| Sustainable Cornwall |
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Page 1 of 5 The Duchy is one of the greenest regions in the UK, Fi Read explains how we can help keep it that way. Here in Cornwall, we’re lucky enough to be living in one of the most beautiful, unspoilt places anywhere in the UK. However, the secret is well and truly out as Cornwall continues to be one of the most desirable regions in which to live. With its population forecast to increase by another ¼ million people by 2026, the extra pressure on our limited resources means that we have even more reason than most to take stock of how each of us impacts, individually, on our environment. Perhaps that's why our picturesque Duchy is leading the way when it comes to sustainable living. Cornwall is no stranger when it comes to revolutionary thinking and technological advances; not only was Richard Trevithick responsible for inventing the high pressure steam engine, the Cornish boiler and the world’s first powered vehicle but in 1890 Britain’s first wind turbine was sited at Redruth with, a century later, the first commercial wind farm being established at Delabole.  This year sees the commencement of a pioneering large-scale wave project, 10 miles off the coast from Hayle. The hub, essentially a seafloor ‘socket’, will collect energy from wave turbines – enough to generate electricity for around 14,000 homes. It’s not so surprising then that Cornwall's emerging green energy sector is seen as a leading light. Nathan Billings, technical director of Capture Ltd, a specialist renewable energy company based in Pool, is one of our many innovative eco-entrepreneurs. The first person in the country to graduate with an honours degree in renewable energy from the University of Exeter, he eats, breathes and sleeps renewables. It’s this passion for what he does which has seen the company go from strength to strength. “With the decline in energy availability, fossil fuel depletion, and concerns about security in the Middle East and Russia, constantly rising fuel prices, and all the environmental issues renewable and sustainable energy options are the obvious solution,” he said. |
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