Written by RWE Innogy
Renewable Energy company, RWE Innogy, urges the Prime Minister to maintain
his support for wind farms and suggests reforms that would increase
efficiency and the reduce the number of turbines.
How do you cut the number of wind turbines, reduce their reliance on
subsidy and increase the energy produced?
That’s the challenge we in the onshore wind industry face. The Prime
Minister says people are “fed up” with the number of wind farms and there
ought to be no more subsidy in the next parliament.
As it happens, the polls show strong public backing for onshore wind power,
but we recognise that some people have an issue with wind farms.
However there is a way out of the conundrum that will satisfy almost
everyone: fewer, more efficient and visually improved turbines.
Like all good businesspeople, we’re constantly looking to lower costs and
be more efficient in our operations, something that will reduce subsidies
over the long-term.
There are two ways in which we can reduce the number of turbines while
boosting their output.
Firstly, we want to replace older turbines at existing sites with newer,
more efficient models, as we propose to do at our Kirkby Moor wind farm in
Cumbria. Secondly, we’re looking to introduce slightly larger turbines at
new build projects. As a general rule, adding an extra 5 metres of height
would boost the energy output of a turbine by over 10%.
Taller turbines can access ‘better’ wind – that is, wind unaffected by
low-level turbulence – and carry bigger blades. That reduces the number of
wind turbines you need at a site, cutting manufacturing costs, but
increasing the amount of electricity produced.
Unfortunately planning precedents in the UK make it difficult for a wind
turbine to be installed on land if it is more than 125 metres from base to
tip, and mean we can’t buy from a standardised set across the European
supply chain.
If The Department for Communities and Local Government issued updated
guidance to local planning officers, a number of opportunities would open
up. By permitting a small increase in height, the UK could reduce the
number of turbines at wind farms, see an increase in electricity produced,
and reduce its dependence on foreign fossil fuels. The move would also help
us reduce costs and therefore subsidies, while creating a British wind
turbine supply chain that could sell to a wider market across Europe.
None of this means people will see ‘monster turbines’ springing up across
the countryside. We only need to go a little bit higher, an additional 5 to
10 metres. People will see little discernible visual difference in the size
of turbines.
Back in 2012, the Prime Minister told planners to “get off people’s backs”
or face the consequences. Embracing that reforming approach on wind
turbines, as well as in dealing with the backlog of onshore wind
applications stuck in the planning system, can deliver the results we all
want to see – less subsidy for onshore, less impact from developments and
cleaner domestic energy that keeps the lights on.
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