Latest NewsThe UK's First Endurance E-3120 Wind Turbine Generating
Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:10:09
The UK's first Endurance E-3120 Wind Turbine installed Installed by Less co2 limited and it's partners in this project Kite Consulting and Dulas is Generating.
UK's First Endurance Wind Power E-3120 50kW Wind Turbine Install
Tue, 20 Jul 2010 22:48:30
Less co2 limited is pleased to be installing the first Endurance Wind Power E-3120 50kW wind turbine in the UK with its Partners Kite Consulting an Dulas.
400,000 homes to be powered by North Wales wind farm
Sat, 12 Jun 2010 20:03:42
A 160 turbine offshore wind farm is to be constructed off the coast of Llandudno in North Wales. The 2 billion Euro Gwynt y Mor project will produce 576 megawatts of green energy – enough to power approximately 400,000 homes in the local area.
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John Healey unveils proposal to do away with planning permission for wind turbines : Latest News
Wind turbines standing as high as 15 metres (50ft) will be allowed on farmland and industrial estates without planning permission, under proposals to boost renewable energy.
The turbines will be approved across large areas of the countryside, provided they meet noise and impact restrictions.
John Healey, the housing minister, also announced plans to fast-track applications for solar panels on stadiums, schools, railway stations and offices, as part of proposals to achieve national commitments on climate change.
The new rules would also allow councils and those with electric cars to install charging points on streets and in car parks without a planning application. Other renewable sources of energy, including ground and water-source heat pumps and biomass boilers, will be approved without planning permission where appropriate.
“People who want to greenproof their homes should get a helping hand,” said Mr Healey. “Our planning rules need to catch up with changing technologies and allow people to take the small measures that make big differences.
“Not only could this save hundreds of pounds in fuel bills, they will also help the environment. At the same time, we need tough rules so that permitted development does not become a nuisance. So I’m putting in place strong safeguards in relation to noise levels, size, location and the potential impact on an area.”
Wind turbines will be permitted to produce no more than 45 decibels of sound, about the sound of a normal conversation.
A spokesman for Communities and Local Government, Mr Healey’s ministry, said that an estimated 30 per cent of electricity could be generated from renewable sources by 2030.
A well-placed wind turbine in a windy area could save a household as much as £380 in electricity bills in a year, said Mr Healey.
Planning for a Sustainable Future, a 2007 White Paper, allowed smaller wind turbines and solar panels on or near residential property.
Under the new proposals — which are out for consultation for three months and can then be passed through secondary regulations — homeowners will be able to erect wind turbines up to three metres high, with similar noise constraints as the taller installations.
Paul Miner, senior planning officer for the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said he was concerned that the proposals for wind turbines on farmland did not offer enough protection for World Heritage sites and National Parks and “other important landscapes”. He said it was vital that local authorities were involved in decisions about where turbines were installed, and their design.
Michael Windridge, spokesman for the National Alliance of Wind Farm Action Groups, welcomed greater investment in solar power — but not wind turbines. “The Government is deluding itself to imagine that wind turbines are capable of providing a secure and efficient source of renewable energy,” he said. “Wind turbines of whatever size are not the answer, because wind blows intermittently and unpredictably.”
Jonathan Dimbleby, the broadcaster, is a passionate advocate of the technology, having installed a 15-metre wind turbine at his home near Totnes, Devon. It took three months for him to receive planning permission in the face of local opposition, but he says objections have since eased.
“All I can say is my wind turbine is up and it is turning rapidly and producing well in the current winds,” he said yesterday. “There were a few local objections originally, but now it is up, many people are enthusiastic about it and have come up to have a look.
“It’s one of those things that, once it is up, people relax. I think there should be one in every community.”
The turbine has been located about 100 metres from his home, and is visible from only one other house, he said.
“It looks rather beautiful, and it hardly makes any noise — just a fluttering sound, like a sail,” he said
Story Source : Times Online - Jill Sherman, Whitehall Editor
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