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The way the wind blows..

Wind is a turbulent story. The Government is in the grip of a backbench backlash over wind farms. Cameron’s former Energy Minister has joined other backbenchers in calling for an end to its ‘mixed messages’ over renewable energy. A letter with 20 backbencher signatures sent to the PM says Britain has ‘enough’ wind turbines.

The anti-wind brigade is now in force, with nuclear power enthusiasts saying it’s time to ditch renewable energy. But there are advanced countries such as Japan that refuses the nuclear route, and is in fact closing its nuclear power stations in light of the tsunami meltdown.

Whatever your opinion, something needs to be done. With Ian Fells, Emeritus Professor of Energy at Newcastle University, warning that any time now we could be hit by repeated power cuts.

Already there’s talk of businesses taking jobs abroad to avoid the UK’s high electricity and gas prices. And of course the impact on individuals – particularly the vulnerable – is on everyone’s agenda in winter.

There is an alternative that sidesteps the objections large wind farms attract, an offer that can be a lifeline for landowners and farmers: small wind. It can’t solve the nation’s problem, but it can help those farmers who are struggling and need to find ways to diversify to survive.

Windcrop offers an accessible route to local wind generation, delivering green energy to the landowner at no cost. It finances and carries out the installation; Windcrop’s revenue is secured from the renewable energy Feed-In Tariffs.

As such, it’s crucial that the anti-wind brigade don’t clump all their objections against wind per sae. Small wind is distinctive to wind farms. Unlike conventional large-scale wind farms, Windcrop uses 15m high, five kilowatt generators which have minimal impact on the landscape and provide electricity at the point of use. The small-scale generators are safe for wildlife, designed to reduce installation time, minimise the ground space required and make planning approval easier to obtain.

It’s time we reclaimed small wind as the saviour it can be; although admittedly only for those who own a small patch of land - approximately 3m by 3m - usually on a field edge or other unproductive land. In return, the farmer receives free and sustainable electricity in a climate where fuel bills are set to soar. Windcrop has installed more than 300 small-scale wind generators in its core area of the East of England. It has recently launched an office in Yorkshire (in September 2012) and is already handling dozens of contracts from Yorkshire landowners and farmers.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Moore .