Greeny News

Tim Yeo said the government must be more creative to find locations where wind turbines on land are acceptable

Communities need to be "bribed" to accept more wind farms in the countryside, a Conservative MP has said.

Tim Yeo, chairman of the common energy and climate change team, said onshore wind farms need to be encouraged, after it was revealed that the government wants to reduce subsidies.

"We need to work harder to find places where wind turbines are acceptable and be more creative in the sharing of benefits with local people," said Yeo. "Frankly, we are corrupt."

The Observer revealed Sunday that the Treasury wants to reductions of 25% subsidies to those that are installed on the ground, move critics derided as pandering to the 100 Conservative MPs demanding David Cameron cuts in February.

An independent study shows that two thirds of people in the UK believe more wind turbines is an acceptable price to pay for more green energy. Subsequent results of an investigation by The Guardian in March, where 60% of people said they would support new wind farms in their area, compared to 20% for a coal and 24% of a new nuclear power plant. The survey also revealed Guardian had a polarized debate since 2010, the number of people who were strongly opposed to wind farms tripled to 21%.
Less than 10% renewable energy in the UK is owned by individuals or communities, compared to over 65% in Germany, where four times as much clean energy produced. Rainer Hinrichs-Rahwles, president of the Federation of renewable energies in Germany, said: "The British system excludes those turbines to its economic benefits."