That M4 Windmill
Worst wind farms puffed up by subsidy | The Sunday Times (£)
Among the poorest performers are two turbines at GlaxoSmithKline’s pharmaceutical plant at Barnard Castle, Co Durham, and the Ecotricity wind turbine at Green Park in Reading, Berkshire, which the company boasts is Britain’s best-known because it is adjacent to junction 11 of the M4.
The turbine beside the motorway runs on average at just over 16% of its capacity. It earned £229,700 in 2010-11, but half that was paid in subsidy. The electricity generated was worth about £115,000.
The Barnard Castle turbines did even worse, running at just 8.2% of capacity and earning £26,000, half of which was paid as subsidy by the government’s renewables obligation scheme.
Something to think about as you are stuck in a traffic jam looking at them.
Comments
Every time I pass Green Park, Reading - or the 4 beside the A420 just outside Swindon, the temptation to do serious damage rises.
Hopefully, one day, with temptation will come courage........
Posted by: WitteringsfromWitney | March 11, 2012 9:26 AM
I take exception to the title.
Specifically the "worst" part. The correct word is "all".
Posted by: Fred2 | March 12, 2012 2:13 PM