Wind energy

01Buying a small wind turbine

It is possible for both private individuals and businesses to purchase a small wind turbine. The wind turbine can be installed on the roof and then generate energy day and night. The yield of the wind turbine depends, among other things, on its location in the country. The north and west of the country simply have more wind than inland areas. The purchase costs for a small wind turbine are relatively high. The cheapest wind turbines cost about 600 euros, the most expensive ones cost thousands of euros.

In general, it is virtually impossible to recoup the investment within the lifespan of the wind turbine. A roof survey is also needed to determine how the wind turbine should be installed. Finally, the municipality still has to issue a permit for placing the wind turbine. For these reasons, a small wind turbine is usually not attractive for private individuals, although it does make a positive contribution to the climate. For businesses, a wind turbine can be attractive when wind turbines are purchased on a larger scale.

02Join a wind turbine project together

It is also possible to produce wind energy yourself indirectly. Instead of everyone buying a wind turbine individually, only a small piece of a wind turbine is ‘bought’. For example, customers of Greenchoice can buy so-called wind shares. Depending on the wind turbine, a one-off payment of between 200 and 500 euros must be made. On top of this come annual maintenance costs of between fifteen and twenty euros. In return, the customer receives about 500 kWh of electricity per year. For an average household, this is about one seventh of total consumption. In the long term, buying wind shares is almost always cheaper than a regular energy contract.

Another option is investing in the construction of a wind turbine. Wind associations raise money from private individuals and businesses and use it to build a wind turbine. Then, during the lifetime of the wind turbine, interest is paid out every year. This interest depends on the yield of the wind turbine and is between 5 and 10%. With this arrangement, you do not receive a share of the wind energy produced, but you do share in the returns of the wind turbines. For both private individuals and businesses, investing in wind projects is attractive. The interest is higher than at most (savings) banks. Another form of sustainable energy that is very feasible for private individuals: put solar panels on your roof!

Generating wind energy yourself ➜ What are your costs? What is your return? 💶

In the Netherlands we produce more and more wind energy, including in the North Sea. ➜ As a private individual you can share in the benefits too. ➜ Find out how!