Abstract
Methods of evaluating the economics of wind energy conversion systems (WECS) reported in the literature are not readily understood by management in industry, and are not presented in a form suitable for appraising industrial investment in capital projects. This has led to companies being unaware of the advantages of investing in WECS as an option in private electricity generation.
This paper presents the general principles of a comprehensively structured method of investment in a wind turbine, using a company's own local and financial conditions. The return on such an investment for an example company in south-east England is 15.8 per cent, rising to 22.4 per cent if the same company was located in North Wales where wind availability is slightly higher. These results indicate that the prospects of economically viable WECS installations for industrial applications are evident over large geographical areas of the UK.
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