Professor Mackay's report comes at the same time as the multi billion pound energy industry has announced plans to construct a new generation of super power plants nearly 500' high in many part of rural Britain.
The biggest of the proposed new turbines are almost three times taller than Nelson's Column and two-thirds the height of Canary Wharf Tower.
According to official industry documents seen by The Sunday Telegraph, two companies plan to build wind farms each with turbines about 493ft (150 metres) tall in Norfolk and in Lincolnshire – about 80 feet higher than anything currently in existence.
In all there are about 20 projects in the planning pipeline for turbines taller than anything which has been built so far onshore in the UK.
Campaigners, however, fear the new generation of wind farms are far too big and will blight the British landscape.They argue that the turbines are only economically viable because of consumer subsidies made available by the last Government to encourage renewable energy projects.
Some are being positioned, claim campaigners, in areas of lower than average wind speed, forcing companies to build bigger structures to generate sufficient electricity.Advances in technology have also meant the bigger turbines are cheaper to build, making them increasingly attractive for energy companies.
In Stallingborough in Lincolnshire, a German entrepreneur has lodged a planning application for two turbines which will be 493ft (150 metres) tall.Laars Vilmar denied his wind farms would be an eyesore and insisted there had been no local opposition to his plans. "I would rather have fewer turbines with huge heights and create more electricity and efficiency out of them," said Mr Vilmar.
In Tivetshall in Norfolk, residents have formed an action group to fight plans – submitted by German energy company Enertrag – for three, 493-ft tall turbines outside their village.Battle lines have also been drawn up in Berkshire for new 426 feet tall turbines – higher than anything currently onshore in the UK – which would be visible for more than 20 miles.
A planning application for the new wind farm on the outskirts of Reading and close to the M4 has been lodged by Partnerships for Renewables (PFR), a company created by the taxpayer-funded Carbon Trust, to develop sources of renewable energy on public sector land.
But according to one energy think tank, the four turbines at Rushy Mead farm will receive almost £20 million in green subsidies over their 25-year lifespan despite estimates they will generate electricity for fewer than 3,500 households each year.!
The subsidy is paid for by increasing all consumers' electricity bills.
An existing turbine at Green Park on the outskirts of Reading is rated one of the worst performing wind turbines in the country, coming 210th out of 218 for efficiency, according to the think tank the Renewable Energy Foundation. John Constable, its director of policy and research, said: "It's not surprising they are this tall because the location is a long way south and a long way inland where there is not that much wind."
Jan Heard, spokeswoman for the local protest group Householders Against Rushy Mead, said: "The proposed wind farm at Rushy Mead is a prime example of excessive subsidies leading to the completely illogical placement of wind turbines."These turbines would be [among] the very biggest installed in the UK to date, far too close to hundreds of residential houses in Lower Earley, and would be a blight on all of the surrounding areas.
"Without the excessive subsidies, there would be no economic and power generation basis for putting industrial wind turbines in a low wind, inland river valley – common sense has left the building."The wind farm is planned for a section of farmland, just south of the M4, owned by Reading University. The university will receive rent.
PFR is working with other universities and government agencies on other projects across the UK but the scheme at Rushy Mead is its first to get to the planning stage.
Ministers have pledged to provide 20 per cent of the country's energy from renewable sources by 2020 and have relied on wind energy to provide almost all of the capacity.
By analysing the average power output possible from wind turbines and comparing it to the amount of land needed to house each turbine, Professor MacKay believes wind farms will need at least five times more land than has been previously estimated.
His research has raised further doubts over the viability of the Government's push for wind power.
Critics insist that wind energy is too unreliable to replace the creaking network of fossil fuel power stations and would require an extensive network of back up power stations to provide energy on calm days.
Wind farms have also faced intense opposition from rural campaigners who say the huge turbines, which can be up to 400 feet tall, are spoiling the countryside and pose a risk to wildlife.Professor MacKay, who has published a new book that examines a range of different renewable energy sources, insists he is a strong supporter of wind energy.His calculations show, however, that current plans to build wind farms with a capacity of 33 gigawatts offshore would produce only enough energy to provide each person in the UK with 4.4 kilowatt hours of energy per day.
He said: "The average energy used per person in the UK is 125 kilowatt hours per day. To achieve even 20 kilowatt hours per day per person it will require enough wind turbines to cover an area the size of Wales."It is an incredibly large area and with the difficulties in getting planning, it is hard to imagine how it could be achieved. The government needs to look at some of the other options such as tide energy. We need a plan that adds up."
Professor MacKay's calculations will alarm opponents of wind farms who fear the countryside is already blighted with unsightly turbines that are failing to provide a reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
Wind farm developers already rely upon extensive subsidies to help them earn a profit and energy experts fear paying such subsidies for technology that is already in use is stifling development of alternative sources of energy.
There are currently more than 189 wind farms, with 2,136 turbines, in operation around the UK. According to the British Wind Energy Association, the body that represents the wind industry, another 173 wind farms, are either being constructed or awaiting construction.
Plans for a further 266 wind farms are being considered by planning authorities.
In his book Sustainable Energy – without the hot air, Professor MacKay examined the total energy usage per person in the UK, including electricity, gas and transport in a bid to assess whether the country could survive on renewable sources alone.
He calculated that a maximum of 16 per cent of the daily demand could be provided by onshore wind farms with another 38 per cent provided by offshore, but the area of land and coastline needed to produce such large amounts of energy would be "huge".
A typical wind farm of 20 turbines can extend over 250 acres of land.
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