UK: Wind power offers politicians a quick fix in energy debate

There are more than 50 million private cars in the UK. They emit approximately 200 million tonnes of CO2 annually. A 33% reduction in fuel consumption would save 66 million tonnes of CO2 each year. This is equivalent to the claimed CO2 offset from more than 17GW of wind generation capacity. If we assume that similar gains can be achieved from commercial vehicles, we can see that by reducing road transport oil consumption by a modest 33% alone we can achieve the same reduction in CO2 as is proposed by the government’s plan to install 3000 onshore and 4000 offshore wind turbines at a cost of perhaps
It just needs the EU to pass legislation which by 2020 restricts the maximum power rating of private vehicles to 75KW. Even greater savings could be delivered by fitting GPS/GIS engine management to limit speeds. These measures would deliver other benefits; affordable private motoring would be assured a long future, rising fuel costs would be tempered, serious road accidents and fatalities would drop dramatically (no boy racers), and our towns and villages would become much quieter.

Motoring is a cultural passion and governments are terrified to challenge our obsession. We all associate big fast cars with success, excitement, power and prestige. It requires a brave government to say no more Jeremy Clarkson toys.

The government has lost the plot in proposing to spend up to