Wind-powered office, sir?

Could you power your office with your own wind turbines? It might sound daft but IF wind technology becomes easier to install (planning permission is relaxed etc) and more efficient, you could start to see more set ups like this.

Next time you take a walk around Kensington, try and look at seventh storey of Tollard House, 377 Kensington High Street, London. You’ll see four wind turbines powering someone’s house appliances – well contributing anyway.

Kassem Shakarchi did this to his flat in a bid to become carbon negative.

The Green Company led the installation. Ben Cosh, MD of the company, says:

“Mr Shakarchi’s electricity bill was so large that the maximum possible generation capacity was installed. We are at the maximum height allowed by planning permission and if you look to the SW – the prevailing wind direction – there is a great fetch and an acceptable fetch from the other directions.

“This means that the turbines receive reasonably smooth air flow. One of the great frustrations is balancing the need to get the turbines as high as possible to catch the clearer wind with the requirements of planning regulations.

“In London we get disrupted air flow due to the buildings which does cause some wind turbulence but with four turbines we have increased opportunity to make the best of the wind flow.

“Due to this disrupted air flow there is no point placing wind turbines on low level buildings in cities so we recommend alternative technologies such as solar panels and heat pumps.”

Not bad lads – not bad.