August 19th 2008
Dear Editor.

Ralph Johnson has asked me to answer a number of relevant questions
about wind turbines (Star 11 August). Here goes:

The current price of turbines is around £1.5 million per megawatt
produced. This would power about 600 houses for 25 years at an annual
cost per house of around £100. This includes the cost of excavation,
installation, electricity substation and grid connection. The bigger the
wind farm, the lower the overall cost per megawatt. They create
construction, operation and maintenance jobs and use the services of
local companies.

Developers approach investment like a mortgage, paying off capital and >
interest over the life of the wind farm which might be 20 to 25 years.
Within 6 months turbines have prodcued the energy used in construction
and are then delivering carbon free energy. Turbines have enough wind to
generate energy for about 85% of the year on average. They also need to
be shut down for service, maintenance and the equivalent of an MOT every
6 months or so.

If Ralph or anyone else has further questions about wind energy, the
government has a Q & A at www.berr.gov.uk.

Yours Sincerely
Sheffield Green Party Cllr. Bernard Little

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