Experience of Wind Turbines?

[JG]

Do any of you have, or are you considering installing, a wind turbine? I'd love to hear your experiences.
I've heard that this is more a lifestyle choice than an economic one, as they take years to pay back their initial cost, but we live in an exposed spot and I'm sure that, if we could harness what's whizzing past us almost every day, we'd feel the benefit, even if we could just use the captured electricity to heat the room over the garage that we use as a study - I resent having the central heating on throoghout the house just to keep one room warm when I or my husband are sitting at the computer, feeling the cold through inactivity.

[sandybay]

I'll ask my neighbour for info, she's very into alternative stuff.
Costs seem high though, I saw an article in the paper -someone spent £7,500 and got very little energy back. He said it would take about 35 years at that rate to make back the cost. Apparently in Germany people use very big ones to provide power for the local communities and to sell back to the grid. Higher installation costs but shared and they can provide mega wattage.

Also here in Britain you will require planning permission which can cost about £350 in some places.

[dragonfly]

I would love a wind turbine if they are not to large so as not to annoy the neighbours. I think it is a good idea to have it to back up the electricity as ours went off a few times last winter. I would be interested to see how efficient they are.

[Healing Hands]

I too would like a wind turbine, anything to save cost, but as you say it does take a while to re-coup the money but must be well worth it on the long run.

When I was in Spain last October, we saw some wind turbines in the hills, and I think they look ok and there is something quite memorising about them.