Wind turbines have become one of the largest providers of green and sustainable energy across the globe, allowing them to last as long as necessary. To further improve the amount of renewable energy that is produced in the UK a new wind turbine, the largest of its kind, is finally being built almost three years after its planning application was approved.

Construction under-way at Heath and Reach

This massive new turbine is currently being constructed at Heath and Reach, Bedfordshire. The construction project began on Monday 24th November and is due to be finished by the end of the week on Friday 28th November. This means that after just 5 days a 450ft structure is going to be built – that is a hugely impressive feat. According to Ian Foll of AWE Renewables Ltd who is co-ordinating the project, the turbine is expected to produce 5.5 million kilowatts of energy per hour; this is enough to provide energy to 1300 homes.

To ensure that there is as little disruption to the surrounding scenery and wildlife, the huge turbine is being constructed at Double Arches Quarry which is situated approximately 1 mile outside Heath and Reach.

While some have a ‘not in my back garden’ attitude to wind turbines, they are not any more unsightly than fossil fuel or nuclear power stations. It is also important to point out that while there are cases of bird or bat fatalities due to turbine collisions, this number is smaller than those caused by both traffic and domestic cats. Finally, with regard to noise pollution, studies have show the noise pollution produced by turbines is relatively low; though every effort is still being made by government policies to reduce it even further.

Why on-shore wind energy matters

There is constant pressure from the government, energy experts, the EU and more for us to be as green as possible, using renewable energy sources at every opportunity. With many different sources of energy available, many people question why we construct massive wind turbines in-land – their unsightly appearance frequently highlighted as a key reason. However, the many benefits that on-shore wind farms offer certainly outweigh the negatives.

• Leading source of energy: Results of a report conducted in 2010 showed that 7 Terawatts of energy was created by on-shore wind farms. This was more than a quarter of the electricity provided by all other renewable sources at the time and enough to save 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide from being produced.
• Cheaper than other sources: On-shore wind farms have the advantage of being one of the most affordable renewable energy sources available. It is estimated that electricty generated from one turbine costs 7-9p per kilowatt hour, this is half the cost of an off-shore turbine and quarter the cost of solar panels.
• Low emissions: An often overlooked fact about renewable energy sources is that, while they are a renewable energy source, there is a certain amount of carbon dioxide used in their construction, transport, maintenance and more. The levels produced for on-shore wind turbines is considered to be very low, and this includes additional emissions that are created during a ‘back-up’ period – times when there isn’t enough wind to turn the turbines so a fossil-fuel based power supply is used instead.

Weighing up the cons

We appreciate that it is important to be mindful of the negatives of wind turbines that we can’t overlook, such as the impact on the scenery, damage to avian life and noise pollution. However, the impact on-shore wind farms have on these factors is often less than what people believe.

This turbine adds greatly to the renewable energy sector and can only help to improve the overall infrastructure, so let’s hope the construction of the turbine is completed as planned and not held up by any bad weather.