Can the farm generate 100% of its electricity with wind?
On the Berkshire Downs there is certainly enough wind, but there are many things to consider. The total that the farm can generate is limited by factors like: visual impact, overall environmental impact, distance away from byways, cost, distance to grid connections and the constraints of wind availability. All these issues need to be thought about carefully. The simplified example in the table below shows just how difficult it might be to achieve 100% without making a high impact on the local landscape character. Sheepdrove Organic Farm consumes around 665,000 units of electricity (kWh) per year. This amount of electricity releases approximately 260 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. In order to offset this amount of carbon dioxide a wind turbine, or a set of several wind turbines would have to provide the same amount of electricity as Sheepdrove Organic Farm consumes.
