TABJ - July 11 - British press reporting on wind farm proposals and developments, regrettably, often appears to go hand-in-hand with a word from NIMBY’s. Latest reports have done so with particular vigour, after new findings from the U.K. Freedom of Information Act (FoI),obtained by law firm McGrigors, have shown that rejections for onshore proposals are on the increase.

According to FoI figures, 32 out of 66 applications in England and Wales were turned down in the past year; perhaps accounting for the lowest number of applications made by energy companies since 2005.

One factor likely resting heavily on this spate of public opinion is energy bills: As households are continually presented with mounting figures, green power’s role in adding some 30 per cent to the costs incurred hasn’t gone down well with many.

These bills coupled with concerns about disrupting areas of natural beauty are making for a strong ‘against’ case, and although figures are being touted somewhat selectively related to how projects operate and their capacity for power generation, seeds of doubt in the renewable energy generation means appear to have taken root.

News from RenewableUK’s Offshore Wind 2011 conference, recently held in April, has however delivered various positive predictions for the sector despite the regional backlash—including East Anglia’s embrace of wind and the multitude of projects under development there. Talk of massive potential for jobs generation under proper policy for wind and marine projects is another prevalent side to the ongoing debate.