Britain to take grind out of roof-top wind turbines

LONDON, March 1 (Reuters Life!) - Britain will later this year remove the red tape from putting rooftop wind turbines on homes in an effort to cut global warming greenhouse gas emissions, Environment Secretary David Miliband said on Thursday.

Replying to a question during a blogging session on the Downing Street Web site, Miliband said that from October 1 local planning regulations would be amended to "make it as easy to install a wind turbine as a satellite dish".

Currently householders have to go through the cumbersome and lengthy process of applying for planning permission to install one of the devices, which can reduce household demand for electricity significantly, depending on wind speed.

The measure is expected to be included in a planning white paper, a document containing plans for new legislation, due to be published at the end of March.

Miliband also said that promotion of decentralized energy, such as combined heat and power and microgeneration, would be included in an energy white paper the government will publish in May.

Leading scientists predict average world temperatures will rise by 1.8 to 4.0 degrees Celsius this century, due mainly to carbon gases from burning fossil fuels for power and transport.