’ needs. This flexibility means they can often be installed in urban areas or locations with limited space, including rooftops, existing lampposts, or small ground areas.

+ Omnidirectional Wind Capture: VAWTs are designed to capture wind from any direction, allowing for consistent energy generation in locations with variable wind patterns, which can be especially useful in dense urban areas.

+ Lower Installation and Maintenance Costs: With their main mechanical components at the base, VAWTs offer easier access for maintenance which, in turn, reduces both downtime and repair expenses.

+ Reduced Development Timelines: VAWTs in the UK can be installed on reduced timelines when compared to their horizontal axis counterparts. Simpler pre-construction requirements and reduced planning requirements enabled some VAWT projects to proceed on shorter development timelines.

Drawbacks of VAWTs

– Lower Efficiency: The efficiency of VAWTs is lower than much larger traditional turbines, this is because size is key to efficiency when it comes to harnessing wind power.

– Limited Height: Since they are often installed closer towards the ground, VAWTs may not be able to capture higher-altitude winds, which are often stronger and more consistent.

Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWT)

Advantages of HAWTs

+ High Efficiency and Power Generation: HAWTs are primarily used for large-scale utility projects, both onshore and offshore, where they capture significant wind resources at higher altitudes. This leads to greater power generation and efficiency, making them ideal for businesses with substantial energy needs.

+ Widely Utilised Technology: The wind industry is no longer a disruptor but the major player within the UK’s energy mix, with wind energy providing more generation capacity than any other technology grouping. This maturity means that the supply chain, installation network and maintenance crews are highly skilled and experienced. HAWTs make up much of the wind energy market, so investors can have confidence in the technology they are installing.

+ Significant Offsetting Opportunity: With the correct turbine choice and system design, large energy users can significantly reduce their monthly energy costs. For businesses with a large and consistent base load, installation of a correctly sized wind turbine will significantly offset their grid imported electricity usage.

Drawbacks of HAWTs

– Higher Installation and Maintenance Costs: Due to their size and complexity, HAWTs require substantial investment in both installation and upkeep.

– Planning Complexities: Despite changes to regulations in England, receiving approval for a large HAWT is still a challenging, lengthy and costly process. However, with the correct design and early mitigation strategies, these challenges can be overcome.

Choosing the right wind turbine for your business

Designing a wind turbine system depends on site conditions, budget, energy needs, and local grid or planning constraints. Energy consumption profiles are key: wind turbines typically offset a company’s base load, while solar handles daily peaks. The graph, below, compares the generation profiles of a 250kW wind turbine and a 250kWp solar PV array against a commercial property using 720 MWh/year.

Any renewable energy project requires expert guidance from the start, and that’s where Ennovus Solutions can help. Our in-house tools assess your site, providing clear insights into the benefits and costs of the most suitable wind turbine system for your business.

Through a staged approach, we ensure transparency, minimise project risks and manage costs effectively. Once consent is granted and designs are finalised, we handle the installation, commissioning and ongoing O&M, to keep your system performing at its optimum best.

Businesses looking to invest in wind turbines can get in touch with Ennovus Solutions, who can offer a bespoke design, quotation and turnkey implementation service.