Islington Council, in partnership with Homes for Islington, threw caution to the wind when splashing out £72,000 needed to construct a wind turbine on top of Kestrel House on City Road.They had hoped the turbine would generate 13,000kWh of energy per annum, an amount, if achieved, that would only be enough to power one average home for a year.
But figures released under the Freedom of Information Act show that the turbine generates less than half that amount, meaning that anybody born in Kestrel House today would have to live over a century to see a return on the investment. To make matters worse, the turbine’s manufacturers Proven Energy say that it has a working life of just 25 years.
The Council insists that the turbine is an important part of their environmental strategy. Greg Foxsmith, Islington Council’s executive member for environment, said: “Kestrel House’s wind turbine is part of the council’s commitment to tackling climate change. In its first year it saved 3.5 tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of 10,000 miles of car journeys. Renewable energy technology is still relatively expensive, but also a vital part of our low carbon future.
“The initial costs are high, but in the long term the costs of doing nothing will prove to be much higher. This industry is developing all the time, and I am proud that we are playing our part. The council is committed to reducing carbon use to protect our futures, and turbines like this are part of that. This isn’t about making money; it’s about trying to make a difference.”
Urban wind turbines have become increasingly popular in recent years as councils and individuals seek to become more energy efficient, but doubts remain over their effectiveness. A recent study of domestic wind turbines by the Energy Saving Trust found that building mounted turbines in urban locations were found to have “inadequate wind-speeds”, and that manufacturer efficiency claims were often inaccurate. Most damningly, some turbines were found to consume electricity rather than produce it.
George Allan, a councillor who has in the past proposed such revolutionary ideas as converting the disused City Road Underground station into a renewable energy source, stood by the construction of the wind turbine but warned against further spending on high-cost solutions.
He said: “The Kestrel House turbine cost a lot of money but it was in essence a pilot scheme. If it isn’t generating the amount of energy we had initially hoped then we learn lessons and move on.
“It’s not the kind of investment that hedge fund managers go barmy over but that’s not the point. What’s important now is that we educate people about how to make a difference by their behaviour. It’s no good spending huge amounts of money on energy-saving, cost-cutting measures, only for people to then spend the savings on high-carbon activities.”
Islington Council was the first in Britain to set itself a borough-wide binding CO2 target with central government. The Council also set up the Islington Climate Change Partnership of 150 local organisations, and runs a pioneering climate change fund to help residents and businesses take practical steps to cut carbon use.
Yacin Hermi, 22, a resident of Kestrel House said: “If they’re going to build something for so much money they should at least make sure it produces enough power for all the apartments in the block.”
