Philip Bowman, the new chief executive of ScottishPower, yesterday attacked the planning constraints that slow the growth of renewable energy in the UK and he urged the government to stump up greater investment for renewable technology.

More than 65 people attended a public meeting about plans for a windfarm in Pica. Wind Prospect Limited wants to erect five 81-metre turbines on land at Fairfield Farm. Villagers from Pica and Distington oppose the windfarm because of noise and the effect on the landscape.

Aberavon Am Brian Gibbons has joined the chorus of disapproval against plans to bring the UK’s tallest wind turbines to the Afan Valley. Gamesa Energy UK wants to put 14 turbines there. With a 120-metre tower and a 64-metre blade, the structures would stand well over four times the height of Swansea’s big wheel. The planned development consists of four turbines in Glyncorrwg and a further 10 on the Gelli mountain near Croeserw. Dr Gibbons joins opponents including Aberavon MP Hywel Francis who has already spoken out against the proposals.

The UK is not as windy as the British government thought. The country’s first generation of wind farms are delivering less power than predicted, according to an analysis of official data on their output. The finding dents government hopes that wind turbines could generate up to a fifth of the UK’s energy by 2020.

"I love this estate and my objections are purely on aesthetic grounds. I know people will criticise me, but this is not about nimbyism," she said.

British and French campaigners have defeated plans for a wind farm at the famous battle site.

A Referendum of villagers has identified strong support for plans to erect a £50million windfarm on a hillside site near Lochan Shira reservoir at Dalmally, Argyll.

In his first major speech on climate change David Cameron will outline Conservative plans to replace Labour's Climate Change Levy with a new, more effective and better targeted Carbon Levy.

Dunbar could be the first town in the county to be powered totally by wind as £30 million plans for turbines are set to come before council planning chiefs. Eco-power bosses hope to wipe out the town’s ‘carbon footprint’ making Dunbar – which has well over 6,000 residents – environmentally friendly by 2008.

If we are to spurn the nuclear option, or indeed if we are to embrace it, we must do so only once we have taken all aspects into account. Rigour and honesty is required, too. We must accept the relevance of the subsidies that wind power receives, and the low carbon nature of nuclear energy.

Tories backed its nuclear message with a call for on-shore wind farm projects to be frozen.

He said: "There is no change to the day to day navigation rights at the site. "In releasing this public notice we are fulfilling a legal requirement placed on us by the CrownEstate. "The notice means that boats cannot legally sail into the turbines themselves, which is something most try to avoid anyway for obvious safety reasons. "Before the site was there ships could pass freely through those waters. Now they will be required to stay away from the coordinates occupied by the turbines." Any objectors have around five weeks to voice their concerns. Dave Dobson, chief fishery officer for theCumbria Sea Fisheries Committee, said: "To restrict navigation to fishing vessels within the site would be a total disaster for the trade in the area if the plans are approved."

PLANS to build one of the world’s biggest windfarms across vast swathes of Lewis have been dealt a devastating blow from a government agency. Officials at Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have condemned the controversial scheme and claim aspects of the developer’s approach are ’seriously flawed’. The board of the quango will meet tomorrow to finalise its representations to the government over the massive scheme. In a damning report, SNH officers deride Lewis Windpower’s (LWP) claims that building 181 giant turbines, 50 miles of roads and pylons, substations and quarries across the environmentally protected moor would not seriously hit bird species, including golden eagles, or affect their peatland habitat. Officials recommend that objections are lodged against the scheme and condemn LWP’s assessments. LWP is also criticised for its ‘ seriously flawed’ interpretation of the Habitats Regulations, which legally govern developments that can harm wildlife and environmentally protected land.

Plans to build four of the biggest wind turbines in Britain near Watford village will be discussed by residents next month. The 164-metre giants proposed by energy firm Gamesa would stand alongside the M1 on land between Long Bucky and Watford. But the proposals have been met with derision by a parish councillor, who claims that the turbines will pose a number of safety hazards.

Energy group E.ON is leading calls for the Government to give tax breaks to people who have installed insulation and double glazing in their homes.

Suppliers of mini-wind turbines and solar panels for the home have reported falls of up to 90 per cent in customer enquiries after the Government cut subsidies in May. While Energy minister Malcolm Wicks and Conservative leader David Cameron struggle with the vagaries of the UK's planning system (see below) to get their wind turbines erected, fewer ordinary households are now even bothering to apply.

North Northumberland’s biggest proposed wind farm is to go to a public inquiry after being rejected by local planners. The 18-turbine scheme at Middlemoor, near North Charlton, had been recommended for approval by officers at Alnwick District Council. However, members of the council’s development control committee voted 14-3 to reject the application by npower renewables because of concerns about its visual impact. A final ruling will still be made by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) but a public inquiry will have to be staged first to give developers and objectors a chance to put their cases before a planning inspector.

Proposals for four wind turbines near a Derbyshire reservoir have been met with a mixed response from local residents. Some people have said the 335ft (102m) turbines developers want to build near Carsington Reservoir are too tall but the landowner supports the scheme. West Coast Energy’s plans for the turbines must first win approval from Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Campaigners fighting plans for six wind turbines near a mountain bike centre in south Wales are looking to visitors to back their fight to stop the scheme.

The long-running battle between country folk and government over windfarms took a new twist today as a war broke out between the Scottish Executive and a conservation body which has called for more “green” electricity generation. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and its Scottish branch have in the past angered many rural communities for being outspoken supporters of wind farms - which mainly serve towns and cities but are always located in the countryside. But the Scottish RSPB today issued an outspoken protest about re-designed plans to build the UK’s largest windfarm on the Isle of Lewis, in the Western Isles, which it says is “one of Scotland’s most sensitive and important sites for wildlife.”