The costs of generating electricity from the wind have reduced considerably over the last ten to fifteen years. The cost of electricity generated by wind turbines with a good wind resource is comparable to that of any new build gas power station and cheaper than any new coal station fitted with clean-coal technology or nuclear power station - especially when decommissioning costs are fully taken into account. Strictly speaking, as with planning applications relating to shops, restaurants or other commercial enterprises, the economic viability of a wind is not a valid planning consideration when such projects are being considered for planning permission.

Renewable UK have produced a detailed fact sheet on generation costs, which can be viewed here

Onshore wind energy is one of the cheapest of the renewable energy technologies. It can be competitive with new clean coal fired power stations and is cheaper than new nuclear power. The cost of wind energy varies according to many factors. An average for a new onshore wind farm in a good location is 3-4 pence per unit, competitive with new coal (2.5-4.5p) and cheaper than new nuclear (4-7p) (source, BWEA).  Studies from Germany, Denmark and Spain also show that wind power helps to bring the wholesale price of electricity down in the long term because the running costs are close to zero.

The cost of renewable energy to the householder was calculated by the Sustainable Development Commission. In 2007 it was an average of £9 per year per household, which is not just for wind, but distributed amongst all qualifying renewable technologies, including land fill gas, biomass and combined heat and power.

Turbines need to be tall to capture the maximum amount of energy from the wind. The taller the turbine, the higher the wind speed and the more electricity produced, meaning fewer turbines are required. 

At Yelvertoft, the turbines will be made up of 80-metre towers, with blades measuring 45 metres in diameter. Therefore the total height to the tip of the blades will be 125 metres. 

Wind turbines start operating at wind speeds of 3 to 4 metres per second (around 7-9 mph) and reach maximum power output at around 15 metres per second (around 34 mph).  In gale force winds, (25 metres per second or 56 mph) wind turbines shut down.

The higher you go, the windier it is, and so even if you can only feel a gentle breeze at ground level, there is usually enough wind to power the turbine at the top of the tower.

Although other countries, notably Germany and Spain, generate far more of their electricity from the wind, the UK is Europe's windiest country and wind turbines, on average, generate electricity for around 80% of the year.

When the wind stops blowing, electricity continues to be provided by other forms of generation, such as gas, coal and nuclear. Our electricity system is mostly made up of large power stations, and the system is already able to cope if the largest of these plants had to shut down immediately.

It is possible to have at least 20% of the country's needs met by intermittent energy sources such as wind energy, without having to make any significant changes to the way the system operates. The National Grid has recently stated "there is no immediate technical reason why a large portfolio of wind generation cannot be managed".

Wind energy is a form of distributed generation where electricity is produced in more locations across the country, closer to where it is consumed. This can reduce the electricity that is wasted through transmission to other parts of the country. An Oxford University study "Wind Power and the UK Wind Resource" has found that there would never be a situation across the UK where the wind does not blow enough for any installed wind turbines to generate electricity.

The planning and construction of UK wind farms is financed entirely with private capital. Furthermore, wind energy does not require Government money for any of its life cycle phases, such as decommissioning.

When a wind farm is fully operational and starts delivering electricity to the grid, it qualifies for Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) for each megawatt unit of electricity produced. The ROC payments are fixed by the electricity market, not by the Government, and serve to protect and encourage investment in low-carbon energy technologies.

According to a report by the Sustainable Development Commission, in 2007 the average amount paid through ROCs was £9 per household.  This money is distributed amongst all qualifying technologies, including wind, land fill gas, biomass and combined heat and power.

Wind energy is one of the safest energy technologies. In 25 years no member of the public has ever been injured by wind energy or wind turbines anywhere in the world, despite the fact that there are now over 70,000 operational wind turbines (BWEA 2007). This includes Denmark, whose turbine density is 30 times that of the UK.

Wind turbine noise is barely detectable at ground level and at short distances from the turbines. It is possible to stand underneath a turbine and hold a conversation without having to raise your voice. As wind speed rises, the noise of the wind masks the noise made by wind turbines. Developers must comply with strict Government-established noise criteria, which protect nearby residents from any potential noise nuisance.

The predicted operational noise levels at Yelvertoft were below all relevant noise limits and below prevailing background noise levels at all residential locations under all wind conditions.

The best way to find out is to visit a wind farm and experience it for yourself.  Use the wind farm locator at www.yes2wind.com to find out where your nearest wind farm is.

No.  Wind energy projects take, on average, five years to develop before generating any revenue at all (and not all gain planning permission) and the investment returns are forecasted over the wind farm's operational life-cycle which is in line with most energy or large-scale infrastructure projects.

Given the UK's renewable energy targets, and the longer terms goals proposed by the Government, it is inevitable that renewable energy in its many forms is going to be an increasingly visible, necessary and familiar part of our world.

It is important to remember that the UK planning system requires each proposal to be evaluated individually. Therefore the combined impact of a proposed wind farm in an area where wind farms are in already existence would be taken into consideration.

We need both onshore and offshore projects to make a real difference in reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. Onshore wind farms cost more to construct and operate, thereby requiring increased Government support. 

Contractors involved in building the project will need to call on services such as concrete suppliers, quarries, haulage, transport, safety and management consultants, skilled electricians and hoteliers. We prefer to use local suppliers wherever possible, contact us using the feedback form to let us know of your company or service.

The construction phase is the most labour-intensive, however during the operation phase, part-time operational and maintenance engineers are required. Typically this involves visiting a site (on average) once per week.

As the wind energy industry grows in this country, jobs will be created through supporting companies manufacturing wind turbines, related components and through their operation and maintenance.

Some interference to analogue TV reception is possible. However over the coming years the UK is switching to a digital television signal, which means that satellite TV, Sky or free-to-air satellite signals from the BBC or ITV are totally unaffected by wind farms as the signal is beamed down by satellite.

Any interference can be identified before construction begins and can be easily remedied. We are committed to rectifying any problems quickly and at our cost. For example, following construction of our wind farm at Burton Latimer, TV reception issues were resolved within three days through the provision of set-top boxes.

There are many examples across the UK where horses are kept or ridden close to wind farms without this ever causing a problem. Careful design can alleviate concerns over proximity of turbines to a bridleway. For example, providing clear or long-distance views of turbines so that neither horse nor rider is caught unaware by blade movements. We have worked closely with the British Horse Society in the design of this wind farm.  There is no statutory requirement specifying a certain distance between wind turbines and bridleways, but careful design means maximising this distance wherever possible.

The UK's first commercial wind farm, Delabole Wind Farm in Cornwall, houses a riding school and stud farm. Danielle Quigley is a BHS qualified Assistant Instructor and is active very near the Holmside wind farm in County Durham running regular eventing days. She regularly rides her horses within 5m of the base of the turbines and has observed other riders pass close to the turbines without incident. Additionally a regular local hunt takes place close to the wind turbines, again without reported incident. Further information is available at http://www.holmsidehallequestrian.co.uk/

The comparison of energy used in manufacture with the energy produced by a power station is known as the "energy balance". It can be expressed in terms of energy payback time, meaning the time needed to generate the equivalent amount of energy used in manufacturing and installing the wind turbine or power station.

The average wind farm in the UK will pay back the energy used in its manufacture and installation within the first year of operation. In comparison the payback time for solar photovoltaic systems is between four and nine years depending on location and efficiency (Strathclyde University, 1999). Nuclear fission's payback period is two and a half years, coal power 3.3 years and biomass between two and three years (UK Government, 2004)

A wind turbine typically lasts around 25 years. During this time, as with a car, some parts may need replacing and on-going maintenance is required. At the end of its life the wind farm is decommissioned and all visible traces of the wind farm to be removed such that a subsequent visitor would never know it has been there. Should a developer wish to extend the life of the development, then a fresh planning application would be required.

The land classification will not change as a result of the wind farm being developed. Upon decommissioning, the Site will be restored to its former condition and there will be no significant visible trace of the wind farms existence. As the wind farm does not change the character of the land it maintains its classification as a Greenfield Site.

When the sun is shining, all objects create a shadow, and if the object causing the shadow is moving, then the shadow moves also. Shadow flicker is caused by the rotating wind turbine blades creating a rotating shadow, when the sun is shining, which falls across a window into a building. When this occurs, it could be a nuisance.

To prevent this potential problem, the path of the sun can be calculated and modelled in a computer program. We then avoid siting turbines where they will cause problems. Alternatively, if we calculate that unwanted shadow flicker may occur at certain locations at certain times, we can control the turbine to shut down for a few minutes at these particular moments in the year.

No. A modern wind turbine produces electricity for around 80% of the year, but it generates different outputs dependent on wind speed.

For instance, a 1MW wind turbine generates different levels of power, up to a maximum of 1MW, depending on the strength of the wind. Over the course of a year (or 8,760 hours) a 1MW diesel generator running continually, at maximum output (1MW), (assuming no downtime for maintenance) will produce 8,760 MWhrs (megawatthours) of electricity. Whereas a wind turbine will be working, say, 80% of the time and sometimes be generating maximum output (1MW) sometimes (0.5MW) and sometimes nothing. However - its overall energy output is around 25-30% that of the diesel generator, but it is working around 80% of the time.

See the RenewableUK factsheet on efficiency and load factors.

There are no direct health effects from the level of noise generated by wind turbines. It has been repeatedly shown by measurements of wind turbine noise undertaken in the UK, Denmark, Germany and the USA over the past decade, and accepted by experienced noise professionals, that the levels of infrasonic noise and vibration radiated from modern, upwind configuration wind turbines are at a very low level; so low that they lie below the threshold of perception, even for those people who are particularly sensitive to such noise, and even on an actual wind turbine site.

In response to concerns that wind turbines emit infrasound and cause associated health problems, Dr Geoff Leventhall, Consultant in Noise Vibration and Acoustics and author of the Defra Report on Low Frequency Noise and its Effects, says: "I can state quite categorically that there is no significant infrasound from current designs of wind turbines."

The NHS released advise on this issue in their factsheet "Are Wind Farms a Health Risk?"

Nationwide surveys have shown that around 80% of the population is in favour of wind energy. Studies have also shown that people living within 5km of a working wind farm are among the most positive.

Feedback from our open days at Burton Wold Wind Farm bear this out. Most of our visitors are from the surrounding area and told us how much they liked the appearance of their local wind farm.

Following the construction of Burton Wold, Kettering Borough Council conducted a survey to assess attitudes towards the wind farm and 80% of respondents said it was "a good thing".

One of the most helpful things you can do is let your voice be heard. At this stage of the application, it is vital that the Daventry District Council hear your views.

You can email planning@daventrydc.gov.uk (quote DA/2009/0350) or write to your local Councillor (http://www.writetothem.com/).

You can also respond to letters in local and national papers, participate in radio phone-in programmes and speak with friends and family to encourage them to do the same.

There are numerous independent national polls that show that around 80% of the country's population support wind energy. If you are part of that silent majority, break your silence and show your support for safe, clean, renewable energy harvested from the wind!

The simplest way to think about this is to imagine that a wind turbine works in exactly the opposite way to a fan. Instead of using electricity to make wind, like a fan, turbines use the wind to make electricity.

Almost all wind turbines producing electricity consist of three rotor blades which rotate around a horizontal hub. The hub is connected to a gearbox and generator, which are located inside the nacelle. The nacelle is the large part at the top of the tower where all the electrical components are located.

Most wind turbines have three blades which face into the wind; the wind turns the blades round, this spins the shaft, which connects to a generator and this is where the electricity is made. A generator is a machine that produces electrical energy from mechanical energy, as opposed to an electric motor which does the opposite!

Please contact us rather than listen to 2^nd hand news, or speculation.  We would love to hear from you, and will try to respond within 24 hours.

If your question is not addressed here go to the links and downloads page to see other sources of information

There is no evidence in the UK that wind farms have long-term effects on house prices.

Two studies were published in 2007, examining the effects of wind farms on property values.

Neither the Oxford Brookes University/Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors study nor the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre research concluded that wind farms had a detrimental effect on house prices.

In 2003 a MORI survey, commissioned by the Scottish Executive, asked 1,810 adults living close to operational wind views what they considered the most likely causes for concern before construction. Among the 46% that did expect problems, impact on property values was not a key concern.

Furthermore, 82% said the actual construction and operation of the wind farm had caused no problems.

The survey also found that people living within 5km of an operational wind farm were the most likely to say the development had a positive impact on the area.

A fund will be available for worthwhile projects in the surrounding area, over the lifetime of the project.

The community has a say in how the fund is administered and spent which is best suited to them with the overriding purpose of being of benefit to the local community. 

We would like to hear your views on the community fund, please contact us.

The proposed wind farm is located within a flood risk zone 1 as defined by the Environment Agency. This indicates that there is a low, or less than a 0.1%, probability of flooding in any year.

The Flood Risk Assessment undertaken for this site confirms this, and concludes that even considering a wider range of potential flood sources, the flood risk is "low to minimal".

No.  Only a relatively small footprint of the land (3-4%) will be removed from agricultural use throughout the wind farms life. This is required to build the wind turbines and operate and export power over a 25 year period.

The land classification will not change as a result of the wind farm being developed. Upon decommissioning, the Site will be restored to its former condition and there will be no significant visible trace of the wind farms existence.

As the wind farm does not change the character of the land it maintains its classification as a Greenfield Site.

We are not involved with the area of land where the old Rugby masts are. However you may wish to engage in consultation regarding the future of this site.

The consultation site for the mast land is www.radiostationvision.com

In addition, residents can comment on plans (by 21 August) for future development and change across the borough - including where houses could be built, what can be built and protected areas.  Go to www.rugby.gov.uk/ldf