by Jakob Kaye
It has been announced that the BBC World Service are now saving around £500,000 a year in fuel bills by installing wind turbines, powering the large transmission station on Ascension Island. The isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic is ideally situated to relay the BBCs’ short wave radio signal to Africa and South America.
Previously the station was powered entirely by diesel, which was imported by tanker. the new hybrid wind and diesel system reduces the frequency of tanker deliveries to one every eighteen months. An estimated 3,500 tonnes of carbon per year will be reduced using the new system, thus making it far more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
The system which had it’s challenges due to the geography of the island was chosen by the sustainable consultancy company AEA who estimate that the new turbine is generating around 205,000kWh per month.
The BBC World Service has been acclaimed to be the most widely recognised international broadcaster reaching around 188 million people worldwide per week in 32 languages. Funded by grant-in-aid through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office by the British Government, it transmits mainly news bulletins, making it an essential institution of a free global educational system.
