§ Mr. Rostasked the Secretary of State for Energy what progress is being made in harnessing wind energy in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. David HowellIt is hoped that a major step forward in the development of wind energy in this country will be taken with the building of the United Kingdom's first megawatt-size wind powered generator-aerogenerator. Subject to planning consents and contractual arrangements, the machine will be built at Burgar Hill, Orkney. It will have a 60 metre blade diameter and a generating capacity of about 3 megawatts. It is hoped to have the machine in operation by 1983–84, and connected to the island's electricity supply.
My Department will provide support of up to £4.6 million for the project. The North of Scotland Hydro Electric Board (NSHEB) will provide the remaining £1 million, and will also provide the site. In addition, my Department will meet the costs of monitoring the aerogenerator performance.
The aerogenerator will share the site with a smaller, 20 metre machine of 250 kilowatt capacity, which is expected to come into operation in October 1981, and will provide some useful data for the larger machine.
This project is an important step in the development of wind power in the United Kingdom and will enable us to gain experience of the basic problems of aerogenerators through the development of a large prototype. The wind speeds on Orkney together with its relatively small capacity electricity grid and the high generating costs of its diesel sets, make it a good site for testing wind generators.
This type of grid is a characteristic of other isolated communities which often rely on diesel generation and these too could benefit from the use of wind power.
Industrial Fuel Price Estimates* (excluding VAT) of U.S.A., EEC † and Japan Coal (£ per tonne)‡ Electricity (pence per Kwh) § Maximum Demand Heavy Fuel OilOil≑ Fuel High Volatile 6/10mm (pithead price) Coking coal (pithead price) 500Kw 60 per cent. load 2,500 Kw 60 per cent. load (£/ tonne) Date of Estimates 1 October 1980 1 October 1980 1 August 1980 1 August 1980 12 January 1981 Belgium 46.9 43.5 3.34 2.85 97.5 Denmark n.a. n.a. 2.94–3.33 2.93–3.33 13.9¶ F.R. Germany 53.2 50.1 2.82–3.42 2.58–3.35 95.9 France 41.7 38.3 2.29 2.26 92.4 Eire n.a. n.a. 3.00 2.95 115.3 Luxembourg n.a. n.a. 2.58 2.48 n.a. Italy n.a. n.a. 3.25–3.26 3.11–3.12 88.0 Netherlands n.a. n.a. 2.30–3.33 2.28–3.29 98.5