Wind of change
Wednesday 19 December, 2007
Electricity prices continue to creep up year on year regardless of which energy supplier you swear your allegiance to. And with climate change at the very top of the world's agenda, farmers are increasingly being looked to as the standard bearers of renewable energy production.
Mention renewable energy and agriculture in the same sentence and the mind is instantly drawn towards bio diesel production, anaerobic digestion and biomass. Talk about wind power though and angry residents complaining about noise pollution and blighting of the natural landscape come to the fore. Issues both local and national media tend to focus on, so are wind turbines something farmers should steer well clear of?
According to Chris Porter of Wind Direct Ltd, the answer is certainly not. He spoke at a Cheshire Rural Energy Group meeting last month organised by the rural, business and renewable energy consultants CMS UK.
Interested farmers who attended were told all they'd have to do was lease Wind Direct Ltd an area of their land for a wind turbine to be located and buy the electricity it generates. The benefits being low cost electricity which Wind Direct claim is 30 to 40 per cent cheaper than brown electricity. They also claim farmers will not need to stump up any capital as the company fund the turbines and development costs. Of course it is also carbon neutral so this is one way the farming community could make a huge environmental statement.
So let's pretend you decide to have a wind turbine on you farm. How long will it be on you land for?
Richard Barker of Wind Prospect also spoke at the CMS meeting. He said: "You'd get a licence for one year. We then move towards an option for a lease term of approximately 27 years. The minimum amount of rent you'd be looking at would be £3,000 a megawatt (MW)."
That's an attractive business opportunity for any farmer, so why aren't wind turbines popping up left, right and centre?
Well, there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration before a wind turbine can be erected. Neighbours are important, especially in rural communities. Many farmers are of course put off at the first hurdle. Aggravating the surrounding community and their peers is the last thing an isolated farmer, who may well be the pillar of their village, wants to do.
Noise, vibrations and visual impacts are all important issues for residents. Wind Direct advise that anyone wanting to have one should stay in constant contact with neighbours and keep them regularly updated.
Chris Porter explained: "We strive to keep our turbines 750 metres away from any buildings. It's background noise which counts. There are guidelines that say the noise a wind turbine generates should be no more than 35 decibels above the background level. 35 decibels is like a quiet bedroom."
Consultation processes are the first step to acquiring a wind turbine on your land. Turbines are in very short supply at the moment, so companies wanting to lease farm land have to make sure they pick the best spots.
Issues such as proximity to the grid and wind speed reports are all crucial. And even then, the Ministry of Defence can always throw a spanner in the works as turbines in wrong locations can interfere with its radars.
Chris Porter added: "So far 707 sites have been assessed with 189 of them being positive. Since 1988 the ones that have gone into the planning stages have been 94% successful."
All you need to start off the process is proof of the land under your control. Something like a Single Farm Payment form. For more information about wind turbines and your suitability, contact Cheshire based CMS UK on 01270 522 645.
• Turbines are always white to fit in with prevalent weather conditions i.e. cloud. Research into what colour would be best for turbines was conducted in Scandinavia where, of course, there is a lot of cloud cover.
• CMS UK is an independent rural, business and renewable energy consultancy based near Crewe, Cheshire with national coverage across England and Wales.
