THERE are fears Dale Vince’s renewable energy plans could lead to 100 wind turbines being built on the edge of the Cotswold escarpment and 'ruin' the landscape.

Ecotricity has launched a big new push to sign up landowners to deliver energy independence, public ownership and 100 percent green electricity to all 628,000 people living in Gloucestershire.

This comes after the Government’s decision to lift the ban on onshore wind.

Ecotricity says analysis of land across the county has revealed that Gloucestershire can accommodate some 100 4MW windmills which could generate 1,200 GWh – enough to meet the electricity needs of all the county’s homes.

Labour Party donor Dale Vince first announced plans for 100 windmills to power homes in the county back in 2019 but the Conservative’s de facto ban on onshore wind made this impossible.

Mr Vince says Gloucestershire could lead the way and become a model for other counties to help the Government achieve its ambition of doubling onshore wind and trebling solar by 2030.

But his plans have sparked questions over where such proposals would be built and what effect they would have on the landscape in county which has huge swathes of it covered by natitonal landscapes such as the Cotswolds, Wye Valley and Malvern Hills.

Gloucestershire County Council’s Environment, economy and planning cabinet member David Gray (C, Winchcombe and Woodmancote) believes the proposals will not be straightforward and may not be welcomed by the district councils responsible for granting planning permission.

He also fears the proposals could have an impact on tourism in the county. “I’m not sure people will want to come to visit 100 wind turbines spread across the Cotswolds,” he said.

“I accept the broad case that inshore wind may play a part in the transition to a low carbon economy. Obviously from the County Council we are committed to that.

“However, I have grave concerns over the impact of a development on the scale that he is talking about in Gloucestershire.

“What impact will that have on our landscape, especially when so much of the county is covered by areas of outstanding natural beauty.

“Where are they going to be put? To be energy efficient they need to be in windy places, so where is going to put them?

“Along the edge of the Cotswold escarpment? I can’t see that being sensible or popular.

“A sensible approach is to have a mix of energy sources. From a decarbonisation perspective and from energy security. What do you do when the wind doesn’t blow?

“While there will be a role for onshore and offshore wind turbines, you also need solar and nuclear. Nuclear is something that Gloucestershire has a historic lead in.

“And importantly the last Government and this one seem to be supportive of nuclear and the so-called small modular reactors. And Gloucestershire is on the shortlist for one of the sites with Severn Edge.”

Mr Vince is proposing a public ownership model through the local authorities. He believes this model could add an additional £7 million a year to council coffers.

The plan could become a blueprint for a national roll out of publicly owned renewable energy – which is exactly what the government’s Great British Energy (GBE) was set up to do.

Ecotricity has now launched an ad campaign reaching out to landowners interested in leasing their land for renewable projects.

The windmills would provide a stable revenue stream while helping to save the planet, they say.

And Ecotricity has already written to 60 plus landowners in Gloucestershire and work is ongoing to identify new landowners with potentially another 100 in the pipeline.

Mr Vince said: “100 windmills could power Gloucestershire with 100% green electricity which could be owned by the public.

“That’s our ambition – to make Gloucestershire energy independent and to literally hand power over to the people. Gloucestershire is a huge untapped resource – it could lead the way. We can create new jobs, help farmers, and power the entire county all while fighting the climate crisis.

“But it’s much bigger than that – this blueprint could be replicated across the country in conjunction with Great British Energy and local authorities. It would mean everyone benefits from meeting the 100% target for renewables.

“These are exactly the sort of projects the public sector should be funding – it’s a fantastic opportunity to make our country energy independent, lowering household bills forever.”