UK Wind Farms Built in Areas That Aren't Windy Enough, Daily Mail Reports

More than half of Britain’s wind farms operate at less than 25 percent capacity because they’re built in areas that are not breezy enough, the Daily Mail newspaper reported, citing an academic study of official data.

Out of 235 onshore wind farms in Britain, 129 operate at less than 25 percent capacity, the Daily Mail said, citing a study by Michael Jefferson, a professor of international business and sustainability at the London Metropolitan Business School. The analysis was based on 2009 data from energy regulator Ofgem, the newspaper said.

A wind farm at Blyth Harbour in Northumberland, northern England, operates at 4.9 percent capacity while another at Chelker Reservoir in North Yorkshire operates at 5.3 percent capacity, the report said. Companies choose inappropriate sites to take advantage of financial incentives designed to increase clean energy use, the newspaper cited Jefferson as saying.

Traditional energy sources including hydro and nuclear power operate at 50 percent of capacity due to shutdowns and fluctuating demand, the newspaper cited Nick Medic, a spokesman for renewable energy trade association Renewable UK, as saying.

To contact the reporter on this story: Stuart Biggs in Tokyo at sbiggs3@bloomberg.net.

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