Cameron's personal connection with turbines

Perhaps this is why David Cameron is so keen to be green:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -year.html

David Cameron's father-in-law is allegedly among rich landowners cashing in on Labour's green subsidies, with a wind farm generating an estimated £3.5million a year on his country estate.
Sir Reginald Sheffield, 63, who is worth at least £20million, splits the profits with the project's developers according to this report.

Around half of the income comes from a government scheme to make power companies use more renewable energy, much of it bought from private generators. It is subsidised by every household, via their electricity bills.

Sir Reginald's eight 400ft turbines were switched on last August at Bagmoor, part of the 3,000-acre Normanby Hall estate near Scunthorpe that has been in his family since the 16th century.

He plans a second development at nearby Flixborough Grange, despite fierce opposition from locals.

Samantha Cameron, 38, is the elder of his two daughters by his first marriage to Annabel Jones, who later married former Tory minister Lord Astor. Her half-brother Robert, 24, helps run the family's Normanby Estate Company.

The renewable energy scheme is adding an estimated £13.59 a year to the average household power bill.

Industry experts said that in most agreements the landowner receives around five per cent of the annual income of a wind farm, with the rest going to the developer. In the case of Sir Reginald this is a company called RidgeWind.

The turbines have a life of around 25 years and Sir Reginald could collect as much as £4.4million in that time.

Wind farms: Sir Reginald Sheffield has eight 400ft-tall turbines near Scunthorpe

RidgeWind is also the developer for his Flixborough Grange scheme, currently the subject of a planning inquiry.

Steve Fuller from the nearby village of Burton upon Stather, a member of the pressure group Burton Against Turbines, said: 'There has been very little consultation, which we are very unhappy about.

'We are concerned about noise and the impact on house prices.

Blades: The towering wind turbines on the family estate near Normanby Hall, which can be seen on the bottom right

'There are also people who have autistic children who are worried about the shadows and flickers from rotating blades.'

Marjorie Neasham Glasgow, managing director of RidgeWind, said the firm engaged 'extensively' with local people, including providing regular tours of the wind farm to local children and funding university scholarships.

She added: 'The subsidies were intended to kick-start the process of renewable energy in the UK.

'The problem is that it is taking much longer for onshore wind farms to be built than had been anticipated, because of the slow pace of planning applications. Once more are built these subsidies will drop very significantly.'

Sir Reginald, an Old Etonian who lists his recreations as shooting and stalking, is the eighth holder of a baronetcy that goes back to 1755.

Normanby Hall, which gives its name to the estate, was sold to the local council in the 60s as payment of death duties and is now open to the public for weddings and as a museum and conference centre.

Sir Reginald lives nearby in Thealby Hall and also has a £5million stately home at Sutton Park, near York. He could not be contacted yesterday.