Explore Challenges
- Natural disasters: how can we improve? [25 May 2010]
- Not In My Back Yard
- Digital Divide in the UK?
- Importing goods, exporting drought?
- The challenges and opportunities of an ageing society
- Engineering our climate
- The future shape of Capitalism
- Migration: skills and the job market
- Razing the Rainforest
- London under water
- Concreting the countryside
- Future of low carbon energy
- Africa in the 21st Century
Wind energy
Wind farms can be found both on land (onshore) and at sea (offshore). Offshore wind is more expensive but provides almost twice the energy as onshore in UK
Around 20% of electricity in Denmark is sourced from wind power
The British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) highlight planning consent as essential to the future success of wind power in UK.
Source: E.ON
Chris Tomlinson, Head of Onshore Wind at BWEA argues that new wind farm proposals process need to be speeded up to meet government renewable energy targets.
RSPB who have opposed plans for certain UK wind farms due to the threat to wildlife, are strongly in favour of utilising wind power
“Wind power has the greatest potential to make a significant difference in the UK in the coming decade. It is the most advanced and widely available of the new renewable technologies” (RSPB)
RSPB policy on wind farms
The Renewable Energy Foundation (REF), July 2008, has highlighted concerns over the hidden cost and reliability of wind farms.