British City Wind Power Deemed A Waste

(Manchester, England) The local city council committed to making Manchester the "greenest city" in Britain by expanding the use of wind power to the individual homeowner.

Micro-turbine wind power generators were installed on residential rooftops to provide carbon-free electricity and preclude the need for power from fossil-fueled sources.

Unfortunately, the save-the-planet scheme hasn't worked as intended. According to a study by the BRE Trust, an organization described as a charity dedicated to environmental research and education,

"[I]n almost all circumstances, the turbines would cause more damage to the environment to build and install than they would ever pay back in 'green' power."

In fact, evidence indicates that the rooftop generators would typically produce only enough power to boil a pot of water once a week.

So, what went wrong? Well, the city's wind power scheme utilized official government data, measured at the airport, for average windspeed in Manchester, 3.3 meters per second. However, the actual measured windspeed in the city, where buildings provide a sheltering effect, is only 2.0 meters per second. As a consequence,

In almost all scenarios, they found, the turbines would NEVER 'pay back' the cost to the environment.

The Manchester City Council is taking the BRE Trust report under advisement.

Whether changes will occur to the rooftop wind power campaign is unknown. It is known, however, that intentions are much more important than results in the fight to save the planet. I would speculate that Manchester residents will continue to piss away money as long as it makes them feel superior.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.