Drive the wind

Ford’s Dagenham plant marks a city wind milestone Could we be witnessing the dawn of a new era of vehicles made with wind power? Ford’s cars may not be blowing us away with their green credentials just yet - though the stir around the company’s US launch of a ‘sports ute’ with a hybrid engine has certainly given SUV-hating environmentalists plenty to argue about. But the motor giant is breaking new ground at Dagenham in east London in the way it drives its operations. The new wind park there is the first such city-based wind scheme in Europe. Built by Ecotricity, the independent green energy supplier with a specialist line in wind power facilities for companies, it boasts two 85-metre wind turbine towers topped by 35-metre blades - a combined height over twice that of Nelson’s Column. More to the point, they supply all the electricity requirements of Ford’s new Dagenham Diesel Centre - whose green credentials also include energy efficiency and emissions reduction measures, 100% reusable packaging, and a wildlife lake. By avoiding the emission of almost 6,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, the development will contribute usefully to the renewable energy targets outlined in the Mayor of London's draft energy strategy. But it’s not just about the green benefits, as Ford of Britain chairman Roger Putnam acknowledges. “Ford’s wind turbines will change the Dagenham and east London skyline forever. There were good business and environmental reasons for embarking on this project - green power from Ecotricity is fully competitive with our forecast energy prices and there are huge non-financial benefits too.” All credit, then, to the council planning committees at Havering and at Barking and Dagenham for granting their approval in the first place. Not that Dagenham is known for its stunning views or vocal landscape-loving Nimbys; in fact it’s Greater London’s most industrial area. But Ecotricity has recently gone on to get planning permission for putting up a similar turbine in another urban site - on a business park at Wokingham, where it should provide about 2% of the energy needs of the town.

10 November 2004