UK Dock Turns to Wind Power - Motorists Look On
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08.18.07
We mentioned Ecotricity’s new 'Merchant Wind Power' project at Avonmouth Docks near Bristol, UK earlier this year, but we couldn’t help posting a picture of the now completed initiative. Located in the ultra-industrialized port, surrounded by storage depots for coal, gas and imported cars, this 3 turbine installation is set to generate enough electricity to meet most of Bristol Port Company’s requirements, while saving an estimated 15,000 tonnes of CO2 a year. There is even an added bonus - because the site is less than half a mile away from the M5 motorway, the primary route to and from the South West of England, the turbines will be passed by literally hundreds of thousands of motorists each day, providing a very real and visible working symbol for the coming energy revolution. For more information on Ecotricity’s work, check out our interview with managing director Dale Vince here::Ecotricity::via site visit::
Coming from England I'm proud that they are doing stuff like this - but I'm ashamed that living in Oakland California I'll probably never see something like this in my own backyard. We have a major Pacific rim port, lots of land, and a Port with a whopping $200M profit last year who is a major air polluter. What better way for them to make a real statement and have a big impact?
Turbines integrate perfectly with ports - ours already has a large number of 300ft+ cranes so some turbines wont be blocking anyones views, and the land use beneath them would not be impacted at all. Plus they deliver power exactly where its needed.