The controversial plans for 10 wind turbines to be built at Langford, Biggleswade, have now been approved.

The Co-operative Group’s proposal for the wind farm were approved last week by the Planning Inspectorate, after it was decided Langford life will not be affected greatly by the wind farm.

The turbines are expected to generate enough electricity to power 11,400 homes in the area. This will prevent between 18,000 and 43,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere.

Rob Ellis, sustainable development manager for The Co-operative Group, said: “We are delighted that our ten-turbine wind farm near Biggleswade can now become a reality following the Planning Inspectorate’s decision to consent to our planning application.”

He added that a survey in 2010 found that 88% of Bedford residents prefer the use of renewable energy sources to tackle climate change.

So what should residents expect from this new site?

Ranging from 25 to 80 metres high with fans spanning up to 65 metres in diameter, wind turbines are one of the safest forms of energy technology. They are also one of the most popular with 8 out of 10 people in surveys in favour of wind farms.

But despite this wind farms still have a lot of stigma and doubt surrounding them.

A common misconception about wind farms is that they are noisy. The truth is they aren’t. Wind turbines have been developed so that mechanical noise is virtually undetectable. There are very strict guidelines in place to ensure there is no noise pollution in residential areas.

While it’s also true that many of us think they spoil our beautiful countryside and would prefer wind turbines to look more like nostalgic windmills, the fact is this would go against their efficiency. Wind turbines are simply improved windmills and have been created to be as efficient as possible to generate electricity. Beauty would be a hefty price to pay because nostalgic-looking windmills would mean more expensive power.

Now you’re probably thinking ‘well, why don’t we put them all out to sea?’ It turns out that in order to meet our energy needs wind farms need a mix of onshore and offshore winds. As things are at present onshore wind arms are definitely more economical. Let’s face it, would you want to set up turbines in the middle of the ocean and miss out on other chances to fight climate change?

Wind turbines keep on giving too as they are one of the cheapest forms or renewable energy, at just 3 pence per unit. The average wind farm will also pay for the energy used in its construction within six to eight months which is more favourable compared to coal or nuclear power, which take around 6 months.

So there you have it. A few pros and cons of having a wind farm in your area. With fossil fuels slowly on the decline, renewable energy sources are bound to spring up.

For more information about wind farms you can visit the British Wind Association at http://www.bwea.com/ref/faq.html