Thumbs up to wind

The UK could greatly increase the number of onshore wind farms it builds without harming wildlife. That is according to an RSPB-commissioned report from the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), which found the UK lagging far behind in the drive for wind power.

The report calls on the government to step in to ensure that better and quicker decisions on wind farms are made, while protecting wildlife and winning the backing of local communities.

Wind turbines met just less than two per cent of the UK’s electricity demands in 2007, though deployment levels varied, with Scotland significantly outperforming other parts of the UK.

The UK was 13th in a European league table of wind power per head of population, trailing behind tiny Estonia and only just ahead of Belgium.

The three countries at the top of the league table were Germany, where wind met 15 per cent of demand, Spain, where it accounted for 20 per cent, and Denmark, where it met 29 per cent of demand.