Black Ditch, Somerset
More wind power for Somerset
We built Somerset’s first turbine in 2008, now we’re hoping to add some more with this application for five turbines, a project we’ve christened Black Ditch Wind Park - named after the Rhyne (ditch) which runs through the site.
This rather unassuming ditch has had its fifteen minutes of fame with a brief mention in the Arthur Conan Doyle novel, Micah Clarke
.
"The bridges were narrow, and some time passed before the army could get over. At last, however, the two main ones, the Black Ditch and the Langmoor Rhine, were safely traversed and a halt was called while the foot was formed in line..."
Located next to the Walpole Landfill Site the wind turbines would produce 2MW each, collecting enough power from the wind for 7,810 homes - a huge contribution to the ambitious renewables targets saving 11,082 tonnes of CO2 .
Read the latest news for this wind park.
Vital statistics
Site address - Pawlett Road, Near West Huntspill
Planning Since - 20 Nov 2009
Turbines - 5
Hub height - 79m
Rotor diameter - 82m
Capacity - 10MW
Green electricity per year -
25.77 million units
Equivalent homes - 7,810
CO2 savings - 11,082 tonnes
04 May 2010
We are holding a public exhibition to give local people more detailed information on our plans for a wind park at Black Ditch, next to the M5 motorway.
The exhibition will be held on Tuesday 11 May at Balliol Village Hall, Church Road in West Huntspill between 12pm and 7pm
. Local residents can see and hear about the latest details of the plans for themselves, and find out more about wind power in general. Members of the Ecotricity team will be on-hand to answer any questions.
Photomontages will be on display to give an accurate impression of what the windmills will look like from various locations in the area. There will also be other information on the proposal, including the detailed environmental studies that have been carried out, how the site was selected, how wind power technology works, and how it helps combat the climate change.
Once the full application has been submitted, it will also be available to view publicly at Sedgemoor District Council’s Planning department. By presenting the facts and discussing the issues, we hope people will be able to make their minds up on our proposals for themselves.
10 March 2010
Our application for a temporary wind mast at Black Ditch was considered by the planning committee yesterday, and they voted unanimously in favour of the application. We’re obviously really pleased, and it’s great news as it means Sedgemoor is one step closer to making lots of green energy from nothing more than the wind already there.
The mast will be going up soon for a maximum of 18 months, giving us a much better idea of the actual wind conditions at the location. After this, we will hold a further public exhibition where we’ll be able to give more details of the proposal including additional photomontages.
If you have any queries about the wind park, please contact us at black-ditch@ecotricity.co.uk or phone (01453) 756111.
20 November 2009
There is currently only one other operational wind turbine in Somerset, at Ecotrcity’s Shooters Bottom Wind Park. We are looking to change this with an application for five turbines at our Black Ditch Wind Farm, located next to the Walpole Landfill Site.
The wind turbines would produce 2MW each, collecting enough power from the wind for 7,810 homes. This will make a huge contribution to the ambitious renewables targets saving 11,082 tonnes of CO2
.
Come on Somerset let's fight climate change now!