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Print articleCllr James Kempton, Leader of Islington Council, switched on Upper Street's first wind turbine on the roof of the Municipal Offices, 222 Upper Street, N1 on Monday.
Islington Council has installed the turbine - which towers nine metres from the roof of the building - to produce energy to power the council's fleet of electric vehicles - ensuring it's a truly green fleet.
Leader of Islington Council, Cllr James Kempton, said:
?We're very proud of Upper Street's reputation as a place where people like to relax and meet friends - but we're even prouder that it's at the forefront of tackling climate change.
?Wind-turbines are a visible demonstration of the bold steps we're taking to cut carbon emissions across the borough. But we know they need to be backed up by many other actions.
?Islington is the first local authority in the country to commit to a carbon reduction target in its Local Area Agreement with central Government - and more importantly, to get organisations across the borough to pledge to do their bit to make it happen.
?We've set up a ?3 million Climate Change Fund, so residents, organisations and council buildings can all benefit from funding for capital projects which will achieve significa nt reductions in carbon emissions, either through generating renewable energy, or green transport.
?And we've changed our planning guidance so that all major developments have to incorporate renewable energy on site, reducing their carbon emissions by 20 per cent.
?So we're likely to be seeing many more measures to tackle claimte change in Islington, from wind turbines to biomass boilers and ground source heat pumps. This is just one part of a comprehensive programme to reduce carbon emissions across Islington.?
The Upper Street turbine towers nine metres above the Municipal Office's roof, the blades span 5.57 metres and together with the mast the turbine weighs 960 kg. It is predicted to produce 11,000 kWh and this is enough green electricity to provide 54,000 miles of electric car travel (GWhiz).
This is the latest turbine to be installed in a programme of wind power across Islington. Earlier this year, Islington Council installed a turbine on the Ecology Centre in Drayton Park, near the railway line so it's a landmark for communters entering London through King's Cross.
