We neither supply, nor recommend building mounted micro turbines.  Here in the Orkney Islands in the north of Scotland, we see some of the most extreme winds in the whole of Europe!  So far in 2007, we have had 2 instances where we have recorded windspeeds of 44 m/s - That's around 99 mph in old money!  Because of these high windspeeds, Orkney has been used as a testing ground for wind turbines since the 1950's, and any turbines that are built here need to be tough!  Our exacting standards leave no room for turbines that aren't robust, reliable or efficient - They would simply blow away, or break up into pieces on the first breezy day!  And any that do survive the wind have to endure an almost constant salt air environment.  

Most of the micro turbines intended for building mounting have been found by others to produce very little energy compared to their manufacturers claims, and have a poor track record of reliability.  In addition, many are built down to such a low price, using low grade materials, that they are extremely unlikely to last more than a few years, and certainly not long enough to recover their installation cost.  One manufacturer who sent us details of their turbine even advises to take it down in windy weather!  

In addition to the quality of the turbines, mounting one on a building means it is susceptible to turbulence from the building itself, the last thing a turbine needs.  That's assuming you live in an exposed location and have a good wind resource.  In a city, or even a village, the density of buildings means that the wind speed is likely to be very low, and the turbine will be very inefficient.

We would urge you very strongly to fully investigate these kinds of turbines further, before making any commitment, and to check the manufacturers claims very carefully.  We would also recommend that you cross check the manufacturers claimed power outputs against a known installation.  If you live in an exposed, coastal or very windy location, check out the build quality of the turbines, and assess their survivability.  Ask the manufacturer for a selection of "Reference Sites" where an independent owner can give his view on the experience of owning one of these turbines.  We will happily provide reference site contact details for the turbines we supply, with independent owners who will only be too happy to confirm the level of production their turbines produce, as well as reliability.

For further information on building mounted micro turbines, we recommend you take a look at Hugh Piggott's Web Page and check out the various links there in relation to roof mounting wind turbines, and some of these micro turbines in general.

Sorry, we do not supply or install turbines like these!

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This page was last updated on 15/11/2007