Wind Turbine

Site Survey Report: Example

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Prepared by: Steve Forss

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An introduction.....

The purpose of our site surveys?

In order to maintain our high standards and obligations to getting the best turbine in the best

place for our customers it is important to conduct and asses the following criteria:

1. Do you have a sufficient wind resource.

2. Which location on your property is the most suitable? A visual assessment needs to be

undertaken for the best possible site.

3. What are the likely planning obstacles and how best to overcome them.

4. What are the pros and cons of the turbines on the market? Which one should be

recommended as the best machine for your needs?

5. Sufficient information needs to be taken to ensure that we make an accurate estimate

of installation costs. This will include any electrical upgrades on and off site.

6. And all the relevant information required for permitting phase of planning application,

grid application, MOD and CAA approval needs to be collected.

How we do this.... On site, the ground is walked to select the best site using the following criteria:

1. Walk the ground to select the best site ensuring your turbine will benefit from good

clean airflow and take into account distance from trees, buildings and complex terrain

which can create turbulence

2. To ensure that you and your neighbours amenity will not be affected by noises or

shadow flicker from the turbine.

3. We will identify key visual viewpoints from the site, looking at the client’s property

and also from neighbouring properties and viewpoints.

4. To identify grid connection points and recommended upgrades where required

5. To ensure that access to the site for installation and maintenance is sufficient at all

times.

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Wind Resource at your site

Statement from MIS3003 – Issue 1.6 – dated 28/01/2010 “The performance of wind turbine systems is impossible to predict with any certainty due to the

variability in the wind from location to location and from year to year, This estimate (NOABL –

Numerical Objective Analysis of Boundary Layer – database

www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/explained ) is based upon the best available

information but is given as guidance only and should not be considered as a guarantee. For a greater

level of certainty, it is recommended that on-site wind speed monitoring is undertaken ideally for at

least a year.”

Measuring the wind Average wind speed data is sometimes available from

existing sources, such as wind maps or the

meteorological office, although wind regimes are

much localised, so data may be misleading.

Anemometers are often set at a standard height of

10m: this height is too low for wind turbines.

Furthermore, they are often positioned in places

unsuitable for wind turbines - airport wind-speed

monitoring -, providing poor information on wind

speeds.

When assessing accurately the wind speed of a site it

is useful to have some record of wind speed in the

location, ideally for the last twelve months. There is a

range of measurement equipment that can be used.

Some instruments are used with data loggers that

record wind speeds over long periods of time. The

most commonly used measuring device is the cup

anemometer. However this can be a long and

frustrating process as data taken from anemometers

for a year is not fool proof as it can only tell you the

data from that year which may not be the same as

the preceding or future years.

It is also possible to gain a rough idea from existing

national wind speed databases. For this report we

have looked at three different sources to get an idea

of what your likely annual average wind speed at the

chosen site are likely to be. We recommend that this

information is used only as a guide as this data can be

up to 30% inaccurate due to areas of complex terrain

and local obstacles that can cause turbulence.

Wind data taken from NOABL indicates that

you have an average annual wind speed of

4.9m/s

25m West Centre East

North

Middle

South

Wind data taken from DECC indicates that

you have an average annual wind speed of

4.8m/s

25m West Centre East

North

Middle

South

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Wind data taken from a computer

program called 3tier , which has proven

to be the most accurate out of these

three sources, indicates that you have an

average annual wind speed of 6.4m/s at

20m but shows that there could be an

annual variation in wind resource by up

to ± 0.9 m/s

Below you can see a wind rose identifying your prevailing wind direction and also your

monthly average wind speeds.

Other clues about wind speed can be obtained by analysing available data (if it exists), by

talking to local residents and asking about past experiences, and even by looking at the trees

themselves to see by how much they lean:

Due to variation in the wind resource from month to month and year to year we can only

base our knowledge on long term trends in the local wind resource that are identifiable. In

order to understand the local wind resource, we recommend you purchase data from the

met office which we can help you obtain for a reduced cost of £1,500.00. This will give

immediately give you accurate, usable data for the last 20 years and a projection for the

future.

Figure 1: The strength of the wind can be estimated by the shape of the trees in the area. Illustration: practical Action/Neil Noble

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Which location on your

property is the most

suitable?

Choosing the site A turbine should be located wherever the highest constant wind speed can be captured, and

with as little turbulence as possible. An increase, in the average wind speed, as little as 25%

can nearly double the power output of the turbine. There are considerable differences in

component life for different locations. Gusts can put a large strain on blades.

Acceleration of wind over ridges can be exploited in order to generate more power from the

turbine, although the shape of the ridge is, of course, important. A smooth ridge will not

produce turbulence, whereas a sharp change in terrain, a bluff or a cliff will do.

It is preferable to locate the turbine at a point where the wind is perpendicular (ie. at right

angles) to the side of the ridge (as in Figure 2). A turbine positioned on a ridge at which wind

blows at a different angle – such as diagonally or long-ways - will be less effective.

Figure 2: The wind turbine should be sited away from obstructions such as trees and buildings.

Figure 3: Wind speeds are strongest on the tops of ridges.

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Site location

After considering the options we came to the conclusion that the below site best met your

needs.

Access

Access to the farm is

good and you have

had articulated lorries

in to the farm yard. As

discussed, a wide

entrance way will

need to be made into

the field with a road

way which will lead to

the base of the

turbine

Ordnance Survey map pin-pointing location

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Photographs

Turbine site

Photos above are taken from the proposed site. In a clockwise direction North, north east,

East, South east, South, South west, West, North west. When you go into full planning a photo

montage will be created as well as photos from key visual receptors.

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Planning Permission

You are within (tbc) County Council and your Parish is (tbc).

There are no neighbours within at least 250m of the proposed turbine site.

Measurements are approximate.

Biodiversity Guidance from Natural England suggests that wind turbines should be 55m from woodland

and hedge rows when bats or protected birds are present. Therefore it is always

recommended to try and site the turbine accordingly to limit bat or bird surveys.

Figure 4: This drawing shows distances from turbine base to edge of hedge feature for differs turbine heights

whilst maintaining a 50m safe distance for bats turbine illustrated is Endurance E-3120 with various heights.

Your site is not within an AONB and it is my opinion that an Environmental Impact Assessment

will not be required.

We have tried to minimise any issues that you may have with the planning process through

the specific positioning of the turbine.

(tbc) will be dealing with your planning application and will update you on any issues that may

arise and advise on how best to go about dealing with them

I do not foresee any other obvious major planning issues associated with the proposed site.

Detailed Ordnance Survey Map showing distances to closest

buildings in all directions.

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Shadow Flicker There is no risk of shadow flicker as there are no properties within 250m. There are no obvious

neighbours whose amenity would be affected by the noise, flicker or visual impact of the

turbine in the proposed site.

Under certain combinations of geographical position and time of day, the sun may pass behind the rotor of a wind turbine and cast a shadow over neighbouring properties. When the blades rotate, the shadow flicks on and off; the effect is known as ‘shadow flicker’. It only occurs inside buildings where the flicker appears through a narrow window opening. The seasonal duration of this effect can be calculated from the geometry of the machine and the latitude of the potential site. For sites where existing or proposed developments may be subject to this problem, applicants for planning permission for wind turbine installations should provide calculations to quantify the effect.

We will calculate this and submit it as part of your planning application. The only property that

could be affected by shadow flicker is your own.

Ministry Of Defence & Civil Aviation Authority RADAR

Wind turbines have been shown to have detrimental

effects on the performance of MOD ATC and Range

Control radars. These effects include the desensitisation

of radar in the vicinity of the turbines, and the creation

of “false” aircraft returns which air traffic controllers

must treat as real. The MOD will be consulted during the permitting phase to make sure that

they will have no objections to our chosen location and to demonstrate that the top tips of the

blades cannot be seen by the RADAR.

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Grid Connection

Your district network operator (DNO) is

Grid Connection Type: At the moment you have a split phase connection but you will

need a 3phase connection with at least a 100kva transformer to

connect the turbine to the grid. As discussed you were hoping to

have a quote for this at the end of the week.

Your DNO has the right to charge you to reinforce or upgrade your

lines should that be required for the installation of a turbine in

order to prevent overvoltage situations which would cause the

turbine to cut out. We recommend that the DNO is asked to

monitor the grid voltages in order to identify if there is any risk of

overvoltage which will cause the turbine to cut out.

Some parts of your electrics may need upgrading

however we can issue your electrician with details if

needs be. At some stage we will need your electrician

to validate the site voltages (phase to neutral/phase to

phase).A large number of initial turbine problems are

down to the grid and a quick check by your electrician

can save a lot of time and money.

Installation Considerations:

A geotechnical study will be required You described you ground as soil and shale. You also advised that there are no underground

services that will need to be considered.

Trenching The exact trenching route was not determined however the power will be taken back to the

farm to be used onsite.

Health and Safety

Copies of Aeolus Powers Health and Safety Policy, Risk Assessments and Method Statements

can be provided on request.

Aeolus cannot accept liability for damage to undisclosed underground services. If there are

any underground services, ensure full maps are provided by the client to Aeolus.

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The best machine for your

needs.....

Endurance 50kW Turbine The Endurance 50kw turbine is one of the most productive in its class. It has the following features:

19.2m rotor with low start up speed of 3.5 m/s.

Majority off the shelf components providing long term spares supply.

It has extremely quiet operation and is inaudible at 200m.

Induction generator and smooth blade design give constant low speed rotation (43rpm) with passive yaw control and gyroscopic pitch control system (secondary safety) which helps the turbine head move to find the best wind source.

Controls & SCADA: PC (SCADA Stands for supervisory control and data acquisition, a computer in the turbine monitoring and controlling power production)based with touch screen interface and remote monitoring

The Endurance 50kW has the best returns on

investment in the market place based on

performance in medium wind speeds. Please

see payback grid at back of this report

Tower Aeolus Power recommends that the bottom of

a turbines blade should ideally 7m above

everything within 200m. This is to ensure

smooth laminar air flow which will maximise

output and minimise fatigue and associated

maintenance costs from turbulent winds. The

Endurance E-1320 is 25m to hub with an

overall height to tip of 34m. In your case

however to make the most of the wind

resource we will screen for the 36.4m tower

which will make the overall height of the

turbine 45m.

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Energy yield estimates

Electricity Usage You advised us that you have an onsite usage of around (tbc) which should be offset with the

production from the turbine.

Yield Estimate Whilst the wind data for your site implies that you have an average annual wind speed at 20m

of around 6.4m/s ±0.9 by installing the E-3120 on the taller mast option I am confident that

you will capture cleaner wind, which could increase your average annual wind speed by as

much as 0.5m/s.

To be conservative in your calculations I would recommend basing your calculations on the

following...

Worst case 5.5m/s producing 142,200kwh per year

Realistic case 6m/s producing 168,900kwh per year.

Best case 6.5m/s producing 194,300kwh per year.

These are the published figures however as you can see in the enclosed white paper we are in

fact getting up to 20% more production out of the U.K. model.

Yield Estimate

Your personal estimated payback chart follows:

(tbc)

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In conclusion

We found the best situated site for the turbine on your property and I introduced you to (tbc)

a Planning Specialist. We now recommend that you pursue the planning as soon as possible.

You were already in contact with your DNO about 3phase to the property and keep in contact

with any developments in this respect.

The next 5 steps to owning a

turbine...

1. Following the survey we will introduce you to our recommended planning consultants

who will start the planning process on your behalf.

2. Whilst waiting for a planning response we will help organise your grid connection with

your DNO.

3. As soon as planning is obtained we recommend you place your deposit of 25% in order

to secure the turbines place on the manufacturing line and to fix the price of the

turbine as we will forward purchase currency.

4. Once the deposit has been paid and we have a time schedule for the arrival of the

turbine we can then complete the ground works allowing time for concrete to set.

5. Your turbine will be delivered, installed, tested and commissioned over the period of

around a week.

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