True scale of wind industry revealed as number of turbines reaches 30,000

 

Analysis by RenewableUK, the wind industry body, shows that the total number of turbines increased by 13 per cent, to 29,353 at the end of 2013, and is now expected to have surpassed 30,000.

 The number of onshore wind turbines in Britain has reached 30,000 after increasing by 13 per cent last year, according to research.

The disclosure has prompted suggestions that the wind industry is encroaching upon the countryside by stealth. The figure dwarfs the total that is commonly quoted by the industry, which currently stands at 4,399.

The discrepancy is because the lower figure does not include the vast numbers of small and mid-sized turbines that have the capacity to produce less than 100kW of electricity each.

The smaller turbines range from "micro" roof-top turbines to those that can reach over 100 feet tall and have been installed by thousands of farmers and landowners across the UK.

By comparison, the biggest onshore turbines can reach 475 feet tall.