A pilot project designed to save housing association tenants money on their energy bills will see wind turbines installed on high-rise blocks of flats in Glasgow.
North Glasgow Housing Association is hoping to install the system on homes, including tower blocks, and its own offices to tackle fuel poverty. Funding of £22,000 is in place for the pilot project and the first turbine could be installed within months.
Four tower blocks in the Carron area of Springburn have been identified as potential sites for the systems, which could cut tenants' bills by 33%.
Glasgow-based firm Windsave, which offers 1Kw home fans for around £1,000, is working with the Association on the project. The turbines generate power by converting kinetic energy from the wind into rotating power, which in turn creates electricity.
Robert Tamburrini, Director of North Glasgow Housing Association, said: "We are confident that if this project gets off the ground it will bring considerable benefits to our tenants and the environment.
"The project is still in its early stages but among other things it would enable us to tackle fuel poverty by reducing the cost of electricity.
"This would have a positive impact on tenants' lives."
The pilot scheme has secured a £12,000 grant for Communities Scotland, and the Association will provide an additional £10,000 towards the cost.
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone announced that his London Plan Review will set radical new objectives for planners and developers that will require new developments to connect to "decentralised" local energy supplies and achieve the highest standards of sustainable building design.
The Review also doubles the carbon emission reductions that developments must achieve through onsite renewable energy from 10% to 20%.
The London Plan Review also proposes to set carbon dioxide reduction targets - a 20% reduction by 2015 and a long-term target of a 60% reduction by 2050. This is the first time that statutory carbon reduction targets have been set for London.
The Mayor is proposing a series of new development, transport and energy policies, all with the aim of adapting to inevitable climate change and reducing future carbon emissions. These new policies are published in a document entitled Draft Further Alterations to the London Plan.
The Plan also sets out a series of complementary policies to achieve carbon dioxide reductions, requiring councils and other agencies to:
The Mayor also published Supplementary Planning Guidance on Sustainable Design and Construction to guide developers and planners on how to use the existing policies to best effect in addressing the consequences of climate change.
