Wind Power

Wind Power

1. A modern wind turbine produces electricity 70-85% of the time, but it generates different outputs depending on the wind speed. Over the course of a year it will typically generate about 30% of the theoretical maximum output. This is known as its load factor – and compares with 50% for a conventional power station. A modern commercial wind turbine will generate enough to meet the electricity demands of more than 1,000 homes over the course of a year.

2. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and whether you think a wind turbine is attractive or not is a matter of personal opinion – ask yourself whether you’d prefer to look at a conventional power station instead. Studies show that 80% of the public support wind energy, less than 10% are against it, with the remainder undecided. In fact, the closer people live to a wind farm, the more they tend to support wind energy.

3. Advances in technology mean that mechanical noise from turbines is now virtually undetectable, with the main sound being the aerodynamic swoosh of the blades passing the tower. Strict guidelines in wind turbines and noise emissions ensure the protection of residential amenity

4. Wind is to provide a 10th of UK electricity

5. Wind energy jobs are being created all over the UK - The wind energy industry now employs 12,200 people in full-time jobs, compared to 9,756 in 2010. The offshore wind industry alone now employs 45 per cent more people directly than two years ago.

6. Wind farms have finally bucked the downward trend in planning approval rates. For the first time in five years, the amount of UK capacity being approved at a local level has increased instead of decreased.

7. A standard wind turbine uses less than an acre of land

8. The UK is the windiest country in Europe

9. A standard wind turbine can power 1,219 homes

10. A standard wind turbine displaces 2,365 tonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to 30,000 road trips from Edinburgh to London

Images and files in the map