A breath of fresh air means Dover District Council is cutting its carbon footprint and is now using renewable energy generated on site - and is one of the first Authorities in the country to have its own stand-alone wind turbine on its premises.
The 17 metre wind turbine has been successfully installed at DDC offices in Whitfield. It is estimated the turbine, which is now helping to power the offices, could save more than £4,000 on annual energy bills, at current energy prices. Since it was installed two weeks ago, the turbine has saved around 0.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, helping work to reduce adverse climate change.
DDC's Energy Efficiency Officer Shaun Cline worked with the Kent Energy Centre to secure green funds to support the installation, including £30,000 from the Energy Saving Trust from the Government's Low Carbon Building Programme. The project has also been partly funded by EDF Energy, which has granted £30,000 towards the scheme from its Green Fund, and the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) has provided a further £27,000.
The turbine is contributing to the Council's electricity requirements, and is currently generating 45-50,000 kWHrs/yr. The turbine is linked to the national grid to export electricity at times of low demand.
Cllr Nicholas Kenton, DDC Cabinet Member for the Environment said: "We are delighted with the success of this important project. Our thanks go to those who are providing grant funding, and we are proud to lead the way and work with partners to protect the environment, save resources, and cut our carbon footprint for the future."
