Wind Energy

Headlines

  • Wind energy has the capacity to provide all the electrical needs in Humshaugh and the likely increased demand in the future.
  • The parish has limited places where a large wind turbine could be placed, even if this was acceptable to the community and the county council.
  • Current planning guidance limits the size of wind turbines which could be installed in the Parish. Seventy-seven of these small turbines would be required to meet the current demand.
  • One large turbine, such as are installed at Green Rig near the A68, could meet all the demand in the Parish.
  • The County Council guidance only considers large turbines to be suitable near existing wind farms. 
  • The community could consider investing in a large turbine near an existing wind farm as a way to meet current constraints.

Further Details

The report discusses the merits of one large turbine over a number of smaller turbines, and the current constraints on siting. There are projections for the future electricity demand of the Parish and how this could be met. Details of the small and large turbines are given.

From a technology point of view wind energy could power heat pumps and electric vehicles to meet the electricity, heating, and transport requirements of the Parish, removing 3,400 tonnes of CO2 from the carbon budget, 62%.


Opportunities

This could be achieved by many small turbines or one large one. One large turbine would be more likely to be permitted in an adjacent part of the county, rather than within the Parish itself.

Lobbying Northumberland County Council to change its planning policies for wind turbines could result in larger turbines in the Parish.

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