The study, carried out by Encraft, an environmental consultancy, suggests that wind turbine owners overestimate wind speeds on any given day, with gusts achieving only a third of the forecast speed. In the worst scenarios, home wind turbines were failing to generate enough energy to power a lightbulb.
The figures indicate that it would take fifteen years to generate enough clean energy to justify the manufacture of the wind turbine itself.
The study, supported by the government, is a severe blow to environmental agencies campaigning for greener energy and zero carbon emissions. It looks set to reduce the uptake figures for wind energy production kits and promote power station energy generation.
Encraft’s managing director Matthew Rhodes argues that home wind power does have a future, provided it is installed accurately:
‘There is no doubt that microgeneration as a whole has a critical role to play in delivering a low carbon and secure energy future for the UK. Micro wind turbines are part of this mix, but they need to be installed in a responsible and appropriate manner.'
These developments rubbed salt into the wounds of Greenpeace today as they reacted angrily to the governments’ plans for new nuclear plants.
Greenpeace, who won a high court ruling against the government during Tony Blair’s tenure, have not ruled out taking action again to stamp out what they describe as ‘government lies’.
John Sauven, the lobby group’s executive director, said:
‘Going for nuclear allows politicians like Gordon Brown to project the impression that they are taking difficult decisions to solve difficult problems when they are doing nothing of the sort.’
