lrequent|y Asked uestlons

Common Myths
WIhP LhLku LXPLAIhLP
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Contents
who we are.........................................................................................................................................iii
0ur reference sources.........................................................................................................................iv
lrequent|y Asked guestions ............................................................................................................... 1
uLhLkAL............................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Why ls the uK settlng targets for lncreaslng the use of renewab|es!................................................. 1
Why wlnd energy! ...................................................................................................................................................... 1
Can wlnd turblnes a|one tack|e c|lmate change! ......................................................................................... 2
Why not bul|d sma||er wlnd turblnes!............................................................................................................... 2
Why not slte a|| wlnd turblnes offshore!.......................................................................................................... 2
Why not bul|d more nuc|ear power statlons and}or lncrease energy efflclency measures
lnstead!........................................................................................................................................................................... 3
SJAJISJICS............................................................................................................................................................................3
how many wlnd turblnes are there ln the uK!.............................................................................................. 3
What ls the progress of wlnd energy ln other Lu countrles! .................................................................. ^
how many wlnd turblnes are requlred to reach 2010 targets!............................................................... ^
how many househo|ds e|ectrlclty demand does a wlnd turblne meet!............................................. 5
how much C02 emlsslons per year ls offset by a wlnd turblne! ........................................................... 5
how |ong does an onshore wlnd farm take to deve|op and bul|d! ...................................................... 5
0ommon Myths....................................................................................................................................6
LhvIk0hMLhJ ...................................................................................................................................................................6
Wlnd farms are forced through wlth no regards to envlronmenta| concerns ................................. 6
Wlnd turblnes spol| the |andscape...................................................................................................................... 6
Wlnd turblnes kl|| blrds and harm wl|d|lfe ...................................................................................................... 7
Wlnd farms harm agrlcu|tura| |lvestock............................................................................................................ 7
Wlnd farms take up huge |and areas................................................................................................................. 7
It takes years to pay back the energy used for the productlon}lnsta||atlon of wlnd turblnes . 7
Jhere are envlronmenta| lmpacts from new power |lnes and access roads..................................... 8
Wlnd farms affect the trafflc |eve|s to and from the slte.......................................................................... 8
S0CILJ..................................................................................................................................................................................8
Wlnd farms are unpopu|ar...................................................................................................................................... 8
Wlnd farms harm tourlsm....................................................................................................................................... 8
Wlnd farms harm house prlces............................................................................................................................. 9
Wlnd farms do not create [obs ............................................................................................................................. 9
Wlnd farms brlng no beneflts to the |oca| communlty .............................................................................. 9
Wlnd deve|opers are slmp|y maklng proflts for thelr shareho|ders..................................................... 9
Wlnd farms are forced through wlth no regards to |oca| concerns.................................................... 10
Saylng yes to one wlnd farm opens the door to masslve wlnd deve|opments ln the area ..... 10
Wlnd turblnes can cause car accldents as a resu|t of drlvers dlstractlon......................................... 10
Wlnd turblne components are dangerous for the hea|th 8 Safety of |oca| peop|e..................... 11
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LC0h0MICS....................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Wlnd power ls heavl|y subsldlsed...................................................................................................................... 11
Wlnd power ls expenslve....................................................................................................................................... 11
Jhe costs to bul|d back up p|ants ls huge...................................................................................................... 12
JLChhICAL ISSuLS .........................................................................................................................................................12
Wlnd turblnes are nolsy......................................................................................................................................... 12
Wlnd turblnes create shadow f|lcker ............................................................................................................... 13
Wlnd turblnes lnterfere wlth avlatlon and radar systems...................................................................... 13
Wlnd turblnes lnterfere wlth te|ecommunlcatlon systems and Jv receptlon................................13
ukIP ISSuLS......................................................................................................................................................................1^
Wlnd turblnes are not efflclent...........................................................................................................................1^
Wlnd turblnes are not re|lab|e............................................................................................................................1^
In uermany they are no |onger bul|dlng wlnd farms due to grld lnstabl|lty prob|ems ............. 1^
8ib|iograhy ...................................................................................................................................... 16
how does a wind turbine work!........................................................................................................ 18
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Who we are
At L.0h uK, the company that runs Powergen, we are commltted to p|aylng a |eadlng ro|e
ln how we shape and de|lver energy ln a way that wl|| protect our envlronment and the
needs of our customers. As part of our commltment, we p|an to lnvest 1 bl||lon ln
renewab|e techno|ogy over the next flve years
We are sourclng an lncreaslng proportlon of our e|ectrlclty from renewab|e sources and
operate 20 onshore and offshore wlnd farms, produclng enough c|ean renewab|e energy to
supp|y the homes of a clty the slze of Manchester.
We own the |argest hydro power statlon ln Lng|and and Wa|es on the rlver kheldo| ln mld
Wa|es and we a|so burn carbon neutra| blomass fue| a|ongslde coa| at Klngsnorth and
Ironbrldge power statlons.
In 200^, we comp|eted one of the country's flrst |argesca|e offshore wlnd farms, sltuated
off the coast of ureat armouth ln horfo|k, generatlng power for over ^1,000 homes.
In addltlon to thls, we're bul|dlng the uK's |argest dedlcated blomass power statlon at
Steven's Croft near Lockerble whlch wl|| generate enough e|ectrlclty for around 70,000
homes and prevent the emlsslon of 1^0,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases every year.
Last year, we announced the |aunch of our new marlne team whlch wl|| |ook at new
techno|ogy to harness the power of the tldes and waves.
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0ur reference sources
Jhls pack ls deslgned to glve slmp|e answers to frequent|y asked questlons and common
myths regardlng wlnd power. Jo support our posltlon we have used facts and flgures from
the fo||owlng lndependent and hlgh|y respected bodles.
Sustainab|e 0eve|oment 0ommission (S00), www.sdcommission.org.uk
Jhe Sustalnab|e Peve|opment Commlsslon ls the uovernment's lndependent advlsory body
on sustalnab|e deve|opment, reportlng to the Prlme Mlnlster and to the llrst Mlnlsters of
Scot|and and Wa|es. Jhrough advocacy, advlce and appralsa|, SPC he|p put sustalnab|e
deve|opment at the core of uovernment po|lcy.
8ritish wind nergy Association (8wA), www.bwea.org
Jhe BWLA ls at the heart of the wlnd energy lndustry ln the uK. Lstab|lshed ln 1978, BWLA
ls now the |argest renewab|e energy body ln the uK, representlng more than 310
companles actlve ln the sector. BWLA takes an actlve lnterest ln a|| lssues affectlng the
lndustry from flnanclng, p|annlng and e|ectrlca| lnfrastructure to wlnnlng 'hearts and
mlnds' and undertakes po|ltlca| |obbylng and stakeho|der engagement on beha|f of lts
members. BWLA represents lndustry at home and abroad, to uovernment, reglona| bodles
and |oca| authorltles throughout the uK, to the buslness communlty, the medla and the
pub|lc.
uroean wind nergy Association (wA), www.ewea.org
LWLA ls the volce of the wlnd lndustry promotlng the best lnterest of the sector ln Lurope
and wor|dwlde. LWLA members lnc|ude manufacturers coverlng 98 of the g|oba| wlnd
power market, as we|| as component supp|lers, research lnstltutes, natlona| wlnd and
renewab|es assoclatlons, deve|opers, e|ectrlclty provlders, flnance and lnsurance
companles and consu|tants. Jhe comblned strength of more than 250 members from over
^0 countrles makes LWLA the wor|d's |argest renewab|e energy assoclatlon.
lriends of arth (lo), www.foe.co.uk
lrlends of Larth ls one of the uK's most lnf|uentla| natlona| envlronmenta| campalgnlng
organlsatlon. A unlque network of campalgnlng |oca| groups, worklng ln over 200
communltles throughout Lng|and, Wa|es and horthern Ire|and and the most effectlve
envlronmenta| network ln the wor|d, wlth a|most one ml||lon supporters across flve
contlnents and over 60 natlona| organlsatlons wor|dwlde.
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lrequent|y asked questlons
uLhLkAL
why is the uk setting targets for increasing the use of renewab|es!
kenewab|e Lnergy ls c|ean, free, lndlgenous and wl|| never run out. Jhe uovernment
recognlses the many beneflts of green energy and ls actlve|y supportlng the growth of
renewab|e generatlon to tack|e c|lmate change and encourage a more sustalnab|e
approach to energy use. It has set a target for 15.^ of e|ectrlclty supp|led ln the uK to
come from renewab|e energy sources by 2015}2016. In the Lnergy revlew that was re|eased
on 11 }u|y 2006, the uovernment ls conslderlng lncreaslng the target to 20 by 2020.
Jhls ls a demandlng target and, at L.0h, we are commltted to maklng a slgnlflcant
contrlbutlon. We have lnvested ml||lons ln deve|oplng new renewab|e generatlon lnc|udlng
bul|dlng the uK's |argest dedlcated blomass power statlon ln Scot|and and deve|oplng
onshore and offshore wlnd farms wlth a capaclty of more than 1,300MW.
5everol foctors ore Jrlvloq tbe sblft toworJs reoewoble eoerqy sourcloq, ooJ tbe settloq
of torqets for locreosloq our use of tbem. llrstly, we bove cllmote cbooqe ooJ emlssloos
reJuctloos torqets. 5ecooJly, supplles of troJltloool fuels sucb oll ooJ qos ore becomloq
more expeoslve, ooJ tbe uk's reserves ore lo Jeclloe. we oeeJ to streoqtbeo our eoerqy
securlty. lloolly, tbe oJveot of tbe Lu Lmlssloos IroJloq 5cbeme wlll moke tbe use of
fossll fuels - especlolly corbooloteoslve cool - less ottroctlve lo future. Ibls ls becouse o
prlce ls beloq ploceJ oo corboo emlssloos provlJloq floooclol loceotlves to mlolmlse tbese
lo oll loJustrlol processes, locluJloq electrlclty qeoerotloo. (S0, z66sc, p.)
why wind energy!
0nshore wlnd ls the most commercla||y vlab|e renewab|e energy techno|ogy ln the wor|d
today. Jhe offshore lndustry ls constant|y deve|oplng and huge advances have been made.
In the uK, we have the best wlnd resource ln Lurope and theoretlca||y we have enough to
generate three tlmes our annua| e|ectrlclty usage.
wloJ power ls cleoo, ooturol ooJ wlll oever ruo out. Ibere ls more tboo eoouqb oosbore
ooJ offsbore proctlcol wloJ resource to meet curreot reoewoble eoerqy torqets from wloJ
olooe. Ibe tecbooloqy to extroct eoerqy from tbe wloJ ls o trleJ ooJ testeJ metboJ ooJ ls
ovolloble to belp combot cllmote cbooqe oow. (S0, z66sb, q.4)
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0an wind turbines a|one tack|e c|imate change!
Jhe uK faces ma[or cha||enges of securlng re|lab|e energy supp|les and reduclng lts c|lmate
changlng carbon emlsslons. kenewab|e power wl|| p|ay an lmportant ro|e ln meetlng these
cha||enges, a|ongslde lncreased energy efflclency ln our homes and lnvestlng ln c|eaner
power generatlon.
At L.0h we recognlse the extent of the cha||enge we face and the ro|e we have to p|ay.
We're standlng up to that cha||enge by lnvestlng ln the next generatlon of renewab|e
energy sources a|ongslde|ow carbon techno|ogles and energy efflclency.
locreosloq our use of cleoo eoerqy sources wlll moke o vltol cootrlbutloo to reJucloq tbe
lmpoct of cllmote cbooqe. But otber stroteqles must olso be pursueJ, prlmorlly boostloq
our eoerqy efflcleocy. (S0, z66sc, p.).
why not bui|d sma||er wind turbines!
Jechno|ogy has deve|oped and advances now mean that we can lnsta|| fewer but more
powerfu| turblnes to generate the same amount of c|ean e|ectrlclty.
Jhe flrst turblnes we lnsta||ed ln 1992 are 0.225MW and have a tota| helght of ^5 metres to
b|ade tlp. Jhe |atest ones we have lnsta||ed are 2.75MW, have a tota| helght of 120 metres
to b|ade tlp and can generate 10 tlmes more e|ectrlclty.
4t o qlveo slte, o sloqle moJero wloJ turbloe ooouolly proJuces 180 tlmes more electrlclty
tboo lts equlvoleot tweoty yeors oqo. (wA, z66, p.8)
why not site a|| wind turbines offshore!
It's lmportant that we secure a mlx of renewab|e sources of energy whlch lnc|udes both on
and offshore wlnd farms.
Jhe economlcs and techno|ogy for bul|dlng and lnsta||lng onshore wlnd farms ls proven
whl|e the techno|ogy and knowhow to bul|d offshore wlnd farms ls stl|| growlng.
Constructlon of wlnd farms offshore ls more comp|lcated than on |and due to the varlab|e
nature of the seabed and the range of dlfferent sea condltlons.
At L.0h we remaln fu||y commltted to deve|oplng more onshore and offshore wlnd farms
ln the uK.
4t preseot, oosbore wloJ ls more ecooomlcol tboo Jevelopmeot offsbore. lurtbermore,
offsbore wloJ forms wlll toke looqer to Jevelop, os tbe seo ls lobereotly o more bostlle
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eovlroomeot. Io expect offsbore to be tbe ooly form of wloJ qeoerotloo olloweJ woulJ
tberefore be to cooJemo us to mlssloq our reoewoble eoerqy torqets ooJ commltmeot to
tockle cllmote cbooqe. (8wA, z664)
why not bui|d more nuc|ear ower stations and}or increase energy efficiency measures
instead!
Jo combat c|lmate change and secure a re|lab|e energy supp|y we wl|| need to use every
too| ln the box. Jhat means that we wl|| need to produce energy from a range of renewab|e
sources that are a|ready aval|ab|e, lncrease our commltment to energy efflclency and
deve|op a new generatlon of |ower carbon power statlons. At L.0h, we are commltted to
p|aylng a |eadlng ro|e ln how we shape and de|lver energy ln a way that wl|| protect our
p|anet and meet the needs of our customers.
keJucloq tbe ootloo's JemooJ oo tbe Notloool 6rlJ - tbrouqb eoerqy sovloq, ooJ
cbooqloq our everyJoy bebovlour - ls oot oo optloool extro lo tbe Jrlve to tockle cllmote
cbooqe effectlvely. Loerqy sovloq ooJ reoewoble eoerqy proJuctloo must work lo tooJem
lf we ore to ocbleve torqets for reJucloq qreeobouse qos emlssloos - lo tbe uk ooJ
elsewbere. (S0, z66sc, p.).
Lveo lf we JeclJeJ to bullJ oew oucleor ploots oow, lt woulJ toke ot leost 15 yeors by
most estlmotes for tbem to stort operotloq. we oeeJ emlssloos reJuctloos oow, ooJ wloJ
projects coo be coostructeJ mucb more qulckly. keqorJless of wbot boppeos wltb oucleor
power, we stlll oeeJ oll tbe reoewobles we coo qet, wltb wloJ power os o mojor
cootrlbutor. (S0, z66sb, q.7)
SJAJISJICS
how many wind turbines are there in the uk!
In the uK we get about ^ of our power from renewab|e energy sources. Jhls lnc|udes
about 1.3 from wlnd power (01l, z009c). Jhere are 137 operatlona| onshore and offshore
wlnd farms ln the uK. In tota| there are 1769 wlnd turblnes generatlng e|ectrlclty. Jhey have
an overa|| capaclty of 203^.85MW and produce enough e|ectrlclty for 1,137,78^ homes
(8wA, z007)`.
L.0h own and operate 20 onshore and offshore wlnd farms. We have a tota| of 219 wlnd
turblnes generatlng enough e|ectrlclty to supp|y over 139,000 homes.
` correct as of March 2007
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what is the rogress of wind energy in other u countries!
Lurope ls the wor|d's |eadlng wlnd energy market wlth a tota| lnsta||ed capaclty of ^8,027
MW. Luropean companles are wor|d |eaders ln the manufacture of wlnd turblnes and thelr
components. Jhe fo||owlng graph shows the 10 most successfu| Lu countles (wA, z007):
Lu wlnd energy |eaders, end 2006
20,622
11,615
3,136
2,123 1,963
1,716 1,567 1,560
965
7^6
uermany Spaln Penmark Ita|y uK Portuga| lrance hether|ands Austrla ureece
Mw insta||ed

In uermany wlnd power accounts for about 5.7 of natlona| e|ectrlclty demand. Spaln gets
around 8 of lts e|ectrlclty from wlnd power and ln Penmark wlnd power a|ready satlsfles
20 of e|ectrlclty consumptlon (wA, z006, .19).
6ermooy bos beeo tbe worlJ leoJer lo wloJ eoerqy Jeploymeot sloce tbe mlJ1990s. lo
5polo tbe lostolleJ wloJ copoclty olreoJy exceeJs oucleor ooJ combloeJ cycle qos, ooJ
wlll tbls JecoJe overtoke cool ooJ lorqe byJro. (wA, z66, p.19)
how many wind turbines are required to reach z010 targets!
Jhe uK has the best wlnd resource ln Lurope. Jhls means that wlnd energy, a|ongslde other
renewab|e power such as blomass and marlne techno|ogy, can p|ay a vlta| ro|e ln meetlng
the uovernment's target to generate 15.^ of the uK's power from renewab|e sources by
2015}2016.
Assumlng that the addltlona| capaclty wl|| come from 2MW onshore wlnd turblnes, that
equates to 2,983` addltlona| wlnd turblnes needed to achleve the 2010 target (8wA, z007).
In tota|, about ^,770 onshore wlnd turblnes cou|d supp|y threequarters of the 10 by 2010
target.
wloJ eoerqy's key role lo Jellverloq tbe uk's reoewobles pollcy meoos tbot tbe sector ls
expecteJ to supply tbreequorters of tbe 10X by 2010 torqet, equlvoleot to some 8,000 Mw
of copoclty. (8wA, z009)
` correct as of March 2007
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how many househo|ds e|ectricity demand does a wind turbine meet!
0n average a 2 MW wlnd turblne cou|d generate enough e|ectrlclty ln a year for up to 1,000
homes.` As techno|ogy deve|ops, the amount of energy one turblne can produce wl|| grow.
`Assumptlons: Capaclty factor: 27, annua| generatlon: 2MW ` 27 ` 8760h - ^,730MWh. Jyplca| househo|d
e|ectrlclty consumptlon: ^.7 MWh}year (0igest of uk nergy Statistics, z006)
how much 00
z
emissions er year is offset by a wind turbine!
A 2MW wlnd turblne cou|d save up to 2,000 tonnes of C0
2
` ln a year, that's the same as
about 7,000 return trlps from London to Ldlnburgh ln a petro| car``. And the blgger the
turblne, the more C0
2
lt wl|| offset.
`Assumptlons: Capaclty factor: 27, annua| generatlon: 2MW ` 27 ` 8760h - ^,730MWh, grld e|ectrlclty
convertlng factor: ^30 kg C0
2
} MWh. (0lkA, z009)
`` hatlona| Lnergy loundatlon, C02 ca|cu|ator
how |ong does an onshorewind farm take to deve|o and bui|d !
Jhe |ength of tlme depends on a number of factors lnc|udlng the |ocatlon and the sca|e of
the wlnd farm but lt usua||y takes about four to flve years to deve|op and bul|d an onshore
wlnd farm.
Jhe consu|tatlon process wlth the |oca| communlty, p|anners and statutory consu|tees can
take around two years, lnc|udlng the preparatlon of an Lnvlronmenta| Impact Assessment
and a p|annlng app|lcatlon.
P|annlng declslons typlca||y take slx months for |oca| app|lcatlons (schemes be|ow 50MW)
but sometlmes we|| ln excess of a year for Sectlon 36 app|lcatlons (schemes generatlng
more than 50MW), where app|lcatlons are made to the PJI, the Scottlsh Lxecutlve or the
hatlona| Assemb|y for Wa|es.
0nce a deve|oper has galned consent, lt typlca||y takes about 12 months to carry out
procurement, satlsfy preconstructlon p|annlng condltlons and galn lnvestment approva|
for a scheme. Constructlon and commlsslonlng typlca||y take a year for an onshore wlnd
farm.
At L.0h, we're commltted to best practlce and c|ose|y consu|t wlth the |oca| communlty,
p|anners and stakeho|ders when we put forward a proposa|.
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Common myths
LhvIk0hMLhJ
wind farms are forced through with no regards to environmenta| concerns
At L.0h we take every step to ensure our wlnd farm proposa|s are deve|oped wlth the
greatest care for the |oca| envlronment and the communlty. Lar|y consu|tatlons are carrled
out to make sure that our schemes have a mlnlma| lmpact on the |oca| envlronment and
are deslgned ln a way that ls sympathetlc to the |andscape.
We ensure that we fo||ow best practlce and produce an lndependent Lnvlronmenta| Impact
Assessment whlch |ooks at the potentla| effects on the |oca| envlronment. Jhe resu|ts are
pub|lshed ln an Lnvlronmenta| Statement whlch ls made pub|lc|y aval|ab|e through the
p|annlng process.
lor lorqer wloJ forms (usuolly tbose over 5Mw), Jevelopers ore requlreJ to proJuce oo
loJepeoJeot Lovlroomeotol lmpoct 4ssessmeot. Ibls lovestlqotes speclflc cooceros sucb
os poteotlol effects oo looJscope, oolse ooJ wllJllfe tbot tbe Couocll ooJ otber
opproprlote boJles bove lJeotlfleJ. Ibe results of tbe Ll4 ore publlsbeJ lo oo
Lovlroomeotol 5totemeot (L5), o publlcly ovolloble Jocumeot tbot ls useJ by tbe Couocll
to ossess tbe proposols wbeo reocbloq o Jeclsloo oo relevoot ploooloq oppllcotloos.
(S0, z66s, p.44)
wind turbines soi| the |andscae
At L.0h, we a|ways carry out detal|ed |andscape lmpact studles and avold sensltlve areas.
0urd eve|opers undertake slgnlflcant assessments of the vlsua| effect on the |andscape
when preparlng p|annlng app|lcatlons as part of the Lnvlronmenta| Impact Assessment
process. Jhls a||ows for a fu|| and lndependent assessment of the turblnes' potentla| effects
by the P|annlng Authorlty and other approprlate bodles.
0ur wlllloqoess to sove eoerqy ooJ reJuce our JepeoJeoce oo troJltloool meoos of power
qeoerotloo wlll belp to sofequorJ tbe looJscope for tbe use ooJ eojoymeot of future
qeoerotloos. (S0, z66sc, p.9)
lf we Joo't swltcb to cleooer forms of eoerqy, cllmote cbooqe wlll severely ooJ
lrrevocobly olter mucb of our looJscope ooJ tbe oolmol ooJ ploot llfe lt cootolos. (lo,
z66s, p.11)
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wind turbines ki|| birds and harm wi|d|ife
At L.0h, we a|ways work c|ose|y Lng|lsh hature, Scottlsh hatura| herltage, the Countryslde
Councl| of Wa|es and the kSPB to ensure that wlnd farm deslgn and |ayout does not
lnterfere wlth sensltlve specles or wl|d|lfe deslgnated sltes.
4volloble evlJeoce suqqests tbot opproprlotely posltlooeJ wloJ forms Jo oot pose o
slqolflcoot bozorJ for blrJs. Ibe k5PB loslsts tbot oll wloJ form proposols ore subject to
rlqorous eovlroomeotol ossessmeot before Jevelopmeot ls permltteJ ooJ tbot tbe effects
of ooy opproveJ Jevelopmeots ore mooltoreJ before ooJ ofter coostructloo. (kSP8, z66s)
wind farms harm agricu|tura| |ivestock
Lxperlence shows that farm anlma|s fu||y ad[ust to the wlnd turblnes and no change ln
thelr behavlour has been observed.
wloJ formloq ls populor wltb formers, becouse tbey coo cootloue to use tbelr looJ for
qrowloq crops or eveo qrozloq llvestock, os sbeep, cows ooJ borses ore oot JlsturbeJ by
tbe turbloes. (0TI, z667)
wind farms take u huge |and areas
Wlnd farms take up |ess space than peop|e thlnk and the area around the turblnes can be
used for farmlng.
4 typlcol wloJ form of 20 turbloes mlqbt exteoJ over oo oreo of 1 squore kllometre, but
ooly 1X of tbe looJ oreo woulJ be tokeo out of use, tbe remoloJer coo be useJ for otber
purposes, sucb os formloq or os ooturol bobltot. (8wA, z664)
lt takes years to ay back the energy used for the roduction}insta||ation of wind
turbines
Pependlng on factors such as the |oca| wlnd resource of the wlnd farm slte and the turblne
mode|, the payback tlme varles between 310 months of operatlon.
Ibe eoerqy poybock' or tbe tlme tbot wloJ turbloes toke to proJuce tbe electrlclty
coosumeJ Jurloq tbelr llfe cycle from proJuctloo ooJ lostollotloo tbrouqb to moloteoooce
ooJ floolly Jecommlsslooloq bos beeo estlmoteJ ot 110 mootbs. (S0, z66s, p.18)
L.0h

8
1here are environmenta| imacts from new ower |ines and access roads
Jhe lmpact from new roads ls assessed as part of the Lnvlronmenta| Impact Assessment
that we carry out at the ear|y stages of deve|opment. Access roads are bul|t on|y when
there are no exlstlng roads that can be used.
how we connect the wlnd farm to the e|ectrlclty network ls dea|t wlth as a separate
p|annlng procedure and wl|| be sub[ect to the usua| consu|tatlon processes.
wind farms affect the traffic |eve|s to and from the site
Purlng the constructlon of a wlnd farm lncreased trafflc ls to be expected as components
and workers trave| to slte. After the work ls comp|ete there wl|| be no slgnlflcant lncrease
ln the amount of trafflc golng to the slte. At L.0h, we do everythlng we can to ensure |oca|
dlsruptlon ls kept to a mlnlmum.
S0CILJ
wind farms are unou|ar
Jhe resu|ts of surveys lnto pub|lc attltudes to wlnd farms are remarkab|y conslstent. Jhey
typlca||y suggest that 7080 of the uK pub|lc support wlnd farm deve|opment. Jhose who
|lve near operatlona| wlnd farms tend to be even more posltlve, wlth support |eve|s of up to
9^ belng recorded.`
More tboo elqbt out of teo people ore lo fovour of wloJ eoerqy ooJ less tboo ooe lo teo
oqolost lt. however, tbls 5X ofteo bove tbe most to soy ooJ certololy soy lt tbe louJest,
wblcb ofteo qlves rlse to tbe mlscooceptloo tbot wloJ eoerqy, ls uopopulor ooJ
uowelcome. (8wA, z664)
`JhS}PJI uK Attltudes to kenewab|e Lnergy Plstrlbutors
wind farms harm tourism
Pesplte the constructlon of wlnd farms across the uK, there ls no convlnclng evldence to
suggest any adverse lmpacts on tourlst numbers.
0urown experlence suggests that wlnd farms can be good for tourlsm. 0ur lnformatlon
centre for Scroby Sands Wlnd larm attracts around 35,000 vlsltors a year.
L.0h

9
91X of tourlsts questlooeJ solJ preseoce of wloJ forms woulJ oot effect wbetber tbey
woulJ returo to oo oreo. 55X of tbose wbo boJ octuolly seeo wloJ forms felt tbelr lmpoct
wos qeoerolly or completely posltlve. 0oly 8X felt tbelr lmpoct wos oeqotlve.
(M0kI/8wA/Skl, z66z)
wind farms harm house rices
Jhere ls no evldence to suggest that wlnd farms have a |ong term lmpact on house prlces.
4oy prlce foll Jlmlolsbes wltb tlme, ooJ prlces qeoerolly recover ofter tbe wloJ form bos
beeo up ooJ ruooloq for two yeors. (kIS, z664, p.1)
wind farms do not create |obs
Where posslb|e, L.0h uses |oca| contractors thereby creatlng [obs for |oca| peop|e.
Specla|lst contractors wl|| a|so need to stay c|ose to the slte, brlnglng ln trade to |oca|
shops and hote|s, guest houses and B8Bs.
work uoJertokeo by tbe 0Il os port of lts keoewobles 5upply Cbolo 6op 4oolysls'
loJlcotes tbot orouoJ 8,000 people ore curreotly employeJ lo tbe reoewobles loJustry,
wltb tbe poteotlol for tbls to rlse to orouoJ 15,000 over tbe looqer term. (0TI, z66sc)
wind farms bring no benefits to the |oca| community
L.0h ls commltted to worklng wlth |oca| communltles. Apart from offerlng an annua|
communlty fund for the |lfetlme of the wlnd farm, L.0h engages the |oca| communlty from
the very ear|y stages of every pro[ect so that |oca| peop|e can dlscuss thelr needs and have
a c|ear ldea of how they wl|| beneflt.
wloJ power Jevelopmeots bove tbe poteotlol to locreose rurol locomes tbrouqb reots oo
looJ leoseJ to wloJ Jevelopers. wloJ projects coo olso brloq ecooomlc beoeflts to o
commuolty tbrouqb commuolty beoeflt poymeots. (S0, z66s, p.9z)
wind deve|oers are sim|y making rofits for their shareho|ders
L.0h ls a buslness |lke any other and seeks to make a proflt from lts actlvltles. If wlnd farm
deve|opments were not profltab|e, deve|opers wou|d not bul|d them and the natlon's
renewab|e energy generatlon wou|d not be met.
L.0h

10
We ba|ance our responslbl|lty to our shareho|ders wlth the responslbl|lty we have for our
|oca| communltles and the envlronment. Jhrough the deve|opment process we ensure that
we meet and consu|t wlth |oca| stakeho|ders and thelr vlews and concerns are consldered
and addressed through the wlnd farm's |lfe.
Corefully JevelopeJ wloJ power scbemes coo bove mooy beoeflts, oot just to tbe
Jeveloper ooJ owoers, but to locol commuoltles, ootloool eoerqy securlty ooJ qlobol
eovlroomeotol protectloo. wblle tbe mojorlty of wloJ forms ore oot commuolty owoeJ,
locol commuoltles wlll beoeflt from tbe job opportuoltles tbey creote, ooJ looJowoers wlll
recelve oo locome. (lo, z66s, p.1)
wind farms are forced through with no regards to |oca| concerns
L.0h fo||ows best practlce ln pub|lc consu|tatlon, lnvo|vlng the |oca| communlty at an ear|y
stage through pub|lc exhlbltlons and consu|tatlon. We take tlme to |lsten and we are happy
to address any lssues the communlty has about our schemes.
Jhrough the p|annlng process, the |oca| P|annlng Authorlty wl|| assess any |oca| lssues
ralsed by the pub|lc before lt takes any declslon and democratlca||y e|ected Councl||ors wl||
have the flna| say.
Preploooloq publlc coosultotloo coo ylelJ beoeflts for botb tbe Jeveloper ooJ tbe publlc.
Ibe Jeveloper wlll qolo o voluoble loslqbt loto tbe lssues of locol coocero ooJ coo ploo tbe
Jevelopmeot of tbe scbeme to mltlqote ooy posslble oeqotlve lmpocts ot oo eorly stoqe.
Ibe publlc beoeflts os tbey leoro obout tbe scbeme eorly lo tbe process, bove more
opportuolty to loflueoce tbe Jetoll of tbe scbeme ooJ bove mucb more tlme to prepore o
respoose to tbe proposol. (S0, z66s, p.9z)
Saying yes to one wind farm oens the door to massive wind deve|oments in the area
Jhls ls not the case. Jhe p|annlng system ls deslgned to eva|uateand conslder the
'cumu|atlve lmpact' from wlnd farm deve|opments ln an area. Jhere are strlct|y app|led
crlterla for estab|lshlng the capaclty of a |andscape and every deve|opment ls [udged on lts
merlts.
wind turbines can cause car accidents as a resu|t of drivers distraction
Lvldence from exlstlng wlnd farms ln Brltaln c|ose to busy roads lndlcates that turblnes do
not dlstract drlvers. Wlnd turblnes are a|most a|ways slted over a mlnlmum dlstance whlch
ls the same as the tota| wlnd turblne helght p|us 10 from pub|lc roads.
L.0h

11
wind turbine comonents are dangerous for the hea|th 8 Safety of |oca| eo|e
Wlnd farms generate c|ean, renewab|e e|ectrlclty and pose no harm to the |oca|
communlty.
wloJ eoerqy bos oo ossocloteJ emlssloos, bormful pollutoots or woste proJucts. lo over
25 yeors ooJ wltb more tboo 8,000 mocbloes lostolleJ orouoJ tbe worlJ, oo member of
tbe publlc bos ever beeo bormeJ by tbe oormol operotloo of wloJ turbloes. (8wA,
z66sb)
LC0h0MICS
wind ower is heavi|y subsidised
Wlnd power, a|ong wlth other sources of renewab|e power, recelves support from the
government through the kenewab|es 0b|lgatlon (k0). Jhls p|aces an ob|lgatlon on
supp|lers to source an lncreaslng percentage of thelr e|ectrlclty from renewab|e sources.
Jhe cost of the k0 ls pald by consumers through thelr bl||s.
Jhe support schemes for renewab|e power alm to restore a |eve| p|aylng fle|d ln the
e|ectrlclty market. hlstorlca||y, a|| new forms of e|ectrlclty generatlon have recelved lnltla|
support.
Ibe subslJles beloq qlveo to reoewobles oow must be cootrosteJ oqolost tbe buqe
subslJles (expllclt ooJ blJJeo) qlveo to fossll fuels ooJ oucleor power over tbe yeors.
(S0, z66sb, q.1z)
No electrlclty qeoerotloq tecbooloqy lo blstory bos beeo JevelopeJ, lotroJuceJ ooJ
become competltlve wltbout loltlol support. Ibe Lu recoqolses tbot wloJ power ooJ otber
reoewoble sources remolo ot o competltlve JlsoJvootoqe to fossll ooJ oucleor sources.
Ibe support mecboolsms for reoewoble eoerqy lo tbe Lu Member 5totes exlst to overcome
tbe mooy curreot Jlstortloos lo ootloool electrlclty morkets ooJ betweeo ootloool ooJ
reqloool electrlclty morkets. (wA, z664, p.1z)
wind ower is exensive
Jhe costs of deve|oplng onshore wlnd farms have dec|lned as the techno|ogy and the
lndustry has grown and deve|oped. Power from onshore wlnd ls now the most competltlve
of the renewab|e energy techno|ogles. Peve|oplng offshore wlnd ls now cha||englng but
the lndustry ls growlng rapld|y.
L.0h

12
wloJ power's competltlveoess wlll lmprove furtber stlll os fossll fuel prlces rlse Jue to tbe
Jeclloe lo reserves ooJ pollcles tbot toke loto occouot tbe eovlroomeotol ooJ soclol costs
of usloq fossll fuels, wblcb ore oot curreotly reflecteJ lo tbelr prlce (e.q. Cllmote Cbooqe
Levy, Lu Lmlssloos IroJloq 5cbeme). lf tbe soclol cost of corboo ls locluJeJ, tbe oet
oJJltloool cost of wloJ power, lf lt were to fully meet tbe 2020 torqets, ls reJuceJ, ooJ
coulJ be zero. (0TI, z66sc; S0, z66s, p.z7)
1he costs to bui|d back u |ants is huge
Wlnd power does not requlre dedlcated backup p|ant or storage. In hlgh |eve|s of wlnd
penetratlon addltlona| costs maln|y derlve from malntalnlng the ba|ance between demand
and supp|y and relnforclng the grld. If the envlronmenta| beneflts of thls cost are lnc|uded
then thls ls substantla||y reduced.
Ibls ls becouse wloJ ploot ls treoteJ os port of tbe totol portfollo of qeoerotloq ploot,
ooJ boloocloq servlces' (servlces tbot belp molotolo tbe bolooce betweeo JemooJ ooJ
supply) ore scbeJuleJ occorJloq to tbe overoll level of rlsk, oot for loJlvlJuol ploots or
tecbooloqles. 4 blqb level of wloJ peoetrotloo wlll requlre oo locreose lo boloocloq
servlces, but tbls ls o cost rotber tboo o coostrolot - ooJ tbls cost ls o smoll port of tbe
oJJltloool costs of locorporotloq wloJ power. (S0, z664b, q.1s)
JLChhICAL ISSuLS
wind turbines are noisy
L.0h carrles out nolse assessments ln accordance wlth lndustry standards to ensure that
there wl|| be no nolse lmpact on nearby propertles. We wl|| a|so be sub[ect to a p|annlng
condltlon to ensure that we do not exceed nolse |eve|s.
Ibe evolutloo of wloJ form tecbooloqy over tbe post JecoJe bos reoJereJ mecboolcol
oolse from turbloes olmost uoJetectoble wltb tbe molo souoJ beloq tbe oeroJyoomlc
swoosb of tbe bloJes possloq tbe tower. Ibere ore strlct qulJelloes oo wloJ turbloes ooJ
oolse emlssloos to eosure tbe protectloo of reslJeotlol omeolty. lt ls posslble to stooJ
uoJeroeotb o turbloe ooJ bolJ o cooversotloo wltbout bovloq to rolse your volce. 4s wloJ
speeJ rlses, tbe oolse of tbe wloJ mosks tbe oolse moJe by wloJ turbloes. (8wA, z664)
L.0h

13
wind turbines create shadow f|icker
Jhe posslbl|lty of shadow f|lcker ls lnvestlgated as part of the envlronmenta| assessments
carrled out as part of the p|annlng process. At L.0h, we ensure that we keep the requlred
dlstances from propertles to avold any posslb|e negatlve affect.
5boJow lllcker boppeos wbeo tbe suo ls low lo tbe sky ooJ sbloes oo o bullJloq from
bebloJ o turbloe rotor. Ibls coo couse tbe sboJow of tbe turbloe bloJes to be cost ooto
tbe bullJloq, wblcb oppeors to fllck oo ooJ off os tbe turbloe rototes. wbeo tbls fllckloq
sboJow ls vleweJ tbrouqb o oorrow opeoloq lt ls koowo os sboJow fllcker. 0evelopers coo
colculote tbe exteot of tbls effect usloq tbe qeometry of tbe mocbloe ooJ tbe lotltuJe of
tbe poteotlol slte. 5boJow fllcker ooly occurs lo relotlve proxlmlty to sltes ooJ bos ooly
beeo recorJeJ occoslooolly ot ooe slte lo tbe uk. (0TI, z66sb)
wind turbines interfere with aviation and radar systems
At L.0h, we consu|t wlth the Mlnlstry of Pefence, the Clvl| Avlatlon Authorlty, the hatlona|
Alr Jrafflc Servlces and lndlvldua| alrports and aerodromes from the outset to make sure
any lssues wlth avlatlon safety and radar receptlon are qulck|y addressed.
wloJ turbloes coo preseot o bozorJ to low flyloq olrcroft ooJ moy olso offect roJor ooJ
roJlo oovlqotloo systems. however eorly coosultotloo wltb oll stotutory outborltles coo
belp successful sltloq ooJ mltlqotloo Jeclsloos to be moJe. loterootloool experleoce
suqqests tbot tbe uk bos some of tbe strlctest pollcles lo ploce oo roJor ooJ ovlotloo -
tbese must be justlfleJ. (S0, z66s, p.99)
wind turbines interfere with te|ecommunication systems and 1v recetion
As wlth the avlatlon authorltles, we consu|t wlth radlo communlcatlon companles from an
ear|y stage to ensure that any lssues wlth te|ecommunlcatlon systems and Jv receptlon are
reso|ved.
Jv receptlon prob|ems are usua||y very easl|y and qulck|y rectlfled by a deve|oper of a wlnd
farm and there are usua||y no technlca| obstac|es to sortlng thlngs out. A p|annlng
condltlon, shou|d thls be deemed necessary by the p|annlng authorlty, wl|| a|so ensure that
any prob|ems wlth Jv receptlon are prompt|y and effectlve|y rectlfled.
wloJ turbloes coo sometlmes couse electromoqoetlc loterfereoce, poteotlolly leoJloq to
problems sucb os qbostloq' oo televlsloo screeos. 0evelopers puttloq up slqool booster
equlpmeot oo or orouoJ tbe wloJ form slte coo qeoerolly correct tbls eoslly. (0TI, z66sc)

L.0h

1^
ukIP ISSuLS
wind turbines are not efficient
Peop|e often confuse efflclency wlth lntermlttency. Wlnd turblnes generate e|ectrlclty from
a free fue| that wl|| never run out, but lt's not aval|ab|e a|| the tlme. Jhls ls ca||ed
'lntermlttent generatlon'. It'st herefore mls|eadlng to compare the efflclency of wlnd
energy wlth conventlona| power p|ants whlch can run when needed lf supp|led wlth fue|.
4 moJero wloJ turbloe proJuces electrlclty 7085X of tbe tlme, but lt qeoerotes Jlffereot
outputs JepeoJloq oo tbe wloJ speeJ. 0ver tbe course of tbe yeor, lt wlll qeoerote obout
10X of tbe tbeoretlcol moxlmum output. Ibls ls koowo os lts looJ foctor. Cool ooJ oucleor
ploots bove o looJ foctor of 585X. (8wA, z664)
wind turbines are not re|iab|e
As wlnd farms re|y on the natura| resource of the wlnd, they wl|| not run a|| the tlme.
however a|| forms of generatlon requlre back up and no energy techno|ogy can be re|led
upon 100.
No qeoerotloq ploot ls 100X relloble. Iberefore, reserves ore requlreJ to cover for
uoexpecteJ outoqes oo oll ploots. Ibe roteJ copoclty of tbe totol lostolleJ wloJ ploot ls of
mloor loterest to system operotors, wbo moke supply securlty ossessmeots boseJ oo
estlmotes of overoll stotlstlcol probobllltles for tbe complete qeoerotloq mlx. (S0, z66s,
p.zz)
Ibe totol output of oll wloJ copoclty wlll be less vorloble, os lt wlll be moJe up of o lorqe
oumber of wloJ forms spreoJ tbrouqbout tbe couotry. lt tberefore follows tbot qreoter
qeoqropblc Jlverslty lo wloJ form locotloos ls beoeflclol to tbe combloeJ output proflle of
wloJ power. (S0, z66s, p.z4)
ln 6ermany they are no |onger bui|ding wind farms due to grid instabi|ity rob|ems
uermany has been the wor|d |eader ln deve|oplng wlnd farms and has ambltlous targets to
provlde 30 of the natlon's e|ectrlclty from wlnd energy by 2030`. Jhe uK has the best
wlnd resource ln Lurope and an e|ectrlclty grld wlth wlde geographlca| dlstrlbutlon whlch
means that prob|ems faced ln uermany do not app|y ln the uK.
At L.0h, we are commltted to expandlng our renewab|e generatlon portfo|lo ln support of
the uovernment's targets. It's lmportant that we |ook at ways of uslng experlences ln other
L.0h

15
countrles, such as uermany, totack|e the lssue of embedded generatlon, lnc|udlng wlnd
farms and mlcro ChP systems, as we rewlre Brltaln for the 21stcentury.
6ermooy ploos to mosslvely locreose lts wloJ eoerqy output from olmost 17 6w toJoy to
1 6w lo 2015 ooJ 48 6w lo 2020 ooJ o receot report cooflrms tbot tbls ls tecbolcolly
feoslble from o qrlJ perspectlve ooJ ecooomlcolly very effectlve. Ibls expoosloo sboulJ
Jellver 14X of tbe couotry's electrlclty coosumptloo by 2015. (0NA, z66s)
` (LWLA, 2006, p.18)

L.0h

16
Blb|lography
1. BWLA, 2006. uK Wlnd Lnergy Patabase (uKWLP). Aval|ab|e from:
www.bwea.com}ukwed}lndex.asp Accessed 7}3}2007
2. BWLA, 2005. Brleflng sheet, Wlnd and the uK's 10 target. Aval|ab|e from:
www.bwea.org}pdf}brleflngs}target2005sma||.pdf Accessed 10}2}2006
3. BWLA, 2005b. Jop Myths about Wlnd Lnergy. Aval|ab|e from:
www.bwea.com}energy}myths.htm| Accessed 5}12}2005
^. BWLA, 200^. Wlnd Lnergy lAs. Aval|ab|e from: www.bwea.com}ref}faq.htm|#popu|ar
Accessed 2}12}2005
5. PLlkA, 2005. uulde|lnes for Company keportlng on ureenhouse uas Lmlsslons.
Aval|ab|e from: www.defra.gov.uk}envlronment}buslness}envrp}gas}envrpgas
annexes.pdf Accessed 2}12}2005
6. PLhA, 2005. Integratlon lnto the natlona| grld of onshore and offshore wlnd energy
generated ln uermany by the year 2020. Aval|ab|e from:
www.dena.de}fl|eadmln}user_up|oad}Pown|oad}Pokumente}Pro[ekte}kraftwerke_netz
e}netzstudle1}denagrld_study_summary.pdf Accessed 7}3}2007
7. PuKLS, 200^. keglona| and |oca| e|ectrlclty consumptlon statlstlcs. Aval|ab|e from
www.dtl.gov.uk}fl|es}fl|e185^9.x|s Accessed 6}7}2006
8. PJI, 2007. uestlons about Wlnd Lnergy. Aval|ab|e from:
www.dtl.gov.uk}energy}sources}renewab|es}newsevents}press
materla|s}background}wlnd}page2^263.htm| Accessed 7}3}2007
9. PJI, 2005b. P|annlng onshore wlnd. Aval|ab|e from:
www.dtl.gov.uk}energy}sources}renewab|es}p|annlng}onshorewlnd}page18711.htm|
Accessed 6}7}2005
10. PJI, 2005c. kenewab|es exp|alned: Introductlon. Aval|ab|e from:
www.dtl.gov.uk}energy}sources}renewab|es}renewab|esexp|alned}lndex.htm|
Accessed 7}3}2007
11. PWLA, 2005. luture energy supp|y. Aval|ab|e from:
www.wlndpower.org}en}futuresupp|y.htm Accessed 10}2}2006
12. LWLA, 2007. Statlstlcs. Aval|ab|e from: www.ewea.org}lndex.php!ld-180 Accessed
7}3}2007
L.0h

17
13. LWLA, 2006. Lurope's energy crlsls: the no fue| so|utlon. Aval|ab|e from:
www.ewea.org}fl|eadmln}ewea_documents}documents}pub|lcatlons}brleflngs}no_fue|
_|o_res_72dpl.pdf Accessed 28}6}2006
1^. LWLA, 2005. Support schemes for renewab|e energy - A comparatlve ana|ysls of
Payment Mechanlsms ln the Lu. Aval|ab|e from:
www.ewea.org}fl|eadmln}ewea_documents}documents}pro[ects}rexpanslon}050620_e
wea_report.pdf Accessed 6}7}2006
15. LWLA, 200^. Posltlon paper on the future of Lu support systems for the promotlon of
e|ectrlclty from renewab|e energy sources. Aval|ab|e from:
www.ewea.org}fl|eadmln}ewea_documents}documents}pub|lcatlons}posltlon_papers}
support_systems_pp.pdf Accessed 6}12}2005
16. loL, 2005. Wlnd Power: your questlons answered. Aval|ab|e from:
www.foe.co.uk}resource}factsheets}wlnd_power.pdf Accessed 7}3}2007
17. M0kI, 2002. Jourlst Attltudes to Wlnd larms ln Argy||. . Aval|ab|e from: www.lpsos
morl.com}po||s}2002}wlndfarms.shtm| Accessed ^}7}2006
18. kICS, 200^. Impact of wlnd farms on the va|ue of resldentla| property and agrlcu|tura|
|and. Aval|ab|e from: www.rlcs.org}hk}rdon|yres}66225A938^0l^9l28820
0LBCCC29L8A^}0}Wlndfarmsflna|report.pdf Accessed 10}2}2006
19. kSPB, 2005. Wlnd larms. Aval|ab|e from: www.rspb.org.uk}po|lcy}wlndfarms}lndex.asp
Accessed 6}1}2006
20.SPC, 2005. Wlnd Power ln the uk: a gulde to the key lssues surroundlng onshore wlnd
power deve|opment ln the uk. Aval|ab|e from: www.sd
commlsslon.org.uk}pub|lcatlons}down|oads}Wlnd_Lnergyhovkev2005.pdf Accessed
2}12}2005
21. SPC, 2005b. Wlnd Power 8As. Aval|ab|e from: www.sd
commlsslon.org.uk}pages}1905052.htm| Accessed 7}3}2007
22.SPC, 2005c. Wlnd power: our questlons answered. Aval|ab|e from: www.sd
commlsslon.org.uk}pub|lcatlons.php!ld-235 Accessed 7}3}2007

how does a wlnd turblne work!




As wlnd b|ows past the b|ades,
sensors detect the dlrectlon of
the wlnd and turn the b|ades to
face lt. Jhe b|ades rotate around
a hub whlch connects to a shaft
lnslde the head, known as the
nace||e.
Jhe rotatlng shaft powers a
generator to covert the energy
lnto e|ectrlclty. It's then fed lnto
the cab|es connected to the
e|ectrlca| grld network for use ln
homes, schoo|s and lndustry.

1. Maln shaft:
Jhe maln shaft ls used to support the rotor and
transfer the rotatlng energy from the rotor to the
gearbox.
2. uearbox:
Jhe b|ades turn at about 22 revo|utlons per
mlnute, but the generator needs to spln much
faster to create e|ectrlclty. Jhat's where the
gearbox comes ln, lt rea||y speeds thlngs up
3. Parklng brake:
Jhe brake ls used to brlng the rotor to a stop and
ho|d lt there after the b|ades have pltched to
s|ow the rotor down.
^. Wlnd sensors:
Wlnd vane thls measures the dlrectlon of the
wlnd to ensure that the turblne ls a|ways
polntlng ln the rlght dlrectlon.
Anemometer thls measures the wlnd speed.
Jhls ls used by the turblne to contro| the ang|e of
the b|ades to ensure the most efflclent settlng.
If lt senses that the wlnd speed ls too strong, the
computer lnslde the turblne automatlca||y shuts
the turblne down.
5. Jransformer:
Jhls converts the |ower vo|tage (690v) from the
generator, to a hlgher vo|tage (33,000v) for more
efflclent transltlon to the hatlona| urld.
6. kotor |ock system:
Jhls ls a safety feature and ls used to |ock the
rotor lnto posltlon when malntenance actlvltles
are taklng p|ace wlthln the nace||e and hub.
7. hydrau|lc unlt:
Jhls ls used to generate hydrau|lc power for use
ln the b|ade pltch system and the parklng brake.
8. uenerator:
Jhe generator converts energy from the rotatlng
b|ades lnto e|ectrlclty.