Assessment call over turbine grants

Grants for homeowners who want to install small-scale wind turbines should be assessed to make sure the technology is actually going to save carbon emissions, a report has recommended. The study by the Carbon Trust and Met Office showed that installing turbines on the roofs of urban homes may not generate enough green electricity to even counter the carbon emissions created by their manufacture and use. The research said rural areas could deliver four times as much electricity and carbon savings from small-scale wind generation as in cities and towns. Because wind speeds are generally higher in rural areas, installations in some parts of the countryside could provide electricity which was competitive in terms of cost with grid power. But in urban areas roof-mounted turbines may not even pay back the carbon emitted during... [read full story]