News - Baydon Meadow Wind Turbine Project

In late November 2002 a planning application for a single wind turbine was submitted to West Berkshire District Council (WBDC). The project enjoys support from Thames Valley Energy and details of the proposal are available here and at the offices of WBDC. 

• Lambourn Parish Council gave its support to the proposed Baydon Meadow wind turbine on 18th December...find out more. 
• TV Energy has written an open letter of support to West Berkshire District Council...view letter.

 If you have any comments or enquiries about the wind turbine please fill in our Feedback form.

Where?
The proposed site of the wind turbine is 100m north of the M4 motorway, and 1.3km west of the Membury service areas.

What?
The wind turbine proposed will be a 1.3MW machine with a 50m tower and 3x31m blades giving a maximum height of 81m (tower and blade in vertical position). For comparison, the mast at Membury is 152m - virtually twice as tall.

Some Project Details: 

• Power - Based on windspeed information for the site, the wind turbine is expected to generate 3 to 4 million units (kWh) of electricity each year. The average home uses approximately 4,250 units per year, so 705 to 941 homes would be supplied (Baydon and Lambourn parishes have approximately 190 and 1,750 homes, respectively).
   
• Climate Change - The electricity from the wind turbine would replace electricity from conventional power stations. Every unit of electricity from such a power station will be generated from burning fossil fuels thus releasing around 850 grams of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas. The wind turbine would therefore offset the emission of up to 3,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.
   
• Visibility - A detailed appraisal of the visual effects of the proposal has been completed and concludes: "This proposal, for one wind turbine on the Baydon Meadow site, respects the scale and composition of the landscape. The turbine will be located in a relatively rural location, away from centres of population, but within the M4 corridor, where built development, such as the motorway, service area and Membury mast, already characterise the local landscape. Furthermore, the topography and vegetation substantially confine the areas of visibility both close to the turbine and in the wider landscape. As a result, the turbine will be visible from very restricted locations in the study area..." 
   
• Roads - The wind turbine is quite close to the M4 motorway and Baydon Road but meets Government Planning Policy Guidance for proximity to roads for this type of development. Furthermore, consultations with the Highways Agency and West Berkshire Highways Department indicate that they are both unlikely to object to the proposal.
   
• Noise - A detailed noise assessment concludes: "Objective assessment of the potential noise impact at all properties due to the proposed Baydon Meadow wind turbine indicates that a) recommended night-time noise criteria are met by the proposal; and b) any day-time noise impact is not expected to be significant when compared to the likely levels of existing background road traffic noise." 

 If you have any comments or enquiries about the wind turbine please fill in our Feedback form.

Bonus 1.3MW wind turbine click to enlarge

"Wind power is a crucial element in the Government's overall energy policy, and will help ensure secure, diverse and sustainable supplies of energy within the emerging competitive electricity market...Renewables policy is one element in the wider climate change program and is important not only in helping to meet emissions targets, but in stimulating development of new technologies for the UK and overseas while providing diverse energy sources and contributing to rural development" - Director of Sustainable Energy Policy at the Department of Trade and Industry, September 2000

"Mr. Prescott said the Government was 'looking more and more to wind' to reduce global warming." - Independent on Sunday, 6 December 1998.

"Wind power has a vital contribution to make towards our renewable energy targets. The Government will encourage developments onshore and offshore, and create the right conditions for both larger scale and also smaller scale initiatives..." - The Minister for Energy, 18 November 2002

It is clear that the Government supports a wide range of wind energy projects, including smaller schemes like the one described overleaf. It is also clear that wind energy projects will play a major role in meeting the 2 following Government targets:

• Increasing the amount of UK electricity supplies from renewable sources to 10% by 2010 (from less than 3% today); and
   
• Reducing the threat posed by global warming / climate change, by replacing electricity generated at conventional, fossil fuel power stations and therefore cutting the emission of carbon dioxide, the main "greenhouse gas", released when fossil fuels are burnt.

Other wind energy facts: 

• In a major survey of over 1,000 people conducted by the RSPB(1*) , when asked "In your opinion which, if any, of these sorts of electricity power station should be built in Britain during the next 10 years?" on-shore wind had the highest positive response rate, at 52%, followed by off-shore wind (47%) and solar (44%). Biomass and nuclear(2*) (8%), coal (5%) and oil (4%) had the fewest positive responses. 
   
• Wind power is a cost effective way of generating electricity, substantially cheaper than nuclear (which supplies about 20% of the UK's electricity). Furthermore, the transmission of electricity over large distances from conventional power stations results in substantial losses; renewable energy projects, like wind turbines, help avoid this(3*), because they are generally located closer to their "market".
   
• Research shows that modern wind turbines recover all the energy used in their manufacture, installation, maintenance and decommissioning and disposal within 3 months of operation(4*) , therefore the energy should be repaid 80 times during the 20+ year life.

1*      RSPB Market Research (2001) "The GB public's views on energy issues" (project 0136)
2*      House of Commons Energy Committee (1990) "The Cost of Nuclear Power"
3*      Association of Electricity Producers (1997) "Renewable Energy - Building on Success"
4*      Krohn, S (1997) "The Energy Balance of Modern Wind Turbines"

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