Wiltshire Community Wind Energy

Why is Wiltshire a good county for wind energy?

Why Wiltshire

We feel that Wiltshire must play its part in addressing climate change, and wind power is a viable option for a large rural county such as ours.

We do not feel that it is right that providing power in the future is for someone else to do - we must pull our weight.

Wind power is seen as a promising technology in Wiltshire as described in the Wiltshire Renewable Energy Action Plan and the Regional Renewable Energy Strategy, but a number of barriers have got in the way of successful implementation. One of these barriers is the lack of community involvement - We think we can help promote wind energy and get local people, organisations and landowners talking.

We are positive about wind energy - turbines can be elegant structures if located in the right place. Modern wind turbines are quiet and efficient, and should be a common sight across the county. We need to be bold and positive.

Location, Location, Location

We are undertaking an initial screening of the types of area that may be suitable for wind turbines. From our work so far it looks like small clusters (of 1 to 5) turbines are likely to be possible, but that large farms of wind turbines will not be possible and are unlikely to be supported by local communities.

We know that the location of wind turbines is very important for many reasons. We want to start focussing on the most promising areas, whilst rejecting areas where we know there will not be support. We don't want to ruin the environment we are trying to protect!

Work is still ongoing but it seems that sites on the periphery (i.e. within a mile or two) of some of the towns outside of landscape and environmental designated areas may be favourite. Obviously we have to ensure that all important issues are addressed (including noise which is important to residential areas in particular and limits how close wind turbines can be sited).  We also have to make sure the sites are windy enough!

Taking sites forward

We don't own land, so we will need to encourage landowners to get involved. We would like to promote a scheme through community involvement (perhaps financed predominately within the county with community support) but we appreciate that there are a number of ways projects can be progressed. There are many studies and agreements that are required before a wind farm can be built. How this is done will depend on landowner attitudes and the skills and knowledge of the group. Professional assistance will be essential and their are a range of options available both fully commercial or as a community cooperative to fund and progress projects.

Supporting Local Initiatives

There are communities in Wiltshire already looking seriously into wind energy (for instance in Bradford-on-Avon, Urchfont, Kington St Michael) we want to support these initiatives where we can. If you think that we could help you or you would like to share your experiences we would like to hear from you.