boomer

There was a letter in yesterday's Daily Mail from a Peter Benning in Powys (sorry, i can't find a web link).

He installed a windmill in his garden a couple of years ago, and was bragging about what a great thing it was.

However, methinks that it shows a sinister green scam that is all part of the carbon credits/offsetting merry-go-round

Ignoring the claim that he has produced '40 megawatts of "free" electricity' (er, that would be 40 megajoules or 40 megawatt-seconds) he explains that he uses around 40% of the generated power and "sells" the rest to the grid.

He says that he gets paid 10p per unit generated (from his electricity company), plus another 4p per unit from the government - so that is 14p per unit pure profit. A quick look at tariffs and "standard electrickery" costs around 18p per unit for the first 900KW/h and then 11p per unit from that point onwards.

But then it gets worse!

From April 2010, the government will pay him 26.6p per unit generated, so he will be earning over THREE TIMES THE LIST PRICE for the electricity that he "sells" back to the grid.

Obviously all in the name of "being green"

So the government are spunking away our tax revenue to fund a green industry that wouldn't exist without these artificial funding fiddles

And it gets even more worserer!

If you install a windmill (or photocells etc.) you qualify for ROCs (Renewable Obligation Certificates). These are worth money on the "carbons" market, 'cos power companies and industry can use them to offset their soot (or something like that). A single ROC is a megawatthour, so for every one of those you generate with your windmill you get a ROC. But ROCs are rounded up, so if you only generate, say, 500KWh it counts as a meg!

But power companies love them, so you get the ridiculous situation that if you have a windmill that is NOT connected to the grid, and it is only you that use the power from that windmill, a power company will PAY YOU for every unit that you use (typically 5p per unit) - so long as you give them your ROC!!!!

That is better than free electricity - you get paid more as you use more!

Me, i am thinking of installing a dummy windmill, running a cable to next door, and uploading their 11p per unit electricity to the grid to get 36.6p per unit back (splitting the difference with my neighbour)

Maybe i have got this all wrong - does anyone work in the Sell your own energy/ROC business who can clarify things?

mb

boomer

Heck, it appears that Good Energy HomeGen will pay you FIFTEEN PENCE per unit for generated power - that is waaaaaay more than it costs the typical consumer on a standard tariff!!!

Correct me if i am wrong, but that means that if you install a 6KW windmill you can make nearly EIGHT GRAND (6KWh*24*365*0.15p) per year plus get free electricity as well???

No wonder Al Gore is so dedicated

mb

scud8

iTrader: (1)

You could make a lot more than that if you can work out a way to get a 6KWh windmill to generate 6KWh 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! Most average well below 10% of their rated capacity.

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

Where can you buy these windmills?

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

I can feel a group buy coming on

what would scooby do

OK so if it earns more than the base electricity cost, why not hook one up to an electric motor that runs off the mains to power it?

sarasquares

iTrader: (1)

All right Richard Branson?

Dedrater

Genius.

james04

to make the money and to produce the kind of power this guy does the windmill will need to be as big as the one on the side on the m4 in reading greenpark.

SJ_Skyline

Windmills charge!

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Think I'll line my roof with photocells, then use electricty generated to run heaters to stop the snow melting on them.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

I think getting planning permission for a windmill might be tricky. It certainly is around here...........unless you are a rich landowner.

subaruturbo_18

Have fun with that my friends. You need a constant average wind speed of about 5-6 M/S for the year for the windmill to have any real point, and unless you live in the country on a hill top, or on the sea front you are very unlikely to get that in england.

They do cost a fair bit to buy and install aswell so cash to start with will be needed.

The more efficient windmills have absolutely no drag as they float on magnets but again, these need to have a similar average wind speed and they will need to be placed high up and are very ugly.

I'd rather deal drugs

Power Junkie

iTrader: (1)

Im looking into installing a 6kw turbine on my barn conversion, i have been looking into the numbers for a while now and think it is worth putting £25k into up front in the build so its in and making money. in Scotland we are getting double ROC's so looks like a 5-7 year payback with our 7ms average wind speed.

boomer

You will probably also qualify for a grant to install the thing in the first place - which shows how desperate the government (even in Scotland) are to meet the legally enforceable limits that they imposed on us (without asking)!!!!

mb

Power Junkie

iTrader: (1)

Yeah the grant would be about £4k, we got that for the air source heat pump too, it is the max per eco technology.