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Sustainable energy sources are most often regarded as including all renewable sources, such as solar power, wind power, wave power, geothermal power, tidal power and others.
WIND ENERGY
The UK has the largest potential wind energy resource in Europe. Wind energy applications in the UK range from small household turbines charging batteries to produce useful electricity in remote locations, to large wind farms producing electricity competitive with conventional power stations.
Renewable energy from the wind is considered a green technology because it has only minor impacts on the environment, producing no air pollutants or greenhouse gases.
Since the UK has a wind resource equivalent to several times the entire country's electricity needs there is enormous potential for development over and above the 10% target. It is also widely accepted that wind power plant in the UK generates electricity at some of the lowest prices in Europe.
In undulating countryside such as is found in the British Isles, winds in upland regions are enhanced, relative to ground level, by the altitude and by acceleration due to hill shape. In the UK, for example, onshore winds range up to around 9.5 m/s at hub height, whereas offshore winds at, say, 5 km from the shore are in the range 8-9 m/s.
Wind turbines are only as good as the site, they are not suitable for mounting on the roof of a building.
If you have an average wind speed of 5m/s ( 12 MPH ) a 12ft diameter 1.8 kW wind turbine will generate approximately half the electricity requirement of a 3 bed home.
The installed cost of a 1.8 kW turbine including the tower is around £10000
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2008 Sustainable Energy Consultants