Why Wind? » Policy
The Government is supporting investment in renewable electricity generation through a number of policies, most significantly, the Renewables Obligation. This requires supply companies to source a minimum fraction of their electricity from renewable sources. If they don’t, they have to pay a penalty that is recycled to renewable generators. This mechanism is encouraging investment in renewable generation. The 2010 target is to generate 10% of all electricity from renewable means and 15% by 2015. At the moment, the UK generates 1.3% of its electricity this way.
Policy in the energy industry has to balance a number of objectives. Security of supply, pollution, consumer prices and climate change are all significant issues that have to be weighed up.
Wind power is good news on all these fronts. We are increasingly dependent on imported natural gas for our electricity generation. This is subject to supply risks and political risk as well as price volatility as we have all seen with our gas bills. Wind turbines use a free energy source and have predictable operating costs. Unlike fossil fuel generation, wind power does not pollute the atmosphere. And unlike nuclear generation wind power is easy and cheap to decommission and does not leave toxic waste disposal problems.
As our demand for electricity increases and nuclear generating stations are being decommissioned there is a need for a non-polluting source of electricity to play a bigger role. Wind power cannot meet all our power needs but it has a significant contribution to make in the generation mix.
