Graham

Located off the coast of Suffolk, the East Anglia One offshore wind farm will cover an area of approximately 300 square kilometres and is scheduled to install up to 240 wind turbines – which would make it the biggest wind farm in the world! The consent application for East Anglia ONE was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in November 2012, consented in June 2014 and the developer estimates the farm will be operational in 2019.

East Anglia ONE Offshore Wind is a joint venture between ScottishPower Renewables and Vattenfall, and is the largest renewable energy project ever to receive planning consent in England and Wales. Once built, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) predict the wind farm will generate enough electricity to power approximately 820,000 homes. Throughout its construction the wind farm is expected to add more than £500 million into the region’s economy.

We specialise in small-scale onshore developments but we applaud the huge contribution to emissions reduction this development will make.The UK have a lot to gain from it including 2,900 job opportunities and reduced reliance on imported fuel. The approval marks a significant stepping stone for the future of renewable energy in the UK at a time when the coalition government is threatening to remove subsidies for onshore and offshore wind energy projects. Wind power is continuing to play an increasingly important part in meeting the UK’s energy needs despite mixed messages from government.

http://http://eastangliaone.eastangliawind.com

Fine Energy’s mission is to reduce humanity’s dependence on power stations by introducing wind energy generation as an alternative – and we’re not bluffing! Statistics published 26 June 2014 by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) prove the case for wind power. An impressive 19.4 percent of all the UK’s electricity mix in the first quarter of 2014 was generated from renewable energy sources. This is enough to power 15.17 million homes. Indeed, the DECC continued by attributing this impressive figure to the improved performance of onshore and offshore wind power.

Wind energy’s biggest fan RenewableUK’s Director of External Affairs Jennifer Webber said, “Once again wind delivered… offshore wind made a significant contribution to getting us off the hook of fossil fuels…without the strong performance of wind last year the Government would have been even further behind its energy figures.”

It is time to start looking at the facts. Onshore wind showed the highest absolute increase in generation, by increasing 62 percent to 6.6 terawatt hours. Wind energy is clean, renewable, sustainable, sourced in Britain and the cheapest way to generate new electricity.

Don’t wage war on wind energy, become friends with the earth.

http://www.renewableuk.com/en/news/press-releases.cfm/2014-06-26-high-wind-speeds-lead-renewables-to-hit-all-time-high-at-nearly-20-of-electricity-mix

It was revealed 4 June 2014 that BT has agreed a £300m deal to buy enough energy from Fallago Rig wind farm to meet the energy demands of all its Scottish operations for the next 20 years. BT Scotland director Brendan Dick has recognised the company is a major consumer of electricity and has said the firm was keen to meet its energy needs in an environmentally responsible way.

The telecom giant had previously signed a contract in 2004 to ensure BT’s depots, offices and 6,500 telephone exchanges would be powered mainly from sustainable resources such as wave, solar, wind and hydroelectric schemes. The BT Group signed the world’s largest renewable energy deal with npower and British Gas, and now all of their offices are powered by renewable energy.

In addition, this news is a reminder of The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, a key commitment of the Scottish Government. Scotland aimed to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and it is encouraging news that a company the size of BT is taking a local and sustainable approach to sourcing its electricity, helping Scotland achieve its targets of sustainable economic growth.

Notably, the use of renewable energy doesn’t have to fall on the shoulders of large corporations. Any business with a suitable land area can benefit from small scale wind projects. Fine Energy is currently working with a UK Port to put in two 100kW wind turbines to provide electricity to its pump house, essential to the operation of the Port.

Something to bear in mind.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-27682415

Rockall is an uninhabited, remote granite islet that has been a point of interest for adventurers who have managed to land on the tiny island. The occupiable area of Rockall is just 11ft by 4ft and is subject to frequent bouts of adverse weather conditions. The land is considered too small for a housing development of any kind, however as of 6 June 2014 Nick Hancock has accepted a charity challenge to stay there for 60 days in a yellow water tank. Nick is keen to record his adventure and will be using renewable energy in the form of a wind turbine to power his laptop and other equipment.

I shouldn’t imagine his pizza delivery will arrive within 30 minutes…

Good luck Nick!

Read the full article at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/windpower/10882869/Adventurer-sets-up-wind-turbine-on-Rockall.htmlp

Scotland is consistently supporting community ownership of renewable energy. Understanding that locals need to be involved in wind farm projects has ensured Scotland has adapted its community engagement method to meet the needs of communities. Businesses and communities alike are working together to help Scotland reach its target of 100 per cent of electricity being generated from renewables.

Scotland’s Energy Minister granted planning consent for a new 26-turbine wind farm in South Lanarkshire, which will power the equivalent of up to 49,000 homes in the area and generate approximately £4 million to the local community. Working in partnership with the residents will help to generate electricity locally and will create jobs both during construction and throughout the wind farm’s lifetime.

Scotland certainly isn’t alone in its efforts to engage with local communities and it will be interesting to see what part consultation will play in gathering public views and understanding of wind turbines. By offering individuals the opportunity to get involved in, and benefit from the projects, the UK may begin to see creative ideas for incorporating wind energy into the local community.

http://www.clickgreen.org.uk/news/national-news/124677-wind-farm-to-generate-4million-for-community-over-its-lifetime.html