Somerset Goes Green – But Is It Too Little Too Late?

25 May 2006

The state-of-the-art turbine will be sited at Shooters Bottom and will generate approximately 7 million units of electricity each year – enough to power 1,600 homes and meet 8% of Somerset's target for renewable energy. Ecotricity also has an application in progress to build a wind farm with five more turbines in the County, at Burnham-on-Sea, which would bring the total output to a level that will meet 48% of Somerset's renewables target.

Burning fossil fuels to generate electricity is the UK's single biggest cause of climate change, responsible for 30% of our carbon emissions. There is an urgent need to change where our energy comes from – and this can be done in the shortest time by bringing renewable energy sources online, such as wind, solar, hydro and geothermal power, alongside a concerted effort on energy efficiency measures.

Ecotricity is the UK's only independent energy company investing in the production of renewable energy. It has been developing and constructing wind turbines since 1995. Company founder Dale Vince is passionate about protecting the environment. In 2004 he was awarded the OBE for services to the environment and he sits on the Government's Renewables Advisory Board. “We have to take a responsible attitude towards the way we fuel our lifestyle,” he says. “As an industrial nation we are heavily dependent on electricity, but as human beings we're even more heavily dependent on a stable global climate. We must be smart about the way we generate and consume electricity, making the most of the renewable technologies available to get what we want without destroying the planet. The nuclear option seems totally irresponsible to me, leaving future generations with potentially disastrous contamination problems. Wind turbines can be erected, upgraded or taken down with minimal impact on the environment.”

Dale is frustrated by the length of time it is currently taking to get proposed wind turbines from conception to completion. The wind turbine at Shooters Bottom has taken nearly four years from conception to the granting of planning permission and will take another year to construct. “If the UK is to meet the renewable obligation the Government signed up to at Kyoto,” Dale says, we need to speed the whole process up.”
The arguments for and against wind turbines have been well rehearsed. Experience shows that whilst people initially oppose the idea of construction ‘in their own back yard', once they are erected people are no longer concerned by them. Wind power is currently the most viable option for replacing fossil fuel power on the scale required. “We need to have one debate nationwide on the pros and cons of wind power and reach a consensus on what we're going to do. Then planning applications locally could be fast-tracked,” says Dale.

In granting planning permission for a wind turbine, Somerset County Council has taken an important step in helping to reduce CO2 emissions. Individuals can take an important step, very easily, by switching to a green energy supplier. Most offer energy generated from existing green sources. Ecotricity offers its own clean green energy alongside traditional energy (at the same price) to meet demand, but invests heavily - £7m in 2006 – in the production of more renewable energy to ensure that supply can eventually meet demand. It guarantees to match the price of local suppliers so switching to green energy needn't cost customers more. To investigate the options for green energy visit WhichGreen.co.uk. To find out more about Ecotricity or to sign up visit www.ecotricity.com or call 08000 326 100.

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Notes to Editors

• Ecotricity founded the green energy movement in 1995, and has grown to become Europe 's leading independent electricity company, supplying homes and businesses across the UK .

• Ecotricity believes that only by continuously building new sources of green energy can we make a real impact on the root causes of climate change in the UK . By changing where our electricity comes from, carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels can be reduced.

• Using existing cables and meters Ecotricity can supply any home or business in mainland UK .

• Ecotricity invest more per customer in building new sources of renewable energy than any other UK supplier