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Welsh Wind: The Future of Mynydd Epynt

Mynydd Epynt is a windy mountain in Powys surrounded by small farms and villages. Its valleys and elevation make it an ideal spot for wind turbines. The area is currently part of the Sennybridge Training Area (SENTA), the largest military training zone in Wales. It’s also been used on and off for the Welsh TT motorcycle races such as the historic Epynt Motor Cycle Road Race. It also inspired Gruff Rhys of the Super Furry Animals to name a single ‘Epynt’ on his first solo album ‘Yr Atal Genhedlaeth’.

The future of Mynydd Epynt lies in harnessing wind energy. Hundreds of megawatts of energy could be taken from this abundant resource and fed into the national grid. The Welsh government plan to triple Wales’s wind energy production by 2030; with the major success of the Pen y Cymoid windfarm it’s easy to see why.

A 40 turbine windfarm on Mynydd Epynt could provide 360 gigawatt hours of power to the national grid every year which is enough to supply every home in Powys two times over!

There are also massive community benefits to having a local windfarm such as the community fund. This is a fund that comes from the profits generated by the windfarm selling the energy it collects back to the grid. This fund can be used for any project the local community wants. In Pen Y Cymoedd they used their fund to invest in a local hotel, Afan Lodge, to save it from closing down. In addition to this, a wind farm has the potential to not only employ locals but also provide apprenticeships to give young adults starting out in their career valuable skills and qualifications in a growing sector of the job market.

The many benefits of a wind farm come with the guarantee that the noise and shadow flicker effects will be minimal to the people living close to the wind farm. There are many strict regulations which would all be followed meticulously to prevent any inconvenience or annoyance.

Most of all, wind farms are a huge part of the renewable energy revolution. We can no longer rely on fossil fuels that will soon run out. Wind farms provide carbon free energy which is essential for the conservation of the planet. The Welsh landscape can provide energy for generations to come, all we need to do is put the systems and infrastructure in place that will let us harness it.

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