Mercedes-Benz pioneers vertical axis wind turbine

Mercedes-Benz has become the latest car manufacturer to install a wind turbine at one of its facilities, with the installation of an innovative new vertical axis wind turbine at its site in Milton Keynes.

The company said that the 20m-high turbine, developed by wind energy company Quiet Revolution, was one of only six in operation in the UK and had been designed to work quietly and efficiently in urban environments where the wind direction changes frequently.

Mercedes-Benz plans to use the energy generated to power electric cars and has installed three charging points next to the turbine. It estimated that the installation will generate enough power for 30,000 miles of driving a year using its electric Smart fortwo cars, equivalent to the electricity needed to power two average homes.

Wilfried Steffen, president and chief executive of Mercedes-Benz in the UK, said that the installation was part of a project to ultimately generate 10 per cent of the company's energy onsite through a combination of wind energy, ground-source heat pumps and solar water heating.

"Mercedes-Benz is taking the lead by installing this energy saving technology," he said. "We hope to inspire other local companies to do whatever they can to reduce their carbon footprint."

Wind turbines have become an increasingly common feature at the UK facilities of car manufacturers over the past year, with both Ford and Nissan operating turbines at sites in Dagenham and Sunderland respectively and Toyota investigating installing a turbine at its site in Wales.