Wind Farm Prospects

Profitability of a wind farm depends on the wind speed in that location, cost and performance of a wind turbine installation, and energy prices.

Large turbines selling power to the grid in recent times have found to be financially viable where the average wind speed is more than about 7 m/s and are compeditive against coal and gas. They are likely to become attractive to more businesses in future, as technology continues to improve and the deregulated energy market develops throughout the UK and Ireland.

Small turbines and wind pumps may be viable with average wind speeds as low as 5 m/s, if the only alternative is a more expensive power source such as a diesel generator, but this is only suited to very remote locations.

De-regulation of the electricity supply industry in the UK has changed the situation, and allowed more traders in energy to enter the marketplace and compete against traditional methods of electricity generation.

A wind turbine owner now has the prospect of supplying power to consumers anywhere in the country, as well as to his or her own business. Needless to say this is subject to a number of constraints such as licence and metering requirements and charges for use of the grid system - cables, poles, pylons, transformers, etc. - but there are also exemptions which can help to make this attractive.
The average power requirement on most farms is quite small in comparison to the output of a large wind turbine, but may be similar to the output of a smaller machine. The attractiveness of wind farm generation in locations that previously were deemed to expensive because of the terrain or the low average wind speeds is increasing due to the increase in fossil fuel costs. Wind power is the future, a future that is fast approaching.