TWENTY-five years ago, the first wind farm was introduced to the UK, and the busy lead up to Christmas didn’t deter Good Energy and RenewableUK from celebrating the anniversary in the turbines’ home of Delabole.

On December 21, 1991, the UK’s first ten wind turbines were switched on at a rural site in Delabole, developed by the ‘grandfather of Britain’s wind farm industry’, Peter Edwards. Since that day, the wind turbines have generated enough energy for 6,200 homes.

On Wednesday, December 21, members from Good Energy and RenewableUK gathered at the site in Delabole.

As a little thank you to ‘the main supporters’, gifts were handed out to residents and a tea party was held at Delabole Methodist Church, allowing the community to get involved in the celebrations and learn more about how the wind turbines have been helping them to heat their homes and power their Christmas lights over the years.

Jamie White, senior communications executive of Good Energy, said: “A few years ago, in 2013, Good Energy introduced a local tariff, which meant that locals would receive a discount. People from Delabole had 20% cheaper energy bills because of where they live and how they’ve supported the wind farm.

“We also have the community fund, which has given Delabole about £10,000 to spend in whatever way they choose. So far, it has funded football kits, cricket kits for matches; it has also funded a nursery playground and allotment schemes. Recently, the funding has also helped the Delabole lollipop lady, as she was about to lose her job, so the money has helped with that.”

Mr White added: “People from Delabole have really benefitted from the wind farm, and holding a little ceremony for the residents today, with a cake and some presents, has been a way of saying thank you for the support.”

Due to the dreary weather, the original meeting at Delabole wind farm was moved to the White Hart Inn in St Teath, where CEO and founder of Good Energy, Juliet Davenport, and executive director of RenewableUK, Emma Pinchbeck, spoke to the Post.

Ms Davenport said: “It has been just amazing. If you talk to Peter and Pip, who were essentially the brainchild of the project, you can see that they were really trying to create an anti-nuclear project, and there has been an amazing attitude towards it.

“It took them years to get funded — I think it took about four years until they got it going, but it really does show the pioneering spirit.”

Ms Pinchbeck said: “The wind farm here in Delabole really gives you an idea of the scale of the industry. It is testament to how people have been powering their Christmas lights, heating their homes, and other essential needs for every day life. The energy industry is an innovative, vibrant sector, and has contributed over £19-billion to the UK’s economy. It really is the fastest growing industry.”

Ms Davenport added: “We’re really lucky to have been able to come back to Delabole and see how the wind farm has benefitted the local community, because that’s what it’s all about.”

They explained how they had met some of the residents earlier in the day, and seeing the up-to-date turbines, installed a few years ago, added to the celebratory atmosphere.

Ms Davenport said: “These turbines use some amazing technology, which people use. They are there to do a job, which is to deliver power.”

When asked if the response to wind farms and renewable energy was mostly positive or negative, they explained that the response could be varied.

Ms Pinchbeck said: “I spend a significant amount of time defending this technology. The department for business, energy and industrial strategy has allowed us to track how people feel about the turbines.

“I recently met a taxi driver from Bodmin, who was absolutely fascinated by the turbines, because he is into cars and motors; it really does show a local connection to the people, which is really nice to see.”

When updating the turbines, the old technology had been replaced with parts from places such as Lithuania, and the turbines now supply nearly 6,500 homes with energy in the area. Ms Davenport said the new turbines generate eight and a half times more power than the former ones.

She said: “This is green power in the cheapest and most efficient form. It’s iconic — lots of people came here in Delabole to see the first one [wind farm] 25 years ago. It has allowed us to keep on learning; with the first site in Delabole, it is so much easier to do the rest of the sites.”

Ms Pinchbeck, who grew up in rural Gloucestershire, continued: “I think that just gives you an idea of how big and powerful the industry is, and people often forget how beautiful it is too. We’re in a beautiful part of the country here, and seeing the turbines with Cornwall stretched out behind it really is something wonderful to see; and, of course, it is all part of the fight against climate change.”

Ms Davenport said that during a recent public consultation for another wind farm in Cornwall, she and others from Good Energy had visited over 700 homes in the area to gather their opinions.

She said: “People are always very positive about renewable energy; however, during the consultation you have to ensure that you speak to everyone, which tends to be difficult, as people are at work, or have children to look after in the evenings, so you don’t always hear from those who have positive opinions on it.

“We tend to find that we hear from about 25% of people who are positive about the idea; and then there’s about 50% who are positive, but not as positive. Then there is another 25% who are very anti.

“With projects like this, you have to listen to the whole of the community, or else you won’t hear the voice of the future.”

Ms Pinchbeck added: “For many, renewable energy is not a choice; it is seen as necessary, because they tend to associate it with their warm homes. But it has taken a long time for it to be seen as necessary.

“Turbines are really shifting. They power more homes and more communities, but then people are very passionate about their communities, which is when the concerns are raised. However, the single biggest threat to our planet right now is climate change, and one of the only ways we can tackle that is through wind turbines.”

Ms Davenport said: “You can see in Delabole that residents have affection for the turbines, as the wind farm is part of their pioneering history. We want to give another community the same opportunity.”