New report confirms UK wind energy crucial to combat climate change

Posted by bex — 24 May 2005 at 8:00am - Comments

A wind turbine

'Wind Power in the UK', a report from the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC), confirms that a rapid expansion of UK wind energy is essential to reduce carbon emissions and thereby minimise the potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change. Without a swift increase in renewable energy, particularly wind as the most cost-effective and advanced form of renewable energy currently available, we face dire local and global climate change repercussions:

World Health Organisation figures indicate that 150,000 people die annually because of climate change impacts. Studies indicate that 2.24 billion people will be at risk of water shortage by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 2 degree celsius.

Sea level rise may inundate low-lying areas, with 4 million people at risk of flooding in the UK alone. 1 in 5 land-based species are at risk of extinction due to climate change effects.

Greenpeace welcomes this authoritative report as significant confirmation that wind energy offers the clearest path to a low carbon future that minimises the dangers of climate change and allows us to meet Kyoto and UK carbon emission targets.

The comprehensive SDC report examines all the key issues surrounding onshore wind power, and also debunks myths and corrects inaccuracies used by opponents of wind energy around issues such as noise and impacts on wildlife. Importantly, it confirms that the intermittent nature of wind energy is not a problem for the electricity grid and does not require dedicated back-up. The report demonstrates that wind energy can grow to generate up to 20% of total UK electricity, from its position of 1.5% by the end of 2005, with no significant technical implications.

Rapid expansion of UK wind energy is therefore possible without significant technical or cost barriers, with wind energy set to be the cheapest form of UK electricity generation by 2020. Wind energy, onshore and offshore, must form a core part of UK energy strategy, including other renewables and energy efficiencies. Wind can deliver both cost-effectiveness and sustainability now.

Decision-makers at national and local level involved in the wind farm planning process can no longer be in any doubt of the clear and abundant benefits offered by saying yes to the expansion of wind energy in the UK.

"The full report (170 pages) and the summary Q&A report (24 pages) may be downloaded in .PDF form here:
'Wind power in the UK';
'Wind Power in the UK' summary Q&A booklet.

Article tagged as: climate change, offshore wind, renewable energy, wind power
Comments Commenting is now closed

Wind energy is already an important part of the solution to both tackling climate change and meeting our energy needs. It's one of the most widely used, commercially developed and fastest growing of all the renewable technologies in the UK.

Modern turbines are more powerful and reliable than earlier prototypes, capturing more energy. They are also quicker to build, easier to maintain and quieter. A turbine in use in the UK is likely to be producing useful power for 70-85% of the year. Typically, its design lifespan is 20 years.

Wind power reduces greenhouse gas emissions by gradually displacing coal-fired and other conventional power generation. The National Grid Company has estimated that 8,000 MW of wind power might displace about 3,000 MW of
conventional plant. That's because the wind doesn't blow all the time.

The national grid system is already designed to cope with large fluctuations in supply and demand. It must deal with rapid surges in demand – such as during the breakfast period or at the end of a televised football match when millions of kettles are used at the same time.

The National Grid Company has confirmed that accommodating significant amounts of wind capacity on the electricity system is unlikely to pose any major operational challenges. Indeed there’s no technical limit on the amount of wind that can be absorbed by the system – the issue is simply one of cost.

Wind power is becoming easier to predict. As it becomes more dispersed around the country it is increasingly unlikely that all the UK’s wind farms will be out of action at the
same time.

And, of course, wind is only part of the solution. Other renewable sources such as wave and tidal, solar and geothermal will play an increasing part in the future, as will energy efficiency (we currently waste over half the energy produced by our power stations) and decentalised CHP power.

No one has ever said that wind is the answer to all our energy issues - but there's no doubt that it is making an increasingly important contribition.

By jossc - 22 December 2008 at 6:04pm

Wind energy is already an important part of the solution to both tackling climate change and meeting our energy needs. It's one of the most widely used, commercially developed and fastest growing of all the renewable technologies in the UK. Modern turbines are more powerful and reliable than earlier prototypes, capturing more energy. They are also quicker to build, easier to maintain and quieter. A turbine in use in the UK is likely to be producing useful power for 70-85% of the year. Typically, its design lifespan is 20 years. Wind power reduces greenhouse gas emissions by gradually displacing coal-fired and other conventional power generation. The National Grid Company has estimated that 8,000 MW of wind power might displace about 3,000 MW of conventional plant. That's because the wind doesn't blow all the time. The national grid system is already designed to cope with large fluctuations in supply and demand. It must deal with rapid surges in demand – such as during the breakfast period or at the end of a televised football match when millions of kettles are used at the same time. The National Grid Company has confirmed that accommodating significant amounts of wind capacity on the electricity system is unlikely to pose any major operational challenges. Indeed there’s no technical limit on the amount of wind that can be absorbed by the system – the issue is simply one of cost.

Wind power is becoming easier to predict. As it becomes more dispersed around the country it is increasingly unlikely that all the UK’s wind farms will be out of action at the same time.

And, of course, wind is only part of the solution. Other renewable sources such as wave and tidal, solar and geothermal will play an increasing part in the future, as will energy efficiency (we currently waste over half the energy produced by our power stations) and decentalised CHP power. No one has ever said that wind is the answer to all our energy issues - but there's no doubt that it is making an increasingly important contribition.

By jossc - 22 December 2008 at 6:04pm
Wind energy is already an important part of the solution to both tackling climate change and meeting our energy needs. It's one of the most widely used, commercially developed and fastest growing of all the renewable technologies in the UK. Modern turbines are more powerful and reliable than earlier prototypes, capturing more energy. They are also quicker to build, easier to maintain and quieter. A turbine in use in the UK is likely to be producing useful power for 70-85% of the year. Typically, its design lifespan is 20 years. Wind power reduces greenhouse gas emissions by gradually displacing coal-fired and other conventional power generation. The National Grid Company has estimated that 8,000 MW of wind power might displace about 3,000 MW of conventional plant. That's because the wind doesn't blow all the time. The national grid system is already designed to cope with large fluctuations in supply and demand. It must deal with rapid surges in demand – such as during the breakfast period or at the end of a televised football match when millions of kettles are used at the same time. The National Grid Company has confirmed that accommodating significant amounts of wind capacity on the electricity system is unlikely to pose any major operational challenges. Indeed there’s no technical limit on the amount of wind that can be absorbed by the system – the issue is simply one of cost.

Wind power is becoming easier to predict. As it becomes more dispersed around the country it is increasingly unlikely that all the UK’s wind farms will be out of action at the same time.

And, of course, wind is only part of the solution. Other renewable sources such as wave and tidal, solar and geothermal will play an increasing part in the future, as will energy efficiency (we currently waste over half the energy produced by our power stations) and decentalised CHP power. No one has ever said that wind is the answer to all our energy issues - but there's no doubt that it is making an increasingly important contribition.
By jossc - 22 December 2008 at 6:04pm

Comments

Follow Greenpeace UK