Turbine milestone

Britain has got its 1,000th working wind turbine. It was switched on at the Moel Maelogen project in North Wales earlier this year. It took 11 years to reach this milestone, whereas the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) predicts that the next thousand turbines will be commissioned and constructed within just two more years from now. Planning permission is already in place for 450 onshore and 90 offshore.

Wind farm enterprises come in many shapes and sizes, and Moel Maelogen is a classic example of a small rural scheme, run by three Welsh hill farmers who turned to harvesting the wind because they could see no viable future in farming. It's a project supported by Triodos, the ethical bank who have made something of a speciality of wind power finance - they backed three quarters of the small wind power schemes across the country last year. Moel Maelogen, with three turbines in all, should provide enough electricity to meet the needs of 2,500 local homes, and one of the founders, Geraint Davies, said it had "changed the way people here think about the energy they buy and use". Ideas for expansion, he says, could include "a local share issue enabling local people to 'own' the energy they use".

21 March 2003