Where are wind turbines best suited?

Wind turbines are best suited to elevated and open sites in rural and coastal areas. It is for this reason that one finds many domestic and industrial wind turbine installations in Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall. Assessing your local wind speed is the first step to take when making a decision on purchasing wind turbines.

Where should wind turbines be located?

Wind power plant owners carefully plan where to position wind turbines and consider how fast and how often the wind blows at the site. Good places for wind turbines are where the annual average wind speed is at least 9 miles per hour (mph)—or 4.0 meters per second (m/s)—for small wind turbines and 13 mph (5.8 m/s) for utility-scale turbines.

What is a suitable wind power class?

A wind power class of 3 or above (equivalent to a wind power density of 150–200 watts per square meter, or a mean wind of 5.1–5.6 meters per second [11.4–12.5 miles per hour]) is suitable for utility-scale wind power generation, although some suitable sites may also be found in areas of classes 1 and 2.

How to choose a wind plant site?

Table 1. Restrictive factors for wind plant site selection. Wind farms must be at least 500 m from the main road network. The proximity of these farms to the roads affects road transport due to the loud noise of the turbines and the shading generated by the blades. Maintain a minimum distance of 1000 m–3000 m between wind farms and urban areas.

How do you select a location for a wind energy project?

This process of selecting a location for a wind energy project, known as “siting,” includes reviewing wind maps and data, securing permits and following ordinances, and ensuring best practices for the size and proposed location of a project.

Are Wind Turbines suitable for urban and suburban sites in the UK?

Urban and suburban sites in the UK are therefore highly unlikely to be suitable for the generation of energy with wind turbines, and are better suited to other renewable energy technologies, such as solar photovoltaic, solar thermal and ground source heat pumps. Wind turbines are best suited to elevated and open sites in rural and coastal areas.