Technology

How much do wind turbines cost?

As a very rough guide the total investment for a wind turbine averages €2million per installed megawatt. A 5 MW farm could cost about €10 million. This figure will vary according to technical choices made and the particular features of the site.

There are dozens of manufacturers providing wind turbines which vary in size, power output, materials used, technologies employed and costs. Overall costs will be determined by scale, operation and maintenance contracts and levels of warranty. Quotes should be obtained from a number of manufactures.   

 

What is the breakdown of project costs?

Typically the distribution of projects costs will be;

 

Are wind turbines noisy?

Measured noise levels of approximately 50dB(A) are expected at the base of a modern turbine, equivalent to noise levels in a busy office. You can hold a conversation at the base of a wind turbine without having to raise your voice.

In order to minimise noise related impacts to local residents, it is recommended that wind turbine noise does not exceed 5 dB(A) above the background noise at the nearest noise sensitive location. 

 

Can the output from a wind turbine be predicted?  

In order to predict the output of a wind turbine hours or even days in advance so as to optimise the use of other means of electricity production, one has to be able to make very precise predictions on wind speed at the exact location of each wind farm. Wind forecasting systems are operating successfully in Denmark and Germany with accurate 4-hour wind forecasts using the latest modern computer systems. There are several research programs working on this here in Ireland following from these successful wind prediction models in operation in Europe