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The Power Predictor: “It’s easy to install & maintenance free”
 Ayrshire in West Scotland is renowned for its high wind speeds and wet weather. With many surrounding big wind farms, the area is no novice when it comes to experience of renewable energy. The Evans', a family of five living on the coast of Ayrshire, were eager to use the Power Predictor and discover the most suitable location for installing a wind turbine.
The software which accompanies the Power Predictor allows the user to collect data from three different sites and compare energy production, yearly cost savings and carbon reduction from each location. Malcolm Evans was thrilled he could test multiple locations at his home before having to decide where to install a wind turbine.
For convenience, Malcolm initially mounted his Power Predictor on a post near his vegetable garden about 20 metres from his house. After collecting and uploading his data, he was surprised to find that the average wind speed was only 3.55 m/s, which is really too low for a wind turbine to be viable.
As the picture shows, the area he chose is actually pretty sheltered by the house, vegetation and even the surrounding hills. This illustrates the huge effect that nearby structures have on wind speeds – even in a windy area like West Scotland. Undeterred, Malcolm is convinced that wind power is the most suitable for his smallholding, and has now mounted the Power Predictor on the top of a hill well away from his house which he hopes will have a much higher wind speed.
The Evans’ are a self-sufficient family, growing their own vegetables and using the livestock at the holding for eggs and milk. Malcolm commented, “In the course of saving energy and keeping costs down, it has raised our awareness of the environment and how renewable energy, as well as energy efficiency measures can be valuable for such a lifestyle.” The information the Power Predictor collects allowed Malcolm to compare many different turbines currently available and therefore choose a turbine will help the family cover their personal energy needs.
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