Conservatives are wrong on windmills, says report

The Rural Services Network has collated data on the subject. Wind power study says opponents' claims are unfounded

This Guardian article based on a new study from IPPR concludes that a campaign against windmills by Conservatives is not supported by the evidence.

The report, produced in association with the leading energy consultancy GL Garrad Hassan, says there is no technical reason why turbines should not be supported.

Reg Platt, an IPPR fellow, said government and local communities were right to scrutinise costs and planning policies, but that the report showed "unequivocally that wind power can significantly reduce carbon emissions, is reliable, poses no threat to energy security and is technically capable of providing a significant proportion of the UK's electricity with minimal impact on the existing operation of the grid".

Claims to the contrary are not supported by the evidence, said Platt, who pointed out that the study had been peer-reviewed by Nick Davis, the head of the Institute of Energy at Cardiff University.

The economic model GL Garrad Hassan adopted showed that every megawatt-hour of electricity wind power produced led to carbon savings of a minimum of 350kg.