Abstract
The UK Research Development and Demonstration (R,D & D) programme on wind energy has concentrated most of its resources on large, multi-megawatt machines. Evidence is presented which suggests that such large machines are uneconomic, and likely to remain so, Medium-scaled machines (in the sub-megawatt range) offer much more attractive economic prospects, especially when the economies of mass production are taken into consideration. It is argued that the Department of Energy, as part of its programme of assessment of wind energy, should encourage the establishment of several “wind farms”, each consisting of at least 100 medium-scaled turbines, in order adequately to evaluate their environmental impact and the savings obtainable through series production.
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