Existing wind turbines may get 20m taller
Octopus Energy seeks to upgrade sites with larger blades or higher towers to overcome planning rules
Energy companies are attempting to get around planning restrictions on onshore wind farms with an upgrade programme that could make hundreds of existing turbines taller. Octopus Energy has set its sights on up to 1,000 turbines that it hopes to reconfigure or replace, providing electricity for up to half a million more homes than they currently supply. In many cases the refit would involve installing bigger blades or adding as much as 20 metres to existing turbines’ height.
ENERGY companies are attempting to overcome planning restrictions on onshore wind farms with an upgrade programme that could make hundreds of existing turbines taller.
Octopus Energy has set its sights on up to 1,000 turbines which it hopes to reconfigure or replace, providing electricity for up to half a million more homes than they currently supply. In many cases the refit would involve installing bigger blades or adding as much as 20 metres (65ft) to the height of existing turbines.
The private company is seeking to open talks with turbine owners with a view to taking over their generators, “repowering” them and selling their electricity.
It has teamed up with wind turbine maker EWT as part of a plan to overhaul the turbines, many of which are in the north of England, by 2030.
Electricity from the turbines could be sold more cheaply to nearby households when the wind is blowing hard, expanding an existing Octopus tariff.
The proposals, which Octopus said would only go ahead if nearby homeowners approve, risk sparking a backlash from rural families who are concerned about the impact of bigger turbines on the landscape.
It comes after Tory leadership candidate Rishi Sunak signalled his opposition to new onshore wind turbines and insisted he would scrap plans to relax rules that restrict new projects.
Zoisa North-bond, chief executive of Octopus Energy Generation, said: “It’s quite difficult to build new models at the moment given where planning sits on onshore wind.
“But with repowering, we have the ability to be able to go in and look at sites which have already been designated and developed for that purpose.
“For turbines coming to the end of their life or those that are not as efficient as they could be, we can go in and put in much more powerful models. In some instances these could power up to two to three times more homes.”
There are about 9,000 onshore wind turbines in Britain, supplying about 10pc of its annual electricity. They are one of the cheapest forms of generation to build.
However, installation slowed in 2015 when David Cameron excluded the technology from subsidies and tightened planning restrictions.
Subsidies for new farms were reinstated this year as the Government tries to boost renewable power supplies to meet net zero targets.
In its energy security strategy published in March, however, the Government said it would not introduce “wholesale changes” to current planning rules for onshore wind.
Mr Sunak, who is trailing Liz Truss in the race to become the next Tory party leader, last month said he wanted to “reassure communities” that he would
‘It’s quite difficult to build new models at the moment given where planning sits on onshore wind’
“scrap plans to relax the ban on onshore wind in England, instead focusing on building more turbines offshore”.
It comes despite polling last week by an environmental group indicating that the majority of Conservative party members back the technology. In a 2021 Yougov poll commissioned by trade group Renewables UK, 70pc of respondents said they supported the installation of more onshore turbines.
Octopus Energy bought its first two small turbines last year, in South Wales and Yorkshire, generating power for about 500 homes.
Under its “fan club” tariff, households living near the turbines get discounts of up to 50pc on their electricity when the wind is blowing hard. It hopes to use this model for many of the wind farms it plans to take over and redesign.
It has previously said it wants to spend about £4bn on introducing “fan club” projects around the world within the decade – up to £2bn of which could be in the UK.