UK: Wind turbines would need to cover Wales to supply 1/6 of energy needs

AN area the size of Wales would need to be covered in wind turbines to meet just a sixth of the nation’s daily energy needs, according to a new study that has cast doubt over the Government’s push for wind energy.

Professor David MacKay, a physicist at Cambridge University, said ministers would have to look at other forms of alternative energy, like tidal power, if they were to meet their ambitious renewable energy commitments.

Ministers have pledged to provide 20 per cent of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2020 and have relied on wind energy to provide almost all of the capacity.

By analysing the average power output possible from wind turbines and comparing it to the amount of land needed to house each turbine, Professor MacKay believes wind farms will need at least five times more land than has been previously estimated.

His research has raised further doubts over the viability of the Government’s push for wind power.

Telegraph