100 Megawatts of Wind Turbines Planned for British Canals

photo: Poncho Ferguson

British organisation Partnership for Renewables has announced a plan, to be done in conjunction with British Waterways, that aims to turn canal and riverside locations across the UK into renewable energy power stations. The plan is claimed to save in excess of 100,000 tonnes to CO2 annually. All income from the project will be reinvested into preserving the historic canals and waterways of the UK. Here are the details:50 Turbines in Five YearsIt's a bit short of specifics, but in a press release, Partnership for Renewables says that this emissions reduction calculation is based upon a target of installing 50 wind turbines, over the next five years, at locations across the country. These will have a combined installed capacity of 100 megawatts.

Nation’s Canal Could Generate More Energy Than They ConsumeChief Executive of British Waterways, Robin Evans had this to say of the plan,

This is a real example of a public organisation using its land in innovative ways to generate additional income and work towards a more sustainable future. We look after 2,200 miles of canals and rivers throughout the UK and, whilst always protecting their heritage, are proactively looking at how we can use this resource to make a contribution towards the fight against climate change.

We believe that our waterside land could host around 100 megawatts of renewable energy capacity – some 219,000 mega watt hours. If we successfully develop this resource it would mean that the nation’s canal network would generate more than ten times more electricity than it consumes.