Renew On Line (UK) 34

Extracts from the November-December 2001 edition of Renew
These extracts only represent about 25% of it

9. Renewables around the UK

Offshore Wind & gas

The DTI has awarded a gas production license to the Eclipse Energy Co and Rolls Royce Power Ventures, for a proposed offshore power plant fuelled by gas and wind, to be located in the Irish Sea, some 10 km from Barrow-in-Furness. Instead of sending gas ashore along a pipeline, it would export electricity through a cable. The same cable could potentially service offshore wind turbines, reducing initial start up costs. Energy Minister Brian Wilson noted “This is an ambitious proposal which still has to meet other requirements for consent, including those necessary to protect any local environmental sensitivities. Delivering the project will require a great deal of determination from the companies involved. Technical creativity is the key to meeting our future energy needs, and this proposal is worthy of praise.”

This idea first emerged, we believe, in a final year project by an OU student working in this field. See Renew 122

Cumbria to go green

Following the Foot and Mouth crisis, United Utilities, owner of Northwest Water and one of the largest land owners in Cumbria, is considering growing green energy crops and building wind farms as an alternative to grazing sheep on the 140,000 acres it owns in the region - including 40,000 acres in the Lake District. The company also operates the north-west of England electricity distribution network. The company is pursuing similar community ventures in Wales, where it operates about 40 mostly small-scale hydro schemes. It controls about 10% of the English and Welsh renewable energy market. However it told the FT (4/8/01) that it was anxious not to be seen to be trying to foist unwelcome developments on locals and environmentalists in sensitive locations- the idea would have to be developed sensitively.

Glasgow to get lit up

Glasgow city council is considering illuminating multi-storey flats with floodlighting powered by wind turbines on the roof, starting with the tower block at Anniesland Cross. If successful, the scheme will be spread to other blocks. Eventually, it is hoped the 4ft turbines could power ventilation and street lighting. A spokesman from the council’s development and regeneration services said “The wind turbines get their power from the uplift on the building. We hope it would improve the image of the city, but the reason why we have chosen to do this on tower blocks is as a way of testing methods of generating electricity from reusable sources”. Source, The Scotsman, Aug 3, 2001

Gone with the Wind

The Daily Telegraph has continued with its anti-wind campaign, with an editorial (16/8/01) claiming that ‘there is no convincing analysis to show that wind can do more than light up a few bulbs per household even if local authorities can be bullied into allowing Triffids to march across the better bits of our landscape.’