How Does It Work

Small On-Grid connection

Directly connected to the National Grid's mains electricity supply, these larger turbines (1) reduce the consumption of electricity from the grid. If sufficiently large they also enable the export of power back to the grid, when power generated exceeds demand at the site, providing the prospect of revenue from the utility companies.

With domestic or other small scale systems, the wind turbine is linked to the grid via a "grid-connect" inverter (2). This device transforms the electricity generated by the wind turbine into mains voltage AC, synchronised precisely with the voltage and frequency of the grid. The inverter also performs various safety functions, constantly monitoring the grid and switching off in the event of a fault or major fluctuation in supply.

The output of the inverter is connected directly to a fuse box - feeding wind generated electricity into the building's conventional electricity supply. Electricity generated by the turbine is used within the building first with any surplus fed into the grid. Solar panels can be added to create a hybrid system (3).

Typical Grid-Connected Installation