Imperial has submitted a planning application for four small wind turbines to be installed on the roof of EEE, as part of a refurbishment of the upper levels to build "world class" facilities for the validation of renewable energy research. The turbines range from 2m to 4m in height and can generate between 1-2kW each, barely enough to run the kettles in the EEE staff kitchens.
The proposed four turbines are of different designs and will be used to compare the performance of different methods of harnessing the wind. The four turbines are:
A decision on planning consent is expected in the next month, however looks unlikely to be withheld. Despite the height of the EEE building - the highest working building on campus - the turbines will not be visible from street level outside the campus due to shielding from other buildings around the perimeter. The planning application also points out several times that due to the "modern architecture" of the building the turbines will have no negative impact on its appearance. Live! suspects this is consultant-speak for "it looks so crap anyway nothing we can do to it will make it any worse".
Although this could be seen as a step in the right direction, the comparatively low power output and use for research purposes means students are unlikely to be using carbon-neutral electricity on campus in the near future. However, it is anticipated that the faces of ESoc lighting up with joy at the thought of wind turbines on a College building will be enough to rid the campus of conventional lighting technologies.
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