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A major new report aimed at helping the public and businesses
understand the potential for small wind power generation at
their sites has been launched.
The report - based on research by Met Office Consulting
and Entec and supported by the Carbon Trust
- aims to improve understanding about the potential for small-scale
wind energy in the UK. It also includes insights and recommendations
for UK government policy-makers.
A key finding of the report is the overall potential 'carbon
prize' for the UK - how much carbon could be saved if
small wind turbines were widely deployed. Based on current
turbine costs and electricity prices, a saving of 1.5 million
tonnes of carbon dioxide is possible if 10% of the population
installed turbines.
Other findings concern the imbalance in potential between
rural and urban sites. The carbon prize for rural sites is
about four times that of urban sites due to higher wind-speed
conditions. Indeed, some urban sites may not pay back the
carbon embedded in manufacturing, production and installation
of the turbine.
The effectiveness of wind generation has been calculated
using historical climate data, details of urban population
density and the orography of the land.
Cathy Durston, Head of Met Office Consulting, said - "Tackling
the challenges of our changing climate should be a key concern
for all of us. This report will help both households and manufacturers
better understand the benefits and risks of small-scale wind
generation.
"The Met Office has welcomed the opportunity to work with
the Carbon Trust to research the potential carbon savings
of small-scale wind power and we hope now to use our expertise
and expand this important work to major renewable energy projects."
John Callaghan, Senior Manager at the Carbon Trust, added
- “This research sheds new light on the potential for small-scale
wind energy in the UK and we hope will be of interest to both
government policy-makers and people considering installing
small wind turbines. The Met Office's world-class scientific
knowledge and expert modelling capabilities have added great
value to the work and we look forward to further opportunities
to work together in future."
To download the report - Small-scale wind energy Policy
insights and practical guidance - Click
Here
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