One World - Planning guidance for micro-wind turbines (1)

The recognition of the undesirable effects caused by global warming and climate change, resulting mainly from the combustion of fossil fuels, has highlighted the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

A reduction of these emissions can be achieved through the combination of strategies including reducing the need to use energy, using it more efficiently and increasing the proportion of energy produced from renewable energy sources (RES).

Improved energy performance through reduction of energy losses, can have a significant impact on the demand for energy. Energy efficiency in buildings refers to those measures that are integrated in the design of a building aimed at decreasing energy losses. These may include insulation, double glazing, or the use of natural ventilation systems.

Simultaneously, there needs to be a diversion from traditional means of energy production using fossil fuels to cleaner sources of energy. Renewables are one such source of energy. The term renewable energy encompasses those sources of energy that are derived from sources that are inexhaustible unlike fossil fuels, of which there is a finite supply. Renewable sources of energy include sunlight, wind, tidal and wave action and geothermal heat.

Wind energy can be generated through the development of large or medium scale wind farms either on land or offshore with the capacity of each turbine between 2 and 5MW, medium scale stand alone turbines with a generating capacity between 20kW and 500kW and micro-wind turbines with a generating capacity of less than 20kW.

Mepa has published a proposed Planning Guidance for Micro-Wind Turbines. This draft document, which is currently up for public consultation, can be viewed on website: www.mepa.org.mt and any comments or suggestions can be sent through e-mail address: microwind@mepa.org.mt by September 11.