Choosing Windpower

Hugh Piggott has lived off-grid in Scotland since the 1970s. After graduating at Cambridge University (graduate MA) he went to live on the island Scoraig in North West Scotland where he built his own house and kept a smallholding with his wife and two children. He also taught himself to make small wind turbines. Today the whole population of Scoraig (about 100 people) get electricity from Hughs' turbines. For the past ten years Hugh has been teaching workshop courses to small groups of people all over the world. In 1999 and 2000 Hugh was chosen as the renewable energy consultant to the BBC's Castaway 2000 program. He designed and installed a wind and hydro system which kept the castaways supplied with electricity throughout the year. Hugh has written a number of short books about building small wind turbines, culminating in 'Windpower Workshop' (Centre for Alternative Technology Publications 1997) and 'Choosing Windpower' (Centre for Alternative Technology Publications 2006).

Introduction: The wind, Types of wind system, How to use this book, Economics, Lifestyle implications, Reliability, The case studies SECTION 1. Small wind turbine electrics: Electrical basics, Inverters, Batteries, Battery system management, Wind turbine 'controllers', Photovoltaic (PV) solar electric panels, Safety, The case studies SECTION 2. Assessing your needs: How this applies to the case studies SECTION 3: Siting small wind turbines, Site windspeed assessment, Tower position and height, Other considerations, How this applies to the case studies SECTION 4. Understanding wind turbine specifications Appendix 1: Glossary Appendix 2: Market survey Appendix 3: Useful equations Appendix 4: Web links