Renewable energy company Good Energy has marked the 30th birthday of the UK’s first wind farm by commissioning international artist Luke Jerram to produce a celebratory artwork.
The Bristol-based artist, who has produced numerous major works of art highlighting the impact of climate change, created an experimental light projection, pictured, for Chippenham-headquartered Good Energy.
Coinciding with the opening of the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this weekend, the piece features moving images depicting nature, messages to world leaders and audio of children’s voices.
It was projected onto the turbine at Delabole in Cornwall, the birthplace of UK renewables which is now owned and operated by Good Energy.
More than 150 residents of the nearby village came to watch the artwork and celebrate the anniversary of the wind farm, which was originally built by the Edwards family 30 years ago.
Good Energy commissioned the project to inspire world leaders on the eve of the hugely important COP26 climate conference.
Good Energy CEO Nigel Pocklington said: “The UK’s journey to net zero started in a small Cornish village back in the 90s.
“The Edwards family were pioneers of a green revolution 30 years ago, at a time when wind power was barely heard of.
“We wanted to mark this anniversary, bring the community together, and send a message to world leaders that the time is now.”
“We’ve come a long way in 30 years, and there is a long way to go to tackle this crisis. Climate change is a huge challenge, but this wind farm shows us that some of the answers are simple and already known.”
Luke Jerram, pictured, added: “We all need to do what we can to fight climate change. As an artist, I’m hoping my skills in visual communication may be of use.
“The question is, what can you do, to play your part? No matter what skills you have, they’ll be needed in this climate emergency.
“This commission has given me the opportunity to test out new ideas. Some of the imagery we projected is only be visible through long exposure photographs.”
Earlier this year Good Energy appointed an advisory board of secondary school-age students called the Good Future Board.
The firm, which has around 250,000 domestic and business customers, is also sponsoring the 16th UN Climate Change Conference of Youth (COY16) in Glasgow run by YOUNGO – The Official Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – on the October 30. The event will include a live meeting of Good Future Board members.
Good Energy buys from more than 1,600 renewable generators in Britain and has a portfolio with a 47.5MW generation capacity which powers approximately 15% of its customer base.
