An army of landowners and farmers is understood to be rallying to the call to help Britain out of a looming energy crisis by becoming small-scale power generators.
Planning applications for small and medium-scale wind turbines has grown by 60% in the past six months, according to new data released by farm wind turbine specialist Earthmill.
The company has installed more than 150 turbines on farms and land across the UK, from Scotland to Cornwall, with most of its customers contributing to the UK renewable energy sector that now generates enough power for more than six million homes on average.
Motivated by a combination of commercial and environmental benefits, more and more farmers are looking to reduce their own farm’s rising energy costs, generate additional revenues and help the environment at the same time, said the company’s Steve Milner.
“There are more than 300,000 working farms in the UK, and although not all land is suitable for small or medium-scale turbines, much high ground away from neighbouring buildings can be utilised to generate income and contribute to the UK grid,” he said.
According to the trade body, Renewable UK, an estimated 8,000 small and medium turbines over 1.5kw have been installed in the UK since 2005, quietly growing the percentage of the UK’s power generated by renewables over the past decade.
“Each 225 kw medium-scale turbine can provide enough power for around 150 homes. For farmers, a turbine also results in a drastic reduction in billed power consumption. Electricity use by farms can be huge, especially in poultry and dairy farming, where heating and pumps are heavily used,” added Mr Milner.