UK - A strong wind in the right direction

Climate change, rising power prices and fears over security of supply have put the issue of energy high in everyone’s mind. Increasingly, people are becoming aware of the need to embrace renewable energy for a sustainable future. Many people have already shown their support by welcoming the development of wind farms in their local area, or by purchasing small wind turbines and other microgeneration technologies for their homes.

The Bank Holiday weekend, which took place 26-28 August, flagshiping wind farms across the UK, opened its gates to members of the public, giving everyone the opportunity to see wind energy in action. The event engaged both children and adults alike with this leading renewable energy source, as well as offered free entertainment, such as live music, light shows, turbine tours and a range of children’s activities. The strong public support for wind energy has been reconfirmed in the results of a new opinion poll, the latest in the ‘Wind Tracker’ series, conducted by GfK NOP, with 76% of people in Britain agreeing that wind farms are necessary so that we can produce renewable energy to help us meet current and future energy needs in the UK.

These findings came just one month after the Government’s Energy Review which has set us on a path to generate 20% of our electricity supplies from renewable sources. Britain is home to the best winds in Europe, making wind power one of the leading solutions to help meet this goal. Generating no carbon dioxide emissions, and from a fuel that is free, harnessing the power of the wind is a popular choice for the public and politicians alike.

Wind Weekend was organised by the Embrace the Revolution campaign, which has the signed support of over 20,000 members of the public and a host of high profile champions including:

Mayor of London, Ken ivingstone, who said:
“Climate change is a reality and dealing with it must be a priority. We have a target to reduce carbon emissions in London by 60 per cent by 2050 and clean energy sources, such as wind energy, play a key part in achieving this. There are plenty of places across the capital where wind turbines could be situated and I am encouraging the use of turbines through my further alterations to the London Plan."

Dame Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, who said:
“We all have a part to play in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and getting electricity from wind energy is one way to do this. Wind Weekend is a perfect opportunity to support this free green fuel and find out how the power of the wind can make a difference."

Designer Wayne Hemingway, who said:
“I don’t care if there are cheaper forms of non renewable energy out there, their real impact is that these mesmerizing structures show that the energy industry is thinking about our futures. The Wind Weekend event in August is an opportunity for people to see how a wind farm works and to understand the crucial and exciting role wind power plays. So go on - get out and experience the technology for yourselves!”

As part of Wind Weekend, a new competition encouraged everyone from around the UK to see if they could ‘spot’ wind turbines, whether out visiting a wind farm, driving around the countryside, or simply wandering around town. Increasing interest in harnessing the power of wind means that wind turbines can now be found providing clean green electricity directly to homes, schools and businesses, and everyone could join in the fun by taking a picture of such wind turbines, and being entered into a draw for a top prize of a year’s supply of electricity from a wind farm, kindly sponsored by npower juice.

For updates on wind farms that participated and activities undertaken please log on to www.embracewind.com/weekend

The first Wind Weekend was held in 2005 and attracted 6,000 people to 14 wind farms across the UK. 100% of visitors who filled in a questionnaire said that they had enjoyed their experience and would recommend it to others. The results also revealed that following their visit to the wind farm 78% of people wanted to find out more about wind farms and renewable energy.

About the GfK NOP ‘Wind Tracker’:
Telephone research conducted among 973 adults 16+ 28-30 July 2006 showed that:

- 76% of people in Great Britain agreed that wind farms are necessary so that we can produce renewable energy to help us meet current and future energy needs in the UK
- 52% of people disagreed that wind farms are ugly or would be a blot on the landscape with 21% having no strong views
- 60% of people think that what they look like is unimportant, because wind farms are necessary
- 56% said they would be happy to have a wind farm in their local area, with 21% having no strong views

The ‘Wind Tracker’ is a survey of public opinion to wind energy in Great Britain, conducted by leading independent research company GfK NOP, and governed by MRS Codes of Conduct. This is the fifth in the series which asks a nationally representative sample a standard set of questions.

See www.bwea.com/ref/windtracker.html