Urban wind generator or waste of time/effort?

[Bancroft]

I noticed this wind turbine the other day (outlined against the solar panels) on the edge of a new development.

 

Surprised for two reasons:

 

First, will it actually achieve anything meaningful?  It's quite low and surrounded by houses and some high trees to the south west (where prevailing winds come from).

 

How/why has the local planning department agreed to it?  It doesn't seem to fit the criteria required for personal wind turbines, even permitted development rights.

[JohnMo]

9 minutes ago, Bancroft said:

First, will it actually achieve anything meaningful

No, not high enough to mitigate wind disturbance 

 

10 minutes ago, Bancroft said:

How/why has the local planning department agreed to it?  It doesn't seem to fit the criteria required for personal wind turbines, even permitted development rights.

Would they have applied?

[saveasteading]

It appears to be on a pole along with a small solar panel.

It likely powers a street light which illuminates the adjacent footpath.

[SteamyTea]

1 hour ago, saveasteading said:

likely powers a street light which illuminates the adjacent footpath

I would sell them to the council.

Could save them £1000s on each sale. 

Probably where the myths that renewables are expensive, and don't work, comes from.

[saveasteading]

@SteamyTea I'm not grasping your meaning.

 

I noticed in Spain that all new street lights appear to be solar. At first it seemed to be on commercial estate but now on dual carriageways.

The weather helps of course.

Must be much cheaper to install than mains, with no trench or cable.

[SteamyTea]

4 minutes ago, saveasteading said:

I'm not grasping your meaning.

Local Authorities have no idea what things should cost, so selling them a £300 wind turbine made for a boat, a fifty quid PV panel, a small battery system for say £500 and a person to put it all together, should probably be about £1000.

Councils will probably pay 5 to 6 times that amount.

Then, where there is a meeting to fit renewables to council buildings, someone in accounts, will drag out the £5000/kW number and say 'it is too expensive'.

[saveasteading]

12 hours ago, SteamyTea said:

Local Authorities have no idea what things should cost,

It will have been an external consultant, or the developer's designer   but the same will apply.

[Conor]

It's likely powering a device that doesn't have a mains connection - e.g. logger/telemetry system on a utility, LED sign etc etc. Often these units are cheaper than getting a connection to the mains. Also, if there are road opening embargoes, like you would in a new development, there might not be the option to make a connection.

[sgt_woulds]

It's a street lamp.  You can see the lamp above the solar panel (maybe it is self powering at night 🙂)

 

 

[saveasteading]

1 hour ago, sgt_woulds said:

maybe it is self powering at night

Great idea, the lamp charges the solar panel.

[SteamyTea]

1 hour ago, saveasteading said:

Great idea, the lamp charges the solar panel.

Only if the light emits between 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz.

 

[Bancroft]

On 01/06/2026 at 16:46, saveasteading said:

It appears to be on a pole along with a small solar panel.

It likely powers a street light which illuminates the adjacent footpath.

 

Interesting, I wonder if the people putting these up have to comply with the same building regs requirements as a home owner would?

 

Or will it be different because it's the Council so normal rules don't apply...

[sgt_woulds]

What building regs requirements would apply to a lampost on a public throughfare?

 

 

[sgt_woulds]

I remember a billion years ago there was a requirement for 5m distance from ground to blade tip (and from any windows) for building mounted units. 

 

Not sure about free standing rules.  This will only be 3-400 watt max turbine. Noise will be zero unless you stand right under it.