It is estimated that small scale wind generation — together with other forms of microgeneration — could provide 30-40% of all the UK’s electricity needs by 2050*. And, with price trends for crude oil continuing upwards, it is currently projected that the cost of small scale wind will be competitive with fossil fuels by as early as 2010. Small scale renewable energy technologies, such as small wind turbines generate clean and renewable energy with no harmful emissions, and can thus help to reduce a significant proportion of the UK,s carbon dioxide emissions. There is an increasing amount of interest and support for these technologies potential from politicians, industry and the public alike. Although the UK has excellent wind resources, the location of any wind turbine is still crucial to the output that can be expected from it. Ideally, a wind turbine would have no obstructions between it and the prevailing wind direction (usually south westerly). Obviously, in an urban environment some wind turbulence is inevitable unless the turbine is sited well above any surrounding buildings. Historically people have been put off utilizing wind turbines in urban environments because turbulence from surrounding buildings will affect a wind turbine’s ability to generate power. This is the primary reason for opting for a vertical axis wind turbine, the design of which does not require wind from a consistent direction to continue producing power. In comparison a horizontal axis wind …
