WIND ENERGY

In 1990 when I first started working in the field of wind energy I was a volunteer. There were few paid jobs in the field in what was very much a fledgling industry and many of the people who were involved were either academics or "true believers" in climate change and the need for a rethink in the way we meet our energy supplies. How times, opinions and policies with respect to climate change and renewable energy have changed in just a few short years.

I have the deepest respect for responsible environmental pressure groups but am no politician so that area of the environment was not for me. I do believe, however, that if any environmental product is to succeed in the general market it must be every bit as good as the conventional alternative and also be cost effective. That was a formidable personal driver in throughout the 90's. With rising fuel prices and the reducing costs for wind energy this technology is becoming an increasingly real alternative (not, I hasten to add, the whole answer) to help meet our ever increasing electricity demands. 15-20% of the UK's electricity could come from onshore and offshore wind energy without any significant impact in the way our grid system operates. That is a level of generation that demands serious consideration.

Personally I find wind turbines structures themselves to be graceful, particularly the three slow rotating blades of the latest models to the market, where aesthetic design is increasingly a feature of the turbine itself. That is not to say that I think wind energy at all costs is the answer. Environmentally sensitively located, well designed sites in the correct landscape can be benign or even enhance a location in my opinion. In the wrong place they could be entirely unacceptable within that landscape. I have full respect for people who have responsibly considered the options and alternatives and do not consider the benefits to outweigh the impacts of a given proposal. Others simply do not like the look of them. Some would like to see them everywhere. These are personal opinions that we must each make.

With increasing levels of wind energy implementation across the UK and increasing pressure on us all to recognise the environmental footprint we as individuals and as a nation have, energy supply and demand in all its forms is one of the most important issues facing our own and future generations. I do not believe we can afford to bury our heads in the sand. As individuals we must all think about where our electricity comes from, how it is produced and the impact that alternative options may have for our own and future generations. For me, I believe wind energy has a part to play in that future, along with many other forms of electricity generation and conservation.