Wind Energy Associations & Organisations.

Irish organisations:

UK organisations:

RenewableUK
is the trade and professional body for the UK wind and marine renewables industries (formerly BWEA)
RSPB
Microgeneration
Urban Wind
Carbon Trust

Danish organisations:

Danish Energy Agency
www.windpower.org
this is probably the most informative site available on all aspects of small wind, technical and otherwise
Irish Wind Energy Association
Meitheil Na Gaoithe

Wind Speed Calculators & Atlases:

Irish Incentives:

ESB networks incentives and payment information

UK Incentives:

Irish Competitors:

Essential reading:

Terminology & sound advice:

Before making any decisions about using the wind to generate electricity for your home or business we recommend you familiarise yourself with some terminology and sound advice from leading world experts and wind gurus.
'Apples & Oranges' by Mick Sagrillo is a good place to start.

How 'furling' works:

The very best technical resource site for non engineers:

Danish Wind Industry Association: Includes calculators, turbine designs, siting tips, etc. The Danes know a thing or two about wind turbines!

Sizing a wind system:

A simplified wind-electric system design process looks like this:

Determine your energy need (kilowatt-hours; kWh) per day, week, or year) and try to reduce it via energy efficiency and conservation
Decide on your tower height using the 10 meter rule and estimated mature tree height – remember, a turbine on a taller tower will always generate more electricity than one on a shorter tower
Estimate your resource – the average wind speed at proposed machine height, use a wind atlas (see the links page for SEAI wind atlas)
Determine rotor diameter, based on predicted kWh at your site's average wind speed
Compare all of the products in the rotor diameter range you have selected
Consider a larger turbine if your needs will grow, or a small turbine if you will be downsizing your consumption
Choose a specific wind generator
If an off-grid system, choose balance-of-system (BOS) components – inverter, batteries, etc. Grid-tied systems without battery backup are usually package systems: turbine, controller, and inverter are matched and specified by the manufacturer
It's just plain foolish to select your wind generator before you've done the basic groundwork of determining your energy load, tower height, and wind resource – you'd need to be very lucky to guess right. You might end up buying a wind generator that's too small, resulting in a disappointing investment
Wind isn't incremental like PV – you cannot add generating capacity to an existing system; you're stuck with what you installed. Upgrading to a larger wind generator will mean buying a stouter tower along with pouring a new foundation. It may also mean larger BOS components
On the other hand, buying a wind generator that's too large isn't the worst problem to have, since it will result in more energy than you really need, which you'll likely find a use for. But you run the risk of spending more money than you need to, so get the data first and make wise design choices up front
To make your decision based on cost alone is downright unwise. A cheap wind turbine that is half the price of the quality option – but only lasts two or so years – is the most expensive electricity you can buy.

A worthy site with good common sense, written by the Irish pioneer who first installed a grid tied turbine in Ireland

Irish PV & Wind: the simple facts from experience & knowledge

"We must go through a natural revolution if we are to survive on earth.

We need to change people's perceptions.

If there's no environment, there's no human race. We are in a state of global denial."