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Community wind power....The small hamlet of South Wheatley, between Bude and Launceston in North Cornwall, is leading the way to tackle climate change. Why they are doing things to help the climate.... They feel that it is obvious that climate change will affect us all in Cornwall with severe summer temperatures and wetter and stormier winters. They recognise that climate change is something we all need to do something about and they have done something practical to reduce their own carbon emissions by installing a small wind turbine to produce their own electricity. What they are doing.... Bill Andrews set up the South Wheatley Renewable Energy Trust. With the willing support of local residents their first project has been to install a small 15 kW wind turbine. The electricity produced is sufficient to provide 70% to 80% of the power for two local farms and six homes in the hamlet. The turbine was switched on by the Right The project was made possible with funding support from the Government’s Clear Skies Programme (now the Low Carbon Buildings Programme) and the EDF Green Energy Fund. This funding enabled them to buy and install the wind turbine. Why it’s important….. Most of our electricity comes from power stations that burn fossil fuels and each time these are burnt carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the main gas that causes climate change and in just 200 years, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by 30%. By using the small wind turbine in South Wheatley they have reduced the amount of electricity, that would have come from a power station, by over 70%. The turbine will help to reduce the hamlet’s carbon dioxide emissions by 20 tonnes each year. The additional work that will be funded by the profits from the turbine, such as energy efficiency measures in local people’s homes will lead to even higher carbon dioxide savings. Wind power is one of the most reliable and mature renewable energy technologies. The UK has one of the In South Wheatley one small turbine is providing three quarters of a hamlets electricity needs and saving a large amount of carbon every year – the more communities that follow the lead of South Wheatley the sooner we will be able to reduce the threat of climate change in Cornwall. Tomorrow’s climate is today’s challenge. Further information.... It is hoped that the South Wheatley Renewable Energy Trust will start offering grants from next year. As soon as the funds are built up they plan to send out information to residents in the local area to let them know they can apply for money towards sustainable energy initiatives in their own homes. They are also working in partnership with the Community Renewables Initiative, to offer free advice to local schools in North Cornwall. This advice can help a school look at its current energy use and how they could make use of renewable energy themselves – if your school is interested in getting this free advice email Bill Andrews (ANDREWSWbaent@aol.com). A simple introduction to wind energy has been produced by Cornwall Sustainable Energy Partnership (PDF file) . If you want more detailed information about an aspect of wind energy the British Wind Energy Association provides free resources on their website. Funding is available from the low carbon buildings programme to support householders, community organisations, schools, the public and not for profit sector and private businesses. Grants are available for a wide range of renewable energy technologies including wind turbines, small hydro,solar photovoltaics, solar thermal hot water, ground/water/air source heat pumps and bio-energy. Find out more from their website. In South Wheatley they also received funding from the EDF Green Energy Fund – this fund encourages the generation of energy produced from sun, wind, water and other renewable sources, providing a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. It is open to applications from charitable, educational and other not-for-profit organisations. For more information on the fund click here Photos courtesy of Raymond Griffin
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Revered Will Ind, the Bishop of Truro, in October 2006. All the electricity produced by the turbine is sold and the profits generated from this sale are put into a fund to support local energy conservation and renewable energy projects. Based on wind speeds and the power output of the turbine they expect to earn around £2,000 per year for their local fund. The turbine’s lifespan is approximately 25 years, so at current prices they should raise in the region of £50,000 to support local energy projects.
best wind resources in Europe and anyone living in Cornwall will know the potential of using wind power in the county. Cornwall has been at the forefront of commercial wind generation in the UK and South Wheatley is another example of how Cornwall is innovating in this area. 