Breaking Wind

U.K. Military Accused of Thwarting Wind-Power Development

The U.K. Ministry of Defense is blocking efforts to expand wind energy in the country, said a group of top scientists today. The MoD objected to 48 percent of applications to build land-based wind turbine farms in 2003 because it doesn't want turbines within 46 miles of air defense radar installations. While the MoD claims that the turbines interfere with radar, only one other European country, Germany, has a similar prohibition, and that with a much smaller three-mile limit. A government report on Friday said that the U.K. is falling off course in its efforts to boost production of renewable energy. The nation has an official goal of getting 10 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2010; scientists said the MoD is, in effect, subverting that goal.