These proposals come less than 12 months after proposals to site a 12-turbine wind farm next to Hinkley Point Nuclear Power Station.

Nuclear power has been generated at Hinkley for more than 35 years.

But the decision to decommission the Magnox reactors at Hinkley Point A indicates an uncertain future for the industry, which still generates at the Hinkley Point B - a newer pressurised water reactor.

A windy country

So on the face of it what could be an easier way of obtaining electricity than by harnessing the power of the wind?

We live in a windy country. Wind turbines are relatively cheap to build.

They are a clean energy source - no polluting carbon dioxide adding to greenhouse gases.

Certainly the government sees wind power as playing a significant part in its commitment to produce 20 percent of the UK's energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

With coal-fired power stations producing huge amounts of carbon dioxide, and cleaner nuclear stations requiring massive capital outlay and posing a potential terrorist target in the current political climate, the case for wind power has never been greater.

Local electricity generators already have a 'Green Tarriff' which, in exchange for a premium of around 0.4p per unit, promises to match consumers' contributions.

These are then paid into a fund, used to invest in wind farms and solar panels for schools.

The cost of producing wind-generated electricity has dropped by more than 80 percent over the last 20 years, and farmers and landowners are beginning to see turbines as a source of additional income.

Somerset: potential for wind farms

Somerset is a county with a big potential for wind farm development.

Exmoor, the Quantocks and the Mendips are all high enough and exposed enough to the prevailing southwesterly winds to meet the minimum criterion of an average wind speed in excess of 13 MPH throughout the year.

In fact the turbines can operate with speeds as low as 8 MPH.

They reach peak efficiency when the mean wind speed is between 30 and 35 MPH. Above about 50 MPH they will shut down.

Not everyone welcomes the potential increase in wind-generated electricity.

Previous proposals for wind farms in the West Country have met with considerable opposition from local residents.

There are concerns over noise pollution, vibration, television interference and the visual impact.

The blades of the largest turbines can be 25 to 40 metres in length with tower heights of 45 to 80 metres, making an overall height of 70 to 120 metres - visible for many miles around.

Although most wind farms are situated well away from population areas, by their very nature they are visible for many miles around.

Nearby residents often worry about the effect the siting of these towers would have on their locality.

Interestingly, in Denmark, where wind-generated power has been well established for many years, there have been some 600 official objections to wind farm schemes on Jutland in the last 6 years.

Of these only 60 have been found in favour of the complainant. So it would appear that the case for wind power remains strong there.

Overwhelming case for diversification

The case for diversification of UK power production is overwhelming.

Fossil fuels are becoming increasingly difficult to find and current supplies lie in often politically sensitive areas.

The nuclear industry is unlikely to see sufficient investment to put it at the forefront of UK energy needs.

This leaves us with renewable forms of energy.

Tidal barrages and solar power will play their part in the UK's energy future, but the attraction of wind power is that it is relatively 'lo-tech' and in these windy isles there are many potential sites for wind farms.

With the largest turbines now able to meet the needs of as many as 900 homes each we can expect to see applications for turbines and wind farms rising steadily. The question is whether or not we are prepared to live with them.

Ros Coward, writing in the Ecologist in 2001, had no doubts. He said: "Wind turbines have a beauty and drama, unmatched by any other source of energy provision.

"Aesthetically, they can be elegant, with blades resembling bird wings, creating dramatic shapes against the skyline. They have aspirational, uplifting and positive symbolism."

In the next few years we will find out whether the residents of Wincanton, Hinkley and other windy parts of Somerset agree with those sentiments.