A Fresh Start for UK Wind Power?

One of the constraints on the development of a sustainable approach to energy generation is the attitude of local people to the deployment of renewable energy technologies in their locality. Wind power is now a major producer of electricity in Denmark and North Germany and its contribution continues to grow rapidly, in sharp contrast to the case of the UK where progress has been practically brought to a standstill because of planning opposition. The key lesson from this study, which compares and contrasts the situation in Denmark, Germany and the UK, is that a high level of local, and preferably, community ownership of wind power is essential if there is to be solid public acceptance of the technology.