30 August 2007 - Wind farms 'not in windy places'

The government is paying hundreds of millions of pounds to subsidise wind farms that are not economically viable, it has been claimed.

Michael Jefferson, from the World Renewable Energy Network, says farms are being built in areas of England, Wales and Scotland without enough wind. But the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) says the claims are "nonsense". read the full report here

SIGN THE PETITION !

sign now http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/windfarm-blight/

The Government has set regional targets for renewable energy generation. While this is a commendable approach to climate change and carbon emissions, the lure of subsidies has created a rush of planning submissions from developers. Local Councils are under severe pressure to approve schemes and are being forced to consider placement within greenbelt areas, many with designated landscape value. Our countryside will become blighted if we allow this to continue and many communities will be disrupted by noise. As an example, to meet the target for Yorkshire, an on-shore wind Farm the size of Bradford will need to be built. Without intervention, this will happen by stealth, with a small windfarm being developed seemingly every other village. I call for the Government to re-issue guidelines to only allow on-shore developments to be sited on brownfield sites at least 2km away from residential property. Indeed, large-scale developments should only be considered for placement off-shore.

sign now http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/windfarm-blight/

03 May 2007 - Power station harnesses Sun's rays

Europe's first commercially operating power station using the Sun's energy this way and at the moment its operator, Solucar, proudly claims that it generates 11 MW of electricity without emitting a single puff of greenhouse gas. read the full report here