Chris Huhne, the UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change visited the Isle of Wight on 3 August this month to understand the Island’s integrated approach to the green economy and sustainability and to meet with wind turbine manufacturers Vestas Wind Systems, local MPs and green businesses.
The Vestas plant, in Newport, is capable of designing and manufacturing wind turbine prototypes and testing some of the largest wind turbine blades in the World. The Isle of Wight, which is off the South Coast of England, is playing a key role in UK offshore wind development and supporting low carbon and renewable living. The Minister talked about these being very exciting times and said that in many ways, what we are living through just now is nothing short of a true revolution as we move to a low carbon economy.
He said that this wasn’t a “nice to have” ambition, but one that was vital if we were to reduce the UK’s dependency on energy imports, reduce emissions and tackle climate change. He told workers at the Vestas plant that the UK currently leads the world in terms of offshore wind with some 1.5GW of capacity installed.
Numbers gathered by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) found almost all turbines installed in the first half of 2011were in the UK: 101, compared to 7 in the rest of Europe. In a reference to the new high yield multi-megawatt turbines likely to be tested and developed at the plant, he said that such innovative components would play a crucial role in bringing down costs. Vestas is one of a number of companies that have announced intentions to open turbine manufacturing plants in the UK… very welcome given the recent disappointing unemployment figures released for April-June 2011.
The Minister then went on to discuss the Isle of Wight “Ecoisland” project, a Community-led initiative backed by local and global business. This Ecoisland Partnership has secured a mix of private partner funding to give the Isle of Wight.
